Kenneth Starr

Kenneth Winston Starr (born July 21, 1946 in Vernon, Texas) is an American lawyer and former judge who was appointed to the Office of the Independent Counsel to investigate the Whitewater land transactions by President Bill Clinton. He later submitted to Congress the Starr Report, which led to Clinton's impeachment on charges arising from the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Post-Independent Counsel activities

After five years as independent counsel, Starr resigned and returned to private practice as an appellate lawyer. Starr is now a partner at Kirkland and Ellis, specializing in litigation. He is one of the lead attorneys in a class-action lawsuit filed by a coalition of liberal and conservative groups (including the ACLU and the NRA) against the regulations created by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, known informally as McCain-Feingold Act. In the case, Starr has argued that the law is an unconstitutional abridgement of free speech.

Related Topics:
Kirkland and Ellis - ACLU - NRA - Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act - McCain - Feingold

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On April 6, 2004, he was appointed dean of Pepperdine University's School of Law. He was originally offered this post in 1996, however he withdrew from the appointment in 1998 after the Lewinsky controversy erupted and required his full time attention. Critics charged that there was a conflict of interest due to substantial donations to Pepperdine from billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife, a Clinton critic who funded many media outlets attacking the president. In 2004, several years after President Clinton's impeachment, Starr was again offered the Pepperdine deanship and this time accepted it.

Related Topics:
April 6 - 2004 - Dean - Pepperdine University - Law - 1996 - 1998 - Richard Mellon Scaife

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In 2005, Starr worked to overturn the death sentence of Robin Lovitt, who is on Virginia's Death Row for allegedly murdering a man during a robbery in 1998. Starr provided his services to Lovitt pro bono. On October 3, 2005, the Supreme Court denied certiorari.

Related Topics:
2005 - Death sentence - Virginia - Death Row - Murder - Robbery - Pro bono - October 3 - Certiorari

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Dean Starr often refers to the years of the Clinton and Whitewater Investigations as the "unpleasant years." Some considered him to be on track to become the next justice of the United States Supreme Court when the Whitewater investigation interrupted this possible career path.

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