Judgment Calls with Hon. David F. Levi

Senior Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit talks with David F. Levi about McKeown’s new book, Citizen Justice: The Environmental Legacy of William O. Douglas—Public Advocate and Conservation Champion. U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas was a giant in the legal world, particularly as the longest-serving justice from 1939 to 1975. His most enduring legacy, however, is perhaps his advocacy for the environment. In a way unthinkable today, Douglas ran a one-man lobby shop from his chambers at the U.S. Supreme Court, bringing him admiration from allies in conservation groups but raising ethical issues with his colleagues. He became a national figure through his books, articles, and speeches warning against environmental dangers. Douglas organized protest hikes to leverage his position as a national icon, he lobbied politicians and policymakers privately about everything from logging to highway construction and pollution, and he protested at the Supreme Court through his voluminous and passionate dissents. This episode was published as a joint episode of the American Law Institute’s podcast Reasonably Speaking.

Judge Diane Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit talks with David F. Levi about her journey to the bench, her judicial philosophy, and the many rewarding aspects of judging. In 2022, Judge Wood served as a distinguished judge in residence at Duke Law School.

Judge Michael J. Garcia of the New York Court of Appeals talks about his unique pathway to the bench. Judge Garcia graduated from Albany Law School in 1989 and went on to clerk for Judge Judith Kaye, the first woman associate and later chief judge of New York state’s highest court, the New York Court of Appeals. During his distinguished career, Judge Garcia has served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and has held executive offices at the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2016, Judge Garcia was nominated and confirmed to a 14-year term as one of seven judges on the New York Court of Appeals. Judge Garcia served as the Bolch Judicial Institute’s Distinguished Judge in Residence in 2021.

Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court, talks with David F. Levi about themes from his latest book, "The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics," published by Harvard University Press.