Expand All Collapse All Extent 7 folders, 105 pages Summary This collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, forms, resumes, news articles, and email concerning the successful nomination of Richard Stearns to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. President Clinton nominated Stearns, a fellow Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, on October 27, 1993. He received glowing letters of recommendation from Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy and was confirmed by the Senate on November 20, 1993. This collection also contains standard questionnaires for federal judicial nominees and resumes. Scope and Content Note The materials in 2013-0241-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. This FOIA consists of records dealing with the successful nomination of Richard Stearns to the U.S. District Court in the District of Massachusetts. A fellow Rhodes Scholar with Bill Clinton at Oxford University, Stearns was nominated by President Clinton on October 27, 1993, to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Stearns received the unanimous recommendation of Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy and was easily confirmed and was commissioned on November 24, 1993. Prior to assuming his post on the District Court of Massachusetts, Stearns had a very distinguished legal career. Born in 1944 in Los Angeles, California, he graduated from Stanford with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1968, received a Master’s Degree from Oxford University’s Balliol College in 1971, and earned a Juris Doctorate Degree from Harvard Law School in 1976. Stearns campaigned for Senator George McGovern’s unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1972, served as a speechwriter in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1975-1976, worked in the Norfolk County (Massachusetts) District Attorney’s Office from 1976-1982, and held the position of Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts from 1982-1990. His final posting preceding Clinton’s nomination was for three years (1990-1993) as Associate Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts. White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) Subject Files contain correspondence, forms, and resumes that concern the nomination of Richard Stearns by President Clinton to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The questionnaires are completed by all judicial nominees asking for employment history, significant litigation, pro bono activities, and financial data. The resumes are also standard and list education, publications, and political affairs and affiliations of the applicant. The White House Staff and Office Files in many cases duplicate the documents of the WHORM Subject Files. That is, the forms and resumes can be found, along with letters from Senators Kerry and Kennedy attesting to the suitability of Stearns for the position in the Massachusetts legal system. A memorandum shows President Clinton approving (checking off) the names of Stearns and others for their respective posts. The Automated Records Management System (ARMS) email consists of announcements of President Clinton’s nominations and news articles. Record Type Textual System of Arrangement Records that were responsive to this request were found in these collection areas—Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM-Subject File-General, Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files, and Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System (ARMS) Email. The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) contains a variety of series created to organize and track documents and correspondence. 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. 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. The Automated Records Management System (ARMS) is a database that contains email records of the Executive Office of the President. This system maintained unclassified Presidential email. The ARMS dataset is comprised of 6 sub-series of email records called “Buckets.” The buckets include NPR, OPD, POTUS, WHO, CEA, and Default. ARMS email are arranged chronologically by creation date. FOIA 2013-0241-F includes WHORM records from these subject codes: FG Federal Government – Judicial Branch PE002 Employment - Appointments PP Presidential (Personal). Access Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 USC 552, as amended) and the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 USC 2201) 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 USC, 101) 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, 2013. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released. Last Modified Date 2014-10-14 Container List The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2013-0241-F: Box 1 Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Subject File Category Case Number FG050 Case Number: 023785CU PE002 Case Number: 082786 Folder #8 [6] [Richard Gaylore Stearns] PE002 Case Number: 091871 Folder #16 [15] [Richard G. Stearns] PP Case Number: 059850 Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files Counsel’s Office Stearns, Richard (MA) [OA/ID 4266] Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System [Email] WHO [OA/ID 500000] [Richard Stearns] [3/23/1993 – 11/18/1993] Default [OA/ID 1100000] [Richard Stearns] [3/24/1993 – 10/27/1993]