historical society board news · 2018-11-20 · historical society of the district of columbia...
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Newsletter #36 - July 2018Historical Society of the D.C. Circuit - www.dcchs.org
Historical Society Board News
Serving on the Society’s Executive Committeeare Elizabeth (Lise) Beske, American UniversityWashington College of Law; William H. Jeffress,Jr., Baker Botts; and William B. Schultz,Zuckerman Spaeder.
Joining the Board and welcomed at the Board’sannual meeting on April 25, 2018, were Hon. Richard J. Leon, U.S. DistrictCourt; Beth Brinkmann, Covington & Burling; Peter D. Keisler, Sidley Austin;Caroline D. Krass, American International Group; and Channing Phillips,former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
A Glimpse Ahead
Taking the stage at the Society’supcoming reception for law clerksand their judges -- three DistrictCourt judges who previously servedas clerks for judges on the Court onwhich they now sit – Judges DabneyL. Friedrich, Thomas F. Hogan, and Paul L. Friedman.
We ask all judges and law clerks – past and present – to save the date andjoin us on October 25 at 5 p.m. in the Bryant Atrium and learn how the art ofjudging is passed along. (Pictured right - 2017 law clerk reception)
Recent Oral History Program Highlights
Newly Released: The Oral History of RobertS. Bennett
In Robert Bennett's (pictured left) long,distinguished resume filled with many litigationhighlights, one entry doubtless stands out: therepresentation of the President of the UnitedStates. Bennett’s counsel was sought byPresident Bill Clinton in the lawsuit filed against
him by Paula Jones. Despite the obviously unique, challenging, and publicnature of the assignment, for Bennett the matter was fundamentally nodifferent than any other. “I treated him like I would treat any other client interms of a case. And I didn’t say, ‘Gee, this is the President, I have to treathim differently.’ I did not treat him differently – [except] I began everyconversation with ‘Mr. President.’” Still, for Bennett, “[i]t was very exciting. I’d have to pinch myself sometimes. Not bad for a kid from Brooklyn.”
Read Bennett's oral history and follow his path from Brooklyn to collegeand law school at Georgetown where he worked, on the side, for legendaryattorney and FDR advisor Tommy “The Cork" Corcoran to the U.S. Attorney'sOffice in Washington to private practice.
Welcome to the Society’s New Oral History Interviewers
Nine lawyers, each of whom volunteered to take an oral history for theSociety, gathered on April 19 to listen to three expert interviewers share thesecrets of taking a full-life, comprehensive oral history. Learning how toencourage frankness while avoiding deposition-like grilling were JohnCooney, Alison Grossman, Christina Henneken, Jay Hobbs, Bill Marmon, LukeMcCloud, Tracy Scarrow, Shayda Vance, and Will Weaver, five of whom haveserved as law clerks to judges in the D.C. Circuit Courts. Encouraging thevolunteers along were two of the Society’s most outstanding interviewers --Judy Feigin and Steve Steinbach-- and Brien Williams, Oral Historian for ahost of projects including the Drew Pearson, Daniel K. Inouye, Jack Kemp,George J. Mitchell, and Robert J. Dole Oral History Projects.
An audio excerpt from Judge William B.Bryant’s oral history
While in the Courthouse Atrium, you canlisten to Judge William Bryant talk about ourjury system and cross examination. Theaudio clip is a small segment of one of theinterviews Bill Schultz conducted while
Historical Society of the Districtof Columbia CircuitE. Barrett Prettyman United StatesCourthouse333 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 4714Washington, DC 20001-2866
202-216-7346
www.dcchs.org
taking Judge Bryant’s oral history.
Two Judicial Portraits Are Donated to the U.S. District Court
The portraits of Judge RichardJ. Leon (pictured left) andJudge Henry H. Kennedy(pictured right) were recentlypresented to the U.S. DistrictCourt in ceremonies presidedover by Chief Judge Beryl A.Howell. A photograph of eachportrait appears in the
Society’s on-line portrait exhibit, which also includesinformation about each of the judges and portrait artist, Simmie Knox, whopainted Judge Kennedy’s portrait, and Michael Shane Neal, who paintedJudge Leon’s portrait.
Historical Articles from the BarAssociation Journal
The Society continues to post on its websitearticles that appeared over a 41-year period inthe monthly Bar Association Journal. Take alook: Professor Sherman L. Cohn on CourtReorganization, Judge Edward Curran on Crime –Causes and Victims, Judge Harold Greene onRiots and Civil Disorders, Judge E. BarrettPrettyman on Administrative Law, Judge CharlesRichey on Prison Reform, Lawrence Walsh onJudicial Selection Processes, and an article
written anonymously, “Reminiscences of an Old Time Washington Lawyer.”
