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Robet Heron Bork (born; March 1, 1927. died; December 19, 2012) served as Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice from June 1973 to 1977. As Solicitor General, Bork argued several high profile cases before the Supreme Court in the 1970s, including 1974's Milliken v. Bradley, where Bork's brief in support of the State of Michigan was influential among the justices. Assistants who went on to have remarkable careers, including Judges Danny Boggs and Frank H. Easterbrook as well as Robert Reich, later Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration.
During his time as Solicitor General, Bork played a key role in what came to be known as "The Saturday Night Massacre." On October 20, 1973, Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckleshaus both refused to carry out the President's order to fire independent prosecutor, Archibald Cox, choosing instead to resign. After the resignations, Bork became the Acting Attorney General and subsequently fired Cox. Bork served as Attorney General for 2 months until he was replaced by William B. Saxbe on December 17, 1973.
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Oral History: Robert Bork.
Date: December 1, 2008
Location: McLean, VA.
Interviewer: Timothy Naftali
Duration: 04:38
Format: Mpg4
Play 640x480 .m4v
Play 480x272 .mp4
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In this 2008 Nixon Library Oral History snippet Robert H. Bork, Nixon's Solicitor General in 1973, talks about how Nixon wanted to hire Bork as his defense attorney. Bork declined after learning that Nixon would not even permit his own lawyer to listen to the White House tapes.
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Oral History: Robert Bork.
Date: December 1, 2008
Location: McLean, VA.
Interviewer: Timothy Naftali
Duration: 02:34
Format: Mpg4
Play 640x480 .m4v
Play 480x272 .mp4
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In this 2008 Nixon Library Oral History snippet Solicitor General Robert Bork discussing Richard Nixon's use of Executive Privilege. |
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Robert Bork, acting Attorney General speaking at the microphone.White House, Press Room November 1, 1973. |
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