Judge Laurence H. Silberman
Senior United States Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Interviewed by Paul D. Clement
Watch the full video or read the transcript (PDF: 787.92 KB).
About the Interview
The interview was held on May 17, 2017, in Judge Silberman's chambers in Washington, DC. It was conducted by Paul D. Clement, former US solicitor general.
Biography
Laurence H. Silberman (1935-2022) was appointed United States Circuit judge in October 1985, and took senior status on November 1, 2000. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on June 19, 2008. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1957 and Harvard Law School in 1961. He has been a partner in law firms in Honolulu and Washington, DC, as well as a banker in San Francisco. He served in government as an attorney in the NLRB’s appellate section, solicitor of the Department of Labor from 1969 to 1970, undersecretary of labor from 1970 to 1973, deputy attorney general of the United States from 1974 to 1975, and ambassador to Yugoslavia from 1975 to 1977. From 1981 to 1985, he served as a member of the General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament and the Department of Defense Policy Board. He was appointed by the chief justice to a term (1996-2003) as a member of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court’s Review Panel. He also served as co-chairman (2004-2005) of the President’s Intelligence Commission. He was an adjunct professor of administrative law at Georgetown University Law Center from 1987 to 1994 and in 1997 and 1999, at NYU from 1995 to 1996, and at Harvard in 1998. He is now the distinguished visitor from the judiciary at Georgetown University Law Center.
Video Excerpts
On the importance of oral arguments
On the value of a short brief
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