Robert D. Sack - Professional

Professional

Sack graduated from the University of Rochester in 1960 and received his LL.B. degree from Columbia Law School in 1963. He first clerked for Judge Arthur Lane of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. In 1964, he joined Patterson, Belknap & Webb, eventually becoming a partner of the firm. During 1974, he served as Associate Special Counsel and Senior Associate Special Counsel for the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry into President Richard Nixon. Following his government service, Sack returned to Patterson Belknap. In 1986, he joined the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher as a partner. Throughout his career in private practice, Sack specialized in press law and represented numerous U.S. and foreign-based media companies.

In 1998, Sack was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by President Bill Clinton, to a seat vacated by Judge Roger J. Miner. Sack took senior status in August 2009.

Sack is a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School, where he teaches courses on the law of the media and the First Amendment, and is also a member of the Columbia Law School Board of Visitors. He also has served as a member of the advisory board of the Media Law Reporter and The Communications Lawyer, an ABA publication. Sack also served, earlier in his career, as a member of the board of directors on the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (1975–83); as a member of the board of directors of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (1996–98); and as a commissioner of the New York City Commission on Public Information and Communication (1995–98).