Bernard Nussbaum facts for kids

Bernard William Nussbaum (March 23, 1937 – March 13, 2022) was an American lawyer. He was best known for being the top legal advisor to President Bill Clinton in the White House. This important job is called the White House Counsel.

Bernard Nussbaum's Early Life

Bernard Nussbaum was born in New York City on March 23, 1937. His parents were immigrants from Poland. They worked in clothing factories when they first came to the United States. His father later worked for a labor union that helped garment workers. Bernard grew up in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This area was home to many immigrant families back then.

He went to public schools in his neighborhood. In 1951, he got into Stuyvesant High School. This is a special public high school in New York City. You have to pass an entrance exam to get in. He graduated in 1954. He was a top student and an editor for the school newspaper.

Bernard then went to Columbia College in New York. He received scholarships from New York State and Columbia. These scholarships helped him pay for his education. He worked on the college newspaper, the Columbia Daily Spectator. In his last year, he became its editor-in-chief. He also joined a special academic honor society called Phi Beta Kappa. During the summers, he worked as a waiter. This helped him earn money for his college studies.

In 1958, Bernard graduated from Columbia. He then went to Harvard Law School. After his first year, he was chosen to join the Harvard Law Review. This is a very respected law journal. He also received a full scholarship for law school. In his final year, he became a note editor for the Law Review. He took over from Antonin Scalia, who later became a Supreme Court justice.

After finishing law school in 1961, Bernard received a special fellowship. This allowed him to travel around the world for a year. He visited more than 30 countries. When he returned, he served in the United States Army for six months. He was also part of the Army Reserves for six years.

Bernard Nussbaum's Legal Career

In 1962, Bernard became an Assistant United States Attorney. This meant he was a federal prosecutor in New York. He worked for more than three years. He handled many important criminal cases. He helped convict people who had committed serious crimes.

In 1966, Bernard joined a new law firm called Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. This firm was started by four young lawyers. It has grown to be one of the most successful corporate law firms in the U.S.

In 1968, Bernard ran for a seat in the New York State Assembly. He lost in a close election in Brooklyn.

In 1970, Bernard helped manage a campaign for Governor of New York. He led a group of lawyers. They collected signatures to get Robert Morgenthau on the ballot. Morgenthau was running against Arthur Goldberg, a former Supreme Court Justice. The petition drive was successful. However, Morgenthau later withdrew from the race.

In 1972, Bernard represented Elizabeth Holtzman. She had won a surprising victory in an election. Her opponent tried to challenge her win in court. Bernard won the case, and Holtzman's election was upheld. This victory had a big impact. It led to Peter Rodino becoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. This committee later investigated President Richard Nixon.

During the mid-1970s, New York City faced financial problems. Bernard represented the city's financial officer. The city was being investigated about how it sold its investments. After a long investigation, no wrongdoing was found.

While working as a private lawyer, Bernard also taught. He was a professor at Columbia Law School. He taught a class on trial practice to law students.

Working on the Nixon Impeachment Inquiry

In December 1973, Bernard left his law firm. He joined the staff of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. This committee was investigating President Richard Nixon for impeachment. Impeachment is when a government official is accused of serious wrongdoing.

Bernard helped gather facts for the investigation. He analyzed secret White House tape recordings. He also interviewed important witnesses. These included John Dean, who was Nixon's former White House Counsel. Bernard helped present the findings to the committee. In July 1974, the committee voted to recommend that Nixon be impeached. Soon after, on August 9, 1974, President Nixon resigned. Bernard then went back to his law firm.

While working on the committee, Bernard met Hillary Rodham. She was also a staff member. She later introduced him to Bill Clinton, whom she married in 1975.

White House Counsel for President Clinton

In 1993, Bernard Nussbaum left his law firm again. He was appointed Counsel to the President of the United States. This meant he was President Bill Clinton's main legal advisor. He helped with many important decisions. These included choosing Janet Reno as Attorney General. He also helped select about 100 federal judges. One of these was Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who became a Supreme Court Justice.

Bernard also dealt with early investigations into the Whitewater controversy. This was about an old real estate investment the Clintons made. He also handled the investigation into the death of his deputy, Vince Foster. Bernard strongly advised President Clinton not to appoint an independent counsel for these matters. He believed there was no legal reason for it. He warned that an independent counsel could become an uncontrolled investigation.

However, President Clinton decided to ask for an independent counsel. A few months later, a new counsel named Ken Starr was appointed. The investigation lasted over seven years. It did not result in criminal charges against the President. But it did lead to President Clinton being impeached by the House of Representatives in 1998. He was later found not guilty by the Senate.

President Clinton later wrote in his book My Life that not listening to Bernard was his biggest mistake. He said it was "the worst presidential decision I ever made." He believed Bernard was right to follow the law.

Bernard Nussbaum resigned on March 5, 1994. This was partly because of the Whitewater controversy. President Clinton wrote that Bernard was an "able, honest public servant." Bernard returned to his law firm later in 1994.

Later Legal Work

As a senior lawyer at Wachtell Lipton, Bernard Nussbaum represented many important clients. These included large companies, law firms, and government officials.

He was the lead lawyer in many trials across the country. For example, he helped United Technologies Corporation win a case against the U.S. Department of Justice. He also helped Hilton Corporation in a case that stopped another company from blocking a takeover. He won a major case for IBP Corporation. This case forced Tyson Foods to complete a large merger.

In 2004, Bernard won a big case for Larry Silverstein. Silverstein was the developer rebuilding the World Trade Center. After the September 11 attacks, insurance companies claimed it was one event. Bernard argued it was two separate events, which meant much more insurance money. The jury agreed, leading to billions of dollars for rebuilding.

He also represented major law firms in lawsuits against them. He helped them resolve these cases successfully.

In 1992, Bernard represented the law firm of Kaye Scholer. A government agency accused the firm of not sharing important information about a client. The government froze the firm's money, which almost caused it to collapse. Bernard was hired and quickly reached a settlement. This allowed the firm to continue operating.

Bernard also helped judges in New York. Their salaries had been frozen for over ten years. He represented the Chief Judge of New York without a fee. He won a case that said it was unconstitutional to hold judicial salaries hostage. Now, an independent group decides judges' salaries every four years. This has significantly increased their pay.

In 2011, Bernard wrote a letter to President Barack Obama. He asked for Jonathan Pollard to be released from prison. Pollard had been sentenced to life for giving classified information to Israel. Bernard believed Pollard had been punished enough. Pollard was released on parole in 2015 after 30 years in prison.

Awards and Community Work

Bernard Nussbaum received many awards. These came from charities, schools, and legal groups. In 1993, he received an honorary law degree. He served as Vice President of the New York City Bar Association. He was also President of the Federal Bar Council. This group is for lawyers and judges who work in federal courts. He was also a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers. This is a special group for top trial lawyers.

Bernard was a trustee for several charitable organizations. These included Brandeis University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. He also served as a trustee for the Boys Brotherhood Republic. This was a youth club on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Bernard himself was a member of this club when he was a child.

He was also on the Board of Trustees for The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. This includes several hospitals and a medical school. In 2014, he joined a special review board. This board looked at cases where people might have been wrongly convicted of crimes. This work led to several people being released from prison.

Family Life

Bernard Nussbaum was married to Toby Sheinfeld for 42 years. She passed away in 2006. They met in 1958. Toby was very active in politics and charity work.

In 2008, Bernard married Nancy Kuhn. She was a fundraiser for political and charitable groups. Bernard and Nancy lived in Manhattan, Stamford, Connecticut, and Naples, Florida. Nancy passed away in 2021.

Bernard had three children: a daughter, Emily Nussbaum, and two sons, Peter and Frank. Emily is a writer for The New Yorker magazine. She won a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2016. He also had a stepson, William, and six grandchildren.

Bernard Nussbaum passed away from heart disease on March 13, 2022. He was 84 years old.