Drew S. Days III

Drew S. Days III is a renowned American lawyer and academic who has had a distinguished career in public service and private practice. He has worked with prominent figures such as Thurgood Marshall and William Rehnquist, and has been involved in significant cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, including Regents of the University of California v. Bakke and Grutter v. Bollinger. Days has also been associated with prestigious institutions like Yale University and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

● Early Life and Education

Drew S. Days III was born in 1941 in Atlanta, Georgia, to a family of African American professionals. His father, Drew S. Days Jr., was a prominent Baptist minister and civil rights activist who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Days III attended Yale University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963, and later received his Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School in 1966. During his time at Yale, he was influenced by notable figures such as Alexander Bickel and Eugene Rostow, and was involved in various civil rights and social justice initiatives, including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Congress of Racial Equality.

● Career

After completing his education, Days began his career as a law clerk for Judge J. Edward Lumbard of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He then worked as a staff attorney for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where he collaborated with prominent civil rights lawyers such as Jack Greenberg and Constance Baker Motley. In the 1970s, Days joined the faculty of Yale Law School, where he taught constitutional law and civil rights law, and became a colleague of distinguished scholars like Guido Calabresi and Harold Koh. He also worked with organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

● Solicitor General of

the United States In 1993, Days was appointed Solicitor General of the United States by President Bill Clinton, becoming the first African American to hold the position. As Solicitor General, he argued several significant cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, including Shaw v. Reno and Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Peña. Days worked closely with other prominent government officials, such as Attorney General Janet Reno and Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, and was involved in various policy initiatives related to civil rights and social justice, including the Violence Against Women Act and the Church Arson Prevention Act. He also collaborated with international organizations like the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights.

● Later Career and Legacy

After serving as Solicitor General, Days returned to Yale Law School as a professor and director of the Orville H. Schell Jr. Center for International Human Rights. He has continued to be involved in various human rights and social justice initiatives, including the American Bar Association's Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession and the National Institute of Justice's Advisory Board. Days has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to public service and human rights, including the Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association and the National Law Journal's Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also been recognized by organizations such as the National Association of Black Journalists and the Hispanic National Bar Association.

● Personal Life

Drew S. Days III is married to Ann Langdon Days, and they have two children, Drew S. Days IV and Elizabeth Days. He is a member of the Episcopal Church and has been involved in various community service initiatives, including the New Haven YMCA and the United Way of Greater New Haven. Days has also been a trustee of several institutions, including Yale University and the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University. He has received honorary degrees from institutions such as Howard University and the University of Pennsylvania, and has been recognized by organizations like the NAACP and the Urban League.