Legal Briefs

Roger Witten graduated from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. On the suggestion of a law school professor, Archibald Cox, he clerked for Judge Harrison Winter on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. When Cox became the Watergate Special Prosecutor, Judge Winter graciously wrote to Cox recommending that Witten join Cox’s staff, which Witten then did.  In 1975, Witten joined and later became a partner at Wilmer Cutler & Pickering, now called WilmerHale. He practiced in Washington and New York, focusing on large-scale civil and white-collar criminal matters that typically had international dimensions. He specialized in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters; and was a leading advocate for campaign finance reform for clients that included Senators McCain, Feingold, and van Hollen, Common Cause, Democracy 21, and the Campaign Legal Center. He is now retired from active law practice.

• IntroductionSection I—EventsChapter 1—“For One Brief Shining Moment” by Roger M. WittenChapter 2—“The White House and the 9/11 Commission” by Daniel MarcusChapter 3—“ Who Knows What Will Happen Next?” by Robert MundheimChapter 4—“Dealing with the Iranian Hostage Crisis” by Richard DavisChapter 5—“Richard Nixon and Me” by Henry L. HechtChapter 6—“Fighting Public Corruption and Serving the Rule of Law: A Prosecutor’s Reminiscence” by Stuart M. GersonChapter 7—“‘FEC’ = ‘Feckless Election Commission’” by Trevor Potter Section II—PeopleChapter 8—“Prelude to a Massacre” by Roger M. WittenChapter 9—“Resilience” by Andrew TannenbaumChapter 10——“You win some …” by James L. QuarlesChapter 11—“Defense of a Public Figure” by N. Richard JanisChapter 12—“Life with Justice John Paul Stevens” by Carol F. LeeChapter 13—“A Pair of Giants” by Louis R. CohenChapter 14—“Name That Statute—Senator John Sherman And the Origin of Antitrust Law” by William KolaskyChapter 15—“Stabbing from the Shadows” by Nelson JohnsonChapter 16—“The Stand-up Guy” by Roger M. Witten Section III—ExperiencesChapter 17—“The Case of a Lifetime” by Harriet Newman CohenChapter 18—“The Cost of Winning” by Dean Martha MinowChapter 19—“Silence is Golden” by Michael S. HelferChapter 20—“The Law as Cross-Cultural Adventure” by Warren CookeChapter 21—“Justice Delayed” by Roger M. WittenChapter 22—“Hungry for Justice” by Mark KesselChapter 23—“Off to a Good Start” by Martin KaplanChapter 24—“Good Intentions” by Roger M. Witten