On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the day Chief Justice Warren Burger retired from the U.S. Supreme Court, many of the men and women who served as his judicial clerks gathered at William Mitchell to discuss his decisions, share personal stories, and celebrate his life.
Burger graduated from St. Paul College of Law (now William Mitchell) in 1931 and went on to become the fifteenth chief justice of the United States. He is arguably William Mitchell’s most accomplished graduate—only seven law schools have alumni who have become chief justices. He brought to the high court the same traits that made him successful in law school: grit, determination, a keen understanding of the law, and modesty.
Modesty was a common theme discussed among his former clerks who attended the event. Several, including Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals Alex Kozinski; Reece Bader, a partner in the Munich office of the Orrick law firm; and Candace Kovacic, a law professor at the Washington College of Law of American University, participated in a panel discussion that drew hundreds of people to William Mitchell.
“If I had to pick one word to describe Chief Justice Burger and his judicial legacy it would be modesty,” said Kozinski. “He as a man was genuinely humble and genuinely modest.”
Burger was born in St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 17, 1907, the 120th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. As a child, he hawked newspapers and worked construction. He attended the University of Minnesota night-school division, then entered St. Paul College of Law, a William Mitchell predecessor, where he graduated magna cum laude.
After earning his degree, Burger joined a law firm, taught law school classes at his alma mater, and became involved in politics. In 1952, he helped Dwight D. Eisenhower win the Republican presidential nomination. After the election, Burger was named assistant U.S. attorney general in charge of the civil division. He was later appointed to the U.S. Court of appeals, and, in 1969, President Richard Nixon Nominated him to become the 15th chief justice of the United States.
According to his clerks, he was widely viewed as a symbol of “law and order.” After retiring from the court in 1986, he headed the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution and frequently returned to his law school to meet with students.
The reunion was presented by the National Security Forum at William Mitchell College of Law.
Video of the event