Robert H. Bork to Join University of Richmond Law School Faculty
February 13, 2004
Robert H. Bork, former circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, solicitor general and acting attorney general under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and author of two New York Times bestsellers about American society and law, will join the faculty of the University of Richmond's T.C. Williams School of Law next fall.
As Distinguished Professor of American Law and Culture, Bork will teach a fall course in constitutional law theory for law students and undergraduates. In spring 2005, he will team with law dean Rodney A. Smolla to teach "Constitutional Conversations," offered evenings to law students and the general public covering a variety of topics related to American constitutional law and culture.
"Judge Bork is one of the most prominent and controversial American legal intellectuals of modern times," Smolla said in announcing the appointment. "He is widely regarded as one of the most influential conservative constitutional law thinkers in America."
Harry L. Carrico, senior justice of the Virginia Supreme Court and visiting professor at Richmond's law school, said, "With his vast experience and recognized scholarship, Judge Bork will bring to his classes a wealth of knowledge and fresh approach that will make his lectures outstanding."
Bork developed his theories of constitutional law while professor at Yale Law School, where he was Alexander M. Bickel Professor of Public Law. His work emphasized remaining faithful to the text of the Constitution and to the "original understanding" of the framers. He is also an exponent of "neutral principles" of constitutional law, a concept that attempts to separate constitutional interpretation from partisan politics and ideology.
Bork has argued 41 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and played central roles in two pivotal events of modern American history. At the height of the Watergate controversy, as the third-highest official in the Department of Justice, he implemented President Nixon's order to dismiss Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Bork then appointed Leon Jaworski to succeed Cox.
Bork is perhaps best known for one of the most polarizing episodes in the history of nominations to the Supreme Court. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan nominated him for associate justice. While Bork was universally acknowledged as an accomplished scholar, lawyer and judge, his nomination became a battleground for American culture wars over the meaning of the Constitution. Then-Chief Justice Warren Burger said of Bork, "I do not think in more than 50 years since I was in law school that there has ever been a nomination of a man or woman any better qualified than Judge Bork."
The Senate ultimately voted against confirmation, and Bork's failed nomination became a synonym for the infiltration of highly partisan ideological politics in the judicial selection process.
Although known to the American public largely for his role in history and conservative views, Bork is also a highly accomplished antitrust law scholar and lawyer. He earned bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Chicago and served in the Marine Corps.