Expand All Collapse All Extent 15 folders, approximately 74 pages Summary This collection consists of records related to all correspondence between Judge Luis F. Oberdorfer of the US District Court for the District of Columbia and President Clinton. It contains cards and letters covering a range of topics from mundane birthday greetings and invitations to events up to unsolicited advice on law enforcement topics, mandatory minimum sentencing practices and recommendations for appointments to the federal bench. Scope and Content Note The materials in FOIA 2016-0719-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. See FOIA case 2016-0099-F for releated records on a specific 1998 letter from Judge Orberdorfer to President Clinton. Louis F. Oberdorfer served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black from 1946 to 1947 and later served as the Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Tax Division in the Kennedy Administration and worked on Civil Rights cases. In the late 1970s Judge Oberdorfer was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and in 1992 he became the Senior Judge of the Court. Judge Oberdorfer corresponded with President Clinton on a number of topics, including an invitation to the presentation of the 1996 Yale Law School Medal of Merit ceremony, unsolicited advice and commentary on the appointment of Janet Reno as Attorney General, recommendations for the appointment of David Tatel as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and criticisms of the 1994 Crime Bill and mandatory sentencing policies. Other topics in this collection include birthday greetings and unsolicited advice concerning the 1996 controversy surrounding New York Supreme Court Justice Harold Baer, and the 1994 vacancy on the Supreme Court eventually filled by Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. Record Type Textual System of Arrangement Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas— Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM Alpha Files, Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM Subject Files, and Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files. The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) contains a variety of series created to organize and track documents and correspondence. The WHORM Alpha file was compiled by the White House Office of Records Management from 1993 – 1996 and is a series of documents arranged by name of persons, organizations, or events. The WHORM Subject file was compiled by the White House Office of Records Management and is a series of categories designated by a letter/number combination. In addition, there are WHORM, WHORM Counsel, WHORM (CL), WHORM (OP), WHORM (Too Late); WHORM (Various Offices); and WHORM (Alpha Project) series. Staff and Office files were maintained at the folder level by staff members within their individual offices and document all levels of administration activity. WHORM files are processed at the document level; whereas, Staff and Office files are processed at the folder level, that is, individual documents are not selected and removed from a folder for processing. While this method maintains folder integrity, it frequently results in the incidental processing of documents that are not wholly responsive to the subject area. FOIA 2016-0719-F includes WHORM records from these subject codes: FG017 Federal Government – Department of Justice FG051 Federal Government – Supreme Court of the United States JL003 Judicial – Legal Matters, Criminal Matters ME001 Messages (Sent to Individuals) (Includes Birthday) ME001-02 Messages (Birthday Greetings) PP Presidential Personal Access Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22, as amended) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions. Copyright Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States government as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Researchers are advised to consult the copyright law of the United States (17 U.S.C. Chapter 1) which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Provenance Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA). Processed by Staff Archivist, 2016. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released. Last Modified Date 2016-10-13 Container List The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2016-0719-F: Box 1 Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Alpha Files 193585 [Louis Oberdorfer] Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Subject File Category Case Number FG017 016107 FG017 036276 FG051 021842SS FG051 051155 JL003 008837 ME001 196053 ME001-02 054054 [Louis F. Oberdorfer] ME001-02 098594 [Louis F. Oberdorfer] Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Subject File (Continued) Category Case Number ME001-02 151829 ME001-02 206238 ME001-02 253159 ME001-02 294401 PP 232829SS [Louis F. Oberdorfer] Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files President Has Seen Folder # 2 – Louis Oberdorfer Correspondence [OA/ID 9357]