Judge David Tatel Shares His Vision of Justice at UC Law SF

Judge David Tatel speaks with Professor Zachary Price about his career, blindness, and the future of the judiciary at UC Law San Francisco.

Judge David Tatel, who retired in 2023 after three decades on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, visited UC Law San Francisco on Feb. 13 to discuss his new book, “Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice.”

In a conversation with Professor Zachary Price, Tatel reflected on his remarkable career, from securing First Amendment protections for economic boycotts in NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co. as a civil rights lawyer to writing the appellate opinion upholding part of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder—a decision later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. He cautioned that partisan rulings erode trust in the judiciary and stressed the need for impartial judging.

Tatel shared how he used to hide and avoid publicly discussing his blindness before later embracing it as a central part of his story—one he hopes will challenge perceptions of disability and inspire change. He credited his guide dog, Vixen, with transforming his life and left students with a powerful message: “We need good lawyers now more than ever … Society needs you to use your legal skills to protect the law.”