David S. Tatel — LLMpedia

David S. Tatel
Name	David S. Tatel
Office	Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Term start	September 9, 2015
Office1	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Term start1	August 7, 1994
Term end1	September 9, 2015
Appointer1	Bill Clinton
Predecessor1	Spottswood William Robinson III
Successor1	Neomi Rao
Birth date	July 18, 1942
Birth place	Washington, D.C.
Education	University of Chicago (B.A.), Harvard Law School (J.D.)

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David S. Tatel is an American jurist who has served as a judge and senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Appointed by Bill Clinton, he became known for opinions addressing civil rights, Disability rights, Administrative law, and First Amendment claims. His career spans clerking, private practice, government service, and decades on a prominent federal appellate bench.

Early life and education

Tatel was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in a family with ties to the Jewish diaspora and local civic life. He attended the University of Chicago, where he studied under faculty associated with the Chicago school of economics and the broader liberal arts tradition, then earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School, studying alongside peers who entered the United States Department of Justice, American Civil Liberties Union, and major law firms. After law school he clerked for judges in jurisdictions connected to the United States Courts of Appeals system and engaged with litigation practices influenced by precedents from the Supreme Court of the United States and the D.C. Circuit.

Before joining the bench, Tatel worked in private practice at prominent Washington firms and as a litigator representing clients in matters before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He served in the United States Department of Justice and participated in litigation that intersected with statutes such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. His advocacy involved filings in cases related to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and regulatory disputes involving agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Nominated by Bill Clinton to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Tatel succeeded Spottswood William Robinson III and was confirmed by the United States Senate in 1994. During his tenure on the D.C. Circuit, he sat on panels that reviewed challenges to actions by executive branch entities like the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. He assumed senior status in 2015 and continued to participate in appellate panels addressing matters arising from decisions of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and administrative adjudications implicating statutes such as the Administrative Procedure Act.

Tatel authored and joined opinions on disability rights that invoked the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, shaping circuits' approaches to reasonable accommodation and standing in cases that reached the attention of advocates like the American Association of People with Disabilities and organizations modeled on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He wrote opinions on First Amendment issues that engaged precedents from the Supreme Court of the United States, including doctrines developed in cases such as those involving free speech and religion disputes. His administrative-law opinions grappled with the scope of agency deference doctrines associated with the Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. framework and referenced principles articulated in Marbury v. Madison and subsequent appellate decisions. In high-profile national security and surveillance matters, panels including Tatel evaluated claims implicating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and reviews of executive-branch authority during crises involving terrorism and intelligence operations.

Tatel has taught and lectured at institutions such as Harvard Law School, engaged with legal scholarship networks including the American Bar Association and the Federal Judicial Center, and received honors from organizations tied to civil rights, disability advocacy, and legal education. He has been associated with commissions and advisory bodies connected to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and participated in programs sponsored by entities like the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Brookings Institution. Awards in his career reflect recognition from groups such as the American Bar Association and disability-rights organizations modeled on the National Council on Disability.

Tatel's personal life includes family ties in the Washington metropolitan area and engagement with community institutions in Maryland and Virginia. His legacy on the bench is noted by scholars at centers like the Brennan Center for Justice and the Georgetown University Law Center for contributions to disability jurisprudence, administrative-law development, and appellate practice in the D.C. Circuit, often cited alongside jurists from the Supreme Court of the United States and other influential appellate judges. His papers and recorded lectures are referenced by researchers at repositories similar to the Library of Congress and university law libraries.

Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:University of Chicago alumni