Judge David Tatel
District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals
David S. Tatel was born in March 1942 in Washington, D.C. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School. Following law school, he served as an instructor at the University of Michigan Law School before engaging in the private practice of law.
Tatel was the founding director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He would later serve in the Carter Administration as the Director of the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He returned to private practice, this time in the Washington, D.C. area.
He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote, and received his commission in October 1994.
He is married to Edith and they have four children and eight grandchildren. Tatel has been blind since 1972 due to retinitis pigmentosa.
In the News…
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a decision blocking the White House from suspending a reporter’s press pass after an altercation last year during a White House event.
A three-judge panel ruled that the White House press office failed to provide adequate notice to a reporter that his behavior could result in suspension.
Judge David Tatel wrote the opinion for the panel that said the decision would not inhibit the White House from banning reporters who engage in specifically egregious conduct, rejecting the Administration’s argument that it would be powerless to hypothetically remove a journalist who was indecent toward the president.
“In any event, the White House can rest assured that principles of due process do not limit its authority to maintain order and decorum at White House events, for example, ordering the immediate removal of rogue, mooning journalists,” Judge Tatel wrote.
The White House has not yet commented on the ruling.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Tatel today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Judge David Tatel
District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals
E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse
333 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001
