Washington Monthly: Walter Dellinger’s House of Mirth

Garrett Epps, a former student of former Duke law professor and acting US Solicitor General Walter Dellinger, authored this article commemorating Dellinger’s career as “one of the legal giants of our era.” Epps wrote that many will remember and celebrate Dellinger as a “brilliant and prolific scholar, a titan of the Supreme Court bar, an inspiring teacher and mentor to generations of bright proteges now in government, elected office, federal and state government, and on the bench.” Dellinger’s advice was sought after by a number of US presidents, including the Clinton, Obama, and Biden administrations. Dellinger headed the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel and argued nine cases before the US Supreme Court as acting US Solicitor General. Dellinger argued 15 more Supreme Court cases during his time at one of the nation’s most venerable super firms, O’Melveny, where he was the appellate practice head. “Walter Dellinger ... leaves a legacy broad and deep enough to house a generation of his grateful children in the law,” Epps wrote.

Read the full article here.