Kate Stith
Encyclopedia
Kate Stith is the Lafayette S. Foster Professor of Law and the former acting-Dean of Yale Law School
. Her appointment was announced on March 23, 2009 by Yale University
President Richard Levin, when former dean Harold Koh was nominated to serve as Legal Adviser of the Department of State
. Stith is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
, and is the sister of Laura Denvir Stith
, who serves on the Missouri Supreme Court.
in 1973, a law degree from Harvard Law School
in 1977 and a Masters of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government also in 1977. She clerked for Judge Carl McGowan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and for Supreme Court
Justice Byron R. White.
Her interest in criminal procedure has led her to serve as an adviser to the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code Sentencing and, following an appointment by the Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court of the United States
, on the Advisory Committee for the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
. She has also participated in the National Research Council's Committee on Law and Justice, the state of Connecticut's Professional Ethics Committee; the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women in Connecticut; the Women's Campaign School at Yale; and the Connecticut Bar Foundation (as President). Stith served on the Dartmouth College
Board of Directors and as Deputy Dean of Yale Law School.
On May 23, 2009, Stith was named Acting Dean of the Yale Law School, the first woman ever to be appointed to lead YLS. She was one of the witnesses who testified in favor of Sonia Sotomayor
during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings
.
in 1999.
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
. Her appointment was announced on March 23, 2009 by Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
President Richard Levin, when former dean Harold Koh was nominated to serve as Legal Adviser of the Department of State
Legal Adviser of the Department of State
The Legal Adviser of the Department of State is a position within the United States Department of State. It was created by an Act of Congress on February 23, 1931 and given a rank equivalent to that of an Assistant Secretary...
. Stith is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Family
Stith is married to Judge Jose Cabranes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
, and is the sister of Laura Denvir Stith
Laura Denvir Stith
Laura Denvir Stith is a judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri.Stith has been a member of the court since 2001 and from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2009, she served as the court's Chief Justice. The Missouri Supreme Court selects its chief justice for a two-year term by vote of the members; Stith was...
, who serves on the Missouri Supreme Court.
Education
Stith received an a Bachelors degree from Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1973, a law degree from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1977 and a Masters of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government also in 1977. She clerked for Judge Carl McGowan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and for Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
Justice Byron R. White.
Career
Stith began teaching at Yale Law School (YLS) in 1985.Her interest in criminal procedure has led her to serve as an adviser to the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code Sentencing and, following an appointment by the Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, on the Advisory Committee for the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure are the procedural rules that govern how federal criminal prosecutions are conducted in United States district courts, the general trial courts of the U.S. government. As such, they are the companion to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure...
. She has also participated in the National Research Council's Committee on Law and Justice, the state of Connecticut's Professional Ethics Committee; the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women in Connecticut; the Women's Campaign School at Yale; and the Connecticut Bar Foundation (as President). Stith served on the Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
Board of Directors and as Deputy Dean of Yale Law School.
On May 23, 2009, Stith was named Acting Dean of the Yale Law School, the first woman ever to be appointed to lead YLS. She was one of the witnesses who testified in favor of Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Maria Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice....
during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings
Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination
On May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama announced his selection of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, to replace retiring Justice David Souter. Sotomayor's nomination was formally submitted to the United States Senate on June 1, 2009, when the...
.
Works
Stith has published extensively in law journals. Her book, Fear of Judging, written with her husband Jose Cabranes, won a Certificate of Merit from the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
in 1999.