Prof to retire, ending rumors

Senior U.S. Circuit Judge and Law Professor Leon Higginbotham has withdrawn his name from consideration for the post of United States Attorney General, Higginbotham said last night. "I let people know within the [Clinton] administration who were recommending me and sponsoring me that I did not want to be a candidate for attorney general," he said. Last week, Higginbotham's name surfaced on President Clinton's short list of candidates to replace former nominee Zoe Baird, who withdrew her name from consideration following reports that she and her husband had hired illegal aliens as domestic help. "[I withdrew my name] because I have been in public life for 29 years as a federal judge," Higginbotham said. "I think I'd rather work in the non-governmental sector so that I can spend my time on teaching and focusing on public interest issues which are of importance to me." Higginbotham, 64, will retire from the bench next month. He will join the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. He called this arrangement a "part-time relationship" which will allow him to have more free time to write and teach. He said that teaching at the University definitely figures into his future plans. He is currently a professor at the Law School, and an adjunct professor of sociology, social work, and history. Higginbotham said he will continue working on a series of books on race and law and will write his autobiography. He said the autobiography will focus on his perspective on legislative doctrine and social justice. "I went to law school before the Brown [v. Board of Education] case came down in May of 1954, so I will be focusing on the evolution of the legislative doctrine and social justice as I viewed it as an African-American, as a lawyer, as a judge and as a scholar," he said. Higginbotham said that if the call from Washington had come in 1977 from the last Democratic President, rather than in 1993, his answer would have been different. "If I had been offered the attorney generalship then, I would have taken it," he said. "But we're talking about a period which is 16 years later." He said he feels the difference that 16 years make. "The difference is age and wear and tear," he said. "I think for the attorney generalship, you have to give it about 18 hours a day, seven days a week." He said that as a federal judge, he already works seven-day weeks, and he said is looking forward to the "less hectic" pace of his new career. "I'm at a stage in my life where I want to focus on a few issues, rather than the multiple issues one has to deal with as attorney general," he said. (CUT LINE) Please see PROF, page 9 PROF, from page 1

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