Solicitor General of Ohio
In 2019, Flowers was appointed Solicitor General of Ohio. In this role, he represented the state in appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States, the Ohio Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. His work frequently involved matters of federalism and state sovereignty. One of his most high-profile cases was National Federation of Independent Business v. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (commonly referred to in Ohio filings as Ohio v. OSHA), in which the Supreme Court stayed a federal rule requiring large employers to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations or testing for employees, holding that OSHA lacked the authority to impose such a requirement.
Flowers also argued on behalf of the state in other notable cases, including Shoop v. Twyford and Ohio Adjutant General v. FLRA. In Preterm-Cleveland v. McCloud, he defended an Ohio law prohibiting abortions based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld the law, marking the first time a federal appellate court deemed such a restriction constitutional.
In TWISM Enterprises, LLC v. State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers & Surveyors, Flowers represented the Ohio Attorney General as amicus curiae, arguing that Ohio courts are not required to defer to state administrative agencies' interpretations of statutes. The Supreme Court of Ohio agreed, establishing a precedent regarding judicial review of administrative agency interpretations.
In 2020, Flowers received the Ohio State Bar Association's "Best Brief Award" for outstanding legal writing and in 2023, the National Association of Attorneys General's Best Brief Award for excellence in work before the Supreme Court of the United States.
Federal judicial service
On April 9, 2026, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Flowers to an unspecified seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. On April 27, 2026, Trump nominated Flowers to the seat on the Sixth Circuit being vacated by Jeffrey Sutton. On June 18, 2026, the Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination on a 12–10 party line vote. On July 20, 2026, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 43–40 vote. On July 22, 2026, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a 49–46 vote. He received his judicial commission on October 2, 2026.
