Seth P. Waxman
Encyclopedia
Seth Paul Waxman was the 41st Solicitor General of the United States. He was nominated by President Clinton on September 19, 1997, and confirmed by the United States Senate on November 9, 1997. He received his commission and took the oath of office on November 13, 1997, serving as Solicitor General until January 20, 2001.
Waxman is a native of Hartford, Connecticut
, and graduated from the area's public schools. He received his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Harvard College
in 1973 and was a Rockefeller Fellow in Kenya during the following year. In 1977, Waxman received his J.D.
from Yale Law School
, where he served as Managing Editor of the Yale Law Journal
.
Following graduation, Waxman served as a law clerk to the late Gerhard A. Gesell
, United States District Judge for the District of Columbia. Thereafter, he entered the private practice of law with the firm of Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin, where he specialized in complex criminal, civil, and appellate litigation. Waxman has received substantial recognition for his pro bono work, including the American Bar Association
's Pro Bono Publico award and the Anti-Defamation League
's Benjamin N. Cardozo Certificate of Merit.
Waxman joined the United States Department of Justice
in May 1994. Prior to being appointed Solicitor General, he served in a number of other positions in the Department of Justice, including Acting Solicitor General, Acting Deputy Attorney General, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, and Associate Deputy Attorney General.
Waxman made the oral argument to the Supreme Court in Boumediene v. Bush
which upheld habeas corpus rights for detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Waxman has long been active in Bar, community and school organizations. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
, a member of the ABA's Standing Committee on Professionalism, a current and past ex officio member of several committees of the Judicial Conference of the United States, an ex officio member of the American Law Institute
, and a member of the Visiting Committee for Harvard College.
Waxman is married with three children, Noah, Sarah, and Ethan, and makes his home in the District of Columbia, where he practices law as a partner with the law firm WilmerHale
.
Waxman is a native of Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, and graduated from the area's public schools. He received his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1973 and was a Rockefeller Fellow in Kenya during the following year. In 1977, Waxman received his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, where he served as Managing Editor of the Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
.
Following graduation, Waxman served as a law clerk to the late Gerhard A. Gesell
Gerhard Alden Gesell
Gerhard Alden Gesell was a United States federal judge.Born in Los Angeles, California, Gesell received an A.B. from Yale University in 1932 and an LL.B. from Yale Law School in 1935. He was a Trial attorney of Securities and Exchange Commission from 1935 to 1940...
, United States District Judge for the District of Columbia. Thereafter, he entered the private practice of law with the firm of Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin, where he specialized in complex criminal, civil, and appellate litigation. Waxman has received substantial recognition for his pro bono work, including the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
's Pro Bono Publico award and the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
's Benjamin N. Cardozo Certificate of Merit.
Waxman joined the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
in May 1994. Prior to being appointed Solicitor General, he served in a number of other positions in the Department of Justice, including Acting Solicitor General, Acting Deputy Attorney General, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, and Associate Deputy Attorney General.
Waxman made the oral argument to the Supreme Court in Boumediene v. Bush
Boumediene v. Bush
Boumediene v. Bush, 553 U.S. 723 , was a writ of habeas corpus submission made in a civilian court of the United States on behalf of Lakhdar Boumediene, a naturalized citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held in military detention by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in Cuba...
which upheld habeas corpus rights for detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Waxman has long been active in Bar, community and school organizations. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
American Bar Foundation
Established in 1952, the ' is an independent, nonprofit national research institute located in Chicago, Illinois committed to objective empirical research on law and legal institutions...
, a member of the ABA's Standing Committee on Professionalism, a current and past ex officio member of several committees of the Judicial Conference of the United States, an ex officio member of the American Law Institute
American Law Institute
The American Law Institute was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. The ALI drafts, approves, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, model codes, and other proposals for law...
, and a member of the Visiting Committee for Harvard College.
Waxman is married with three children, Noah, Sarah, and Ethan, and makes his home in the District of Columbia, where he practices law as a partner with the law firm WilmerHale
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, which also goes by the shorter market name WilmerHale, is an American law firm with twelve offices across the USA, Europe and Asia. It was created in 2004 through the merger of the Boston-based firm Hale and Dorr and the Washington-based firm Wilmer Cutler...
.
See also
- Barack Obama Supreme Court candidatesBarack Obama Supreme Court candidatesPresident Barack Obama has made two successful appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States. The first was that of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Associate Justice David H. Souter. Sotomayor was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 6,...
- Shon HopwoodShon HopwoodShon R. Hopwood is a former Nebraska bank robber who was sentenced to 13 years in prison for five robberies. While in prison, he started spending time in the law library, and became an accomplished Supreme Court practitioner by the time he left in 2008....
(a self-taught prison paralegal who worked with Waxman)