Louis F. Oberdorfer | |
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| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
| In office July 31, 1992 – February 21, 2013 | |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
| In office October 11, 1977 – July 31, 1992 | |
| Appointed by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | William Blakely Jones |
| Succeeded by | Emmet G. Sullivan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Louis Falk Oberdorfer (1919-02-21)February 21, 1919 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | February 21, 2013(2013-02-21) (aged 94) McLean, Virginia, U.S. |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) Yale University (LLB) |
Louis Falk Oberdorfer (February 21, 1919 – February 21, 2013) was aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Oberdorfer was born inBirmingham, Alabama, to A. Leo Oberdorfer, an attorney and author, and Stella Falk Oberdorfer. His family was Jewish.[1] He graduated fromDartmouth College with aBachelor of Arts degree in 1939. He then attendedYale Law School from 1939 until fall 1941, when he was drafted to serve in theUnited States Army. After four years of military service duringWorld War II, he returned to Yale and graduated with aBachelor of Laws in 1946. Oberdorfer served as alaw clerk forUnited States Supreme Court JusticeHugo L. Black, an Alabamian who had been a friend and law colleague of Oberdorfer's father.[2]
After working as Justice Black's sole law clerk from 1946 to 1947, Oberdorfer went into private practice inWashington, D.C., with the firmPaul, Weiss, Wharton & Garrison as atax attorney until his friend and law school classmatedeputy attorney generalByron White asked him to join theUnited States Justice Department in 1961. He was appointed assistant attorney general of the Tax Division but, because the division was well organized and largely self-sustaining, he focused his energies on other law-related issues, particularly civil rights. During this time he befriended attorney generalRobert F. Kennedy.[2]
Oberdorfer returned to private practice in 1965 withWilmer, Cutler, & Pickering. In 1968, Oberdorfer was elected co-chairman of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He served as president of the District of Columbia Bar Association from 1977 to 1978. WhenGriffin Bell became attorney general in 1977, Oberdorfer was considered for the deputy position but was instead appointed to the federal bench.[2]
Oberdorfer was nominated by PresidentJimmy Carter on September 16, 1977, to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia vacated by JudgeWilliam Blakely Jones. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on October 7, 1977, and received his commission on October 11, 1977. He assumed senior status on July 31, 1992. His service terminated on February 21, 2013, due to his death. As a judge, Oberdorfer opposedmandatory sentencing policies, especially with respect to drug offenders. He taught part-time atGeorgetown Law Center from 1993 until his death.[2]
Oberdorfer died at his home inMcLean, Virginia on his 94th birthday, February 21, 2013.[3][4]
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Columbia 1977–1992 | Succeeded by |
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