Scope and Content Note
The papers of David Stephen Tatel (1942- ) span the years 1871-2014, with the bulk of the material dating from 1994 to 2014. The collection primarily documents Tatel's career as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1994 to 2014. Also represented are papers relating to Tatel’s tenure as Director of the Office for Civil Rights for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, his private law practices in Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., and his activities with various legal and educational organizations. The papers are in English and organized into the following five series: Office for Civil Rights, United States Court of Appeals: Case File, Speeches and Writings File, Miscellany, and Closed.
The collection provides a comprehensive account of Tatel's jurisprudence as a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and his career as a lawyer, where he was known especially for his education and civil rights work. As a federal judge, Tatel heard appeals from the district court of the District of Columbia and from federal administrative agencies with many cases relating to constitutional and administrative law that often had national implications. The papers also document Tatel's career prior to his judgeship with files pertaining to his service as Director of the Office for Civil Rights during the administration of President Jimmy Carter; as a lawyer in Chicago, Illinois, engaged in civil rights work at Sidley & Austin, the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Chicago Riot Study Committee; and his tenure as an attorney at Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., focusing especially on education issues; his endeavors with organizations such as the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (known as the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law), and general counsel of the Legal Services Corporation; and his mediation of a dispute between special education students and the public school system of Baltimore, Maryland.
The collection series are listed and briefly described below. A fuller description of each series and a list of its contents can be accessed in the series descriptions within the container list.
The Office for Civil Rights series features administrative and legal files pertaining to Tatel’s activities to enforce federal civil rights laws as Director for the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) during the Carter administration.
The United States Court of Appeals: Case File, documenting Tatel’s judicial service from the 1994 to the 2013 terms, reflects the variety of issues heard by the Court including civil rights, federalism, environmental law, civil liberties, national security, and regulatory and labor law.
The Speeches and Writings File reflects Tatel’s interest in civil rights and school desegregation.
The Miscellany series covers Tatel’s career as a lawyer in private practice and his involvement with several legal and educational organizations.