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

    153 ratings


    More shows like Cases and Controversies

    View all
    On the Media by WNYC Studios

    On the Media

    9,166 Listeners

    We the People by National Constitution Center

    We the People

    1,107 Listeners

    Bloomberg Law by Bloomberg

    Bloomberg Law

    361 Listeners

    The Lawfare Podcast by The Lawfare Institute

    The Lawfare Podcast

    6,293 Listeners

    Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts by Slate Podcasts

    Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts

    3,529 Listeners

    Above the Law - Thinking Like a Lawyer by Legal Talk Network

    Above the Law - Thinking Like a Lawyer

    463 Listeners

    The Law School Toolbox Podcast: Tools for Law Students from 1L to the Bar Exam, and Beyond by Alison Monahan and Lee Burgess - Law School Toolbox, LLC

    The Law School Toolbox Podcast: Tools for Law Students from 1L to the Bar Exam, and Beyond

    502 Listeners

    U.S. Supreme Court Oral Arguments by Oyez

    U.S. Supreme Court Oral Arguments

    666 Listeners

    The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

    The NPR Politics Podcast

    25,882 Listeners

    On The Merits by Bloomberg Industry Group

    On The Merits

    31 Listeners

    Opening Arguments by Opening Arguments Media LLC

    Opening Arguments

    3,537 Listeners

    Talking Tax by Bloomberg Tax

    Talking Tax

    110 Listeners

    UnCommon Law by Bloomberg Industry Group

    UnCommon Law

    172 Listeners

    Strict Scrutiny by Crooked Media

    Strict Scrutiny

    5,697 Listeners

    Advisory Opinions by The Dispatch

    Advisory Opinions

    3,793 Listeners

    Amarica's Constitution by Akhil Reed Amar

    Amarica's Constitution

    381 Listeners

    Divided Argument by Will Baude, Dan Epps

    Divided Argument

    666 Listeners