Stephen Reinhardt papers, 1966 - 2018.

68.25 linear feet (125 boxes)

English

The materials are in English.

Gift of Mark Reinhardt, Dana Reinhardt, and Justin Reinhardt, 2018.

The papers are arranged in two series: I. Case Files. II. Writings and Speeches.

Stephen Roy Reinhardt was a federal judge, lawyer, and writer. Reinhardt was born Stephen Shapiro on March 27, 1931, in New York City. He changed his surname after his mother remarried in his childhood. He received an undergraduate degree from Pomona College in 1951, and an LL. B from Yale Law School in 1954. After graduating, Reinhardt served in the Air Force general counsel’s office before going into private practice in 1957, focusing on entertainment and labor law. Reinhardt was politically active, and served on the Democratic National Committee from California. He served on the California Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 1962 to 1974, and on the Los Angeles Police Commission from 1975 to 1980. Reinhardt was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter in November 1979, and confirmed by the Senate in September 1980. During his long career on the bench he was an outspoken figure in the federal courts, known as a “liberal lion” whose decisions were often at odds with a more conservative Supreme Court. Reinhardt’s opinions included widely-debated decisions on capital punishment (Thompson v. Calderon), assisted suicide (Compassion in Dying v. Washington), same-sex marriage (Perry v. Brown), separation of church and state (Newdow v. United States Congress), and many other topics. During his judicial career he spoke and wrote regularly on legal and judicial topics, both in legal journals and in the popular press. Reinhardt married three times, and had three children, Dana, Justin, and Mark. He served on the Ninth Circuit until his death on March 29, 2018.

The Stephen Reinhardt papers document Reinhardt’s service as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as well as his work as a legal writer and speaker. Materials primarily document his judicial career, and include only a small amount of material from his career prior to his appointment to the Ninth Circuit. Personal material is not included. The papers consist of case files from Reinhardt’s judicial career, as well as files related to articles and speeches by or about Reinhardt. The case files include opinion drafts, memoranda, and other internal court documents, and date from throughout Reinhardt’s tenure on the Ninth Circuit. The papers include only those cases for which Reinhardt wrote an opinion. The papers also include files on articles and speeches written by Reinhardt. Reinhardt’s writings discuss a range of legal topics including the federal judiciary and Supreme Court, civil rights and civil liberties, and liberal jurisprudence and constitutional interpretation.

March 07, 2023

Stephen Reinhardt Papers (MS 2096). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.

Stephen Reinhardt Papers (MS 2096). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.