Cases and Controversies

Breyer's Clerks Recall 'Happy Warrior'


Listen Later

Justice Stephen Breyer is known for letting his flamboyant intellect shine on the bench. And, according to those who clerked for him, Breyer's personality outside of the courtroom was no different.

It was reported earlier today that this will be the 27-year veteran of the Supreme Court's final term. To learn more about who Breyer is, we spoke with some of the attorneys who clerked for the Justice over the years.

Breyer was described as someone with an insatiable, extroverted mind, who thrived on conversation—sometimes to a fault. Andrew Crespo, a former clerk and current Harvard Law School professor, said going to lunch with the Justice required finding a restaurant with lots of space "so that, when we're sitting down and he's telling us all these stories about the Court, that we weren't accidentally sitting next to a reporter."

In this special episode of our Cases & Controversies podcast, former Breyer clerks share stories from their time at the Court and about the man they describe as a "happy warrior," who remained optimistic despite a tenure spent, for the most part, in the Court's ideological minority.


In this episode we hear from:

  • Danielle Gray, global chief legal officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance
  • Pratik Shah, a partner at the firm Akin Gump
  • Brianne Gorod, chief counsel at the Constitutional Accountability Center
  • Andrew Crespo, a professor at Harvard Law School

  • Do you have feedback on this episode of Cases & Controversies? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Cases and ControversiesBy Bloomberg Law

    • 3.9
    • 3.9
    • 3.9
    • 3.9
    • 3.9

    3.9

    155 ratings


    More shows like Cases and Controversies

    View all
    Economist Podcasts by The Economist

    Economist Podcasts

    4,213 Listeners

    WSJ What’s News by The Wall Street Journal

    WSJ What’s News

    4,414 Listeners

    Bloomberg Law by Bloomberg

    Bloomberg Law

    384 Listeners

    On The Merits by Bloomberg Law

    On The Merits

    32 Listeners

    The Lawfare Podcast by The Lawfare Institute

    The Lawfare Podcast

    6,316 Listeners

    The Daily by The New York Times

    The Daily

    113,432 Listeners

    Up First from NPR by NPR

    Up First from NPR

    56,986 Listeners

    Talking Tax by Bloomberg Tax

    Talking Tax

    115 Listeners

    UnCommon Law by Bloomberg Industry Group

    UnCommon Law

    173 Listeners

    The Journal. by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

    The Journal.

    6,128 Listeners

    Divided Argument by Will Baude, Dan Epps

    Divided Argument

    744 Listeners