A Conversation with David Tatel, retired Judge of the United States Court of Appeals

The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents

A Conversation with
David Tatel

Retired Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit about his book:
Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Online via Zoom

David Tatel served for almost thirty years on the D.C. Circuit, considered the nation’s second highest court after the Supreme Court. He will talk about how he came to write his memoir, his experience as a judge deciding landmark environmental, voting rights and civil rights cases, how he first tried to hide his deteriorating vision but finally acknowledged his blindness, and the dog who changed his life. The conversation will also cover the challenges faced by the federal judiciary, the current Supreme Court, and the art of judging. 

The conversation will also cover the challenges faced by the federal judiciary, the current Supreme Court, and the art of judging.

David Tatel was appointed to the D.C. Circuit by President Clinton, filling the seat occupied by Ruth Bader Ginsberg when she was appointed to the Supreme Court. Prior to his appointment, he had worked three decades on access to justice issues, including equal educational opportunity and voting rights. He was the Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, was appointed by President Carter as Director of the Office of Civil Rights for the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and was Acting General Counsel for the Legal Services Corporation. He joined Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells), a major D.C. based law firm, as a partner in 1979, ran its pro bono department and founded its education practice, leaving when he was appointed to the bench.

He will be interviewed by Stan Brown, a colleague at Hogan Lovells, Great Barrington resident and OLLI member.

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Ticket information:

Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC members and $15 for the general public.

Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.