(2015-0195-F) Guido Calabresi

The materials in FOIA 2015-0195-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. Fleeing dictator Benito Mussolini and Italian fascism, Calabresi, along with his parents, arrived in the United States around the time of the outbreak of World War II and eventually embarked on an academic career that would be full of honors and prestige. In relatively quick fashion, he graduated from Yale College in 1953 (with a B.S. summa cum laude and major in economics), got selected as a Rhodes Scholar and went to study at Magdalen College, Oxford (receiving a B.A. with First Class Honors in 1955), and finally did get awarded his law degree (LL.B.) at Yale Law School in 1958 (magna cum laude and graduating first in his class). Afterwards, Calabresi went to the U.S. Supreme Court where he held the prestigious position of Law Clerk for Associate Justic Hugo Black from 1958-1959, and the returned to to college and earned a M.A. in politics, philosophy, and economics from the University of Oxford, becoming a member of Phi Betta Kappa and the Order of the Coif. As a member of the faculty of the Yale Law School, Calabresi established himself as a force in the academic world. He became the youngest full professor at Yale Law and served as Dean from 1958-1964. Upon retirement, Calabresi assumed the title of Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law and Professional Lecturer in Law at Yale. Perhaps Calabresi’s greatest contribution as a legal scholar involved the application of economics and other social sciences to the study of law. He was awarded forty honorary degrees from universities across the world. Calabresi was nominated by President Clinton to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The date of the nomination was February 9, 1994; confirmation by the Senate occurred on July 18; receipt of his commission took place on July 21; and the first official day of duty was entered on September 16, 1994. Calabresi served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1994-2009. On July 21, 2009, he assumed senior status and, in essence, retired. Material responsive to this FOIA case included correspondence, resumes, reports, speeches, memoranda, papers, schedules, and lists. The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM)-Subject FileGeneral was highlighted by numerous letters in which the correspondents recommended to the President of Counsel to the President (most of the time Bernard Nussbaum) that Calabresi be appointed to the Supreme Court or the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. On other occasions, Calabresi would write to President Clinton supporting specific justices for particular judicial positions and concerning more personal matters. For instance, he would offer recommendations for the Supreme Court and various Courts of Appeal. In addition, Calabresi wrote in favor of naming the U.S. post office and courthouse building in Cincinnati after Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart. White House Staff and Office files contain forms, reports, statements, memoranda, lists, newspaper articles, resumes, and correspondence. Most of this material concerns paperwork compiled by Calabresi out of necessity as he is being considered for judicial positions. Questionnaires, financial disclosure reports, and financial statements pertaining to trusts can be found here. Some of these records have public, nonpublic, and confidential sections which have closures related to personal privacy. Automated Records Management Email consisits of email correspondence concerning Calabresi as Dean of the Yale Law School, his service as Second Circuit Court of Appeals Judge, and his support of the Leadership Education and Athletics Program (LEAP).