Biography of Kenneth Starr

Kenneth W. Starr joined Kirkland & Ellis in February 1993. In August 1994, he was appointed Independent Counsel on the Whitewater matter and served in that capacity until October 1999. From May 27, 1989 to January 20, 1993, Kenneth Starr served as Solicitor General of the United States, where he argued 25 cases before the Supreme Court involving a wide range of governmental regulatory and constitutional issues of commercial importance. Prior to taking the oath of office as Solicitor General, Kenneth Starr served as a United States Circuit Judge, having been appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on October 11, 1983. In January 1981, Judge Starr became Counselor to United States Attorney General William French Smith, a position he held until his judicial appointment. Kenneth Starr practiced law in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. with the firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he was a partner in litigation practice. Previously, Kenneth Starr served as a law clerk to U.S. Court of Appeals Judge David W. Dyer (1973-74) and to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger (1975-1977).

Judge Starr was admitted to the California Bar in 1973. Subsequent Bar admissions include the Virginia Bar in l979, District of Columbia in l979, and the U.S. Supreme Court in 1989.

Kenneth Starr currently serves as distinguished visiting professor at George Mason Law School, and is an adjunct professor at New York University Law School. He is author of First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life.