Federal Judicial Center Operational Status:

Due to a lapse in appropriations, the Federal Judicial Center (Center) has ceased all non-excepted activities until funding is restored.

The Center will post any changes in operational status on this web page. Please check back for updates.

Tatel, David S.

Born 1942 in Washington, DC

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Nominated by William J. Clinton on June 20, 1994, to a seat vacated by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Confirmed by the Senate on October 6, 1994, and received commission on October 7, 1994. Assumed senior status on May 16, 2022. Service terminated on January 16, 2024, due to retirement.

Education:
University of Michigan, B.A., 1963
University of Chicago Law School, J.D., 1966

Professional Career:

Instructor, University of Michigan Law School, 1966-1967
Private practice, Chicago, Illinois, 1967-1969, 1970-1972
Chicago Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 1969-1970, 1972-1974; executive director, 1969-1970; director, 1972-1974
Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1974-1977, 1979-1994
Director, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1977-1979
Board member, Federal Judicial Center, 2016-2020

Bibliography

Tatel, David S. Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2024.

Manuscript Collections

Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
David S. Tatel papers, 1871-2023.
210 linear ft. (155,000 items); finding aid. Correspondence, memoranda, case files, speeches, writings, reports, newspaper clippings, printed matter, and other papers in both physical and digital formats relating chiefly to Tatel’s legal career as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, his service as Director for the Office for Civil Rights for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and his private law practices in Chicago, Ill., and Washington, D.C.

You are here

Tatel, David S.