Walter Dellinger, Duke law professor with storied legal career, dies at 80

Walter Dellinger, a prominent Duke law professor who served in some of the nation’s highest legal positions during a storied career, has died.

Dellinger died Wednesday morning in Chapel Hill, The Associated Press reported. He was 80 years old.

“Walter Dellinger was a lion of the law, the legal profession, and legal education,” Kerry Abrams, dean of the Duke University School of Law, said in a statement. “A cherished member of the Duke Law School faculty for more than five decades, he was a true intellectual as well as being a generous and big-hearted colleague, mentor and friend.

“Our community will miss him terribly,” she said.

‘A force for good’

Dellinger, a Charlotte native, was born May 15, 1941, according to his Duke Law profile.

He studied political science at the University of North Carolina and graduated with honors in 1963. Dellinger went on to study at Yale Law School, where he graduated in 1966.

Over his career, Dellinger served in various legal positions at the highest levels of federal government.

Former President Bill Clinton nominated Dellinger to serve as assistant attorney general and head of the Office of Legal Counsel, and in 1993 he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

For three years, Dellinger provided legal guidance to the attorney general and the president.

During the 1996-97 term of the Supreme Court, he served as acting solicitor general, arguing nine cases before the court on topics that included gun control, physician-assisted suicide, the line item veto, and First Amendment issues.

Dellinger was an emeritus professor of law at Duke, where he worked as a faculty member from 1969 until 1993.

In a statement, James Boyle, a professor at Duke Law, called Dellinger “a brilliant lawyer, an idealist, and a hilarious, gifted storyteller.”

“All three qualities were intimately connected,” he said. “Walter dreamed of a better world, and his deep insight into American law and history were then coupled with the storyteller’s art in the service of making that dream a reality.”

“I cannot put into words how deep a loss this is,” Boyle said. “He was one of a kind.”

Bradley Butwin, chair of O’Melveny & Myers, where Dellinger had worked as a partner, said the firm was “heartbroken.”

“The world is a better place for having had Walter Dellinger in it,” he said in a statement. “To say he was a ‘living legend’ doesn’t begin to capture the greatness of his intellect, heart, and spirit.”

Butwin highlighted Dellinger’s role as a mentor to many in the industry.

“There is a remarkably long list of lawyers in academia, in government, in business, at law firms, at nonprofits, and on the bench who Walter helped to find their place,” he said. “As he mentored scores of young lawyers — including many of America’s great jurists — he also took the time to weigh in on many of the most pressing issues facing our society.”

Prominent legal and political figures mourned the loss of Dellinger on Wednesday.

Gov. Roy Cooper called Dellinger “a brilliant scholar, attorney, public servant and friend.”

“He was a force for good and our prayers go out to his family and friends,” Cooper said on Twitter. “Many people who never knew him were helped by the actions he took and the life he led.”

Ronald Klain, White House chief of staff for President Joe Biden, said Dellinger was a “wise counsellor, steadfast advocate, teacher and public servant — a great mentor to me and so many others — and a kind friend.”

In a Wednesday statement, U.S. Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, said he was “shocked and saddened” by Dellinger’s death.

“Walter was an accomplished constitutional scholar and legal practitioner whose life and advocacy faithfully mirrored the principles central to our democracy and the rule of law,” he said. “We will long remember and benefit from his remarkable gifts — and his generosity in sharing them — as an interpreter and implementer of the values that matter most in our national life.”

This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Walter Dellinger, Duke law professor with storied legal career, dies at 80."