Dr. David Levi

Biography

David F. Levi is the Dean Emeritus of the Duke University School of Law and serves as the Levi Family Professor of Law Judicial Studies and Director of the Bolch Judicial Institute. He was the 14th dean of Duke Law School, serving from 2007 to 2018. Prior to his role at Duke, Levi served as Chief United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California. He was appointed as United States Attorney by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and became a United States District Judge under President George H. W. Bush in 1990. Levi is a native of Chicago and graduated magna cum laude with an A.B. in history and literature from Harvard College. He furthered his studies at Harvard's graduate program in history, focusing on English legal history. Levi earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1980, where he graduated Order of the Coif and served as president of the Stanford Law Review. After graduation, he clerked for Judge Ben C. Duniway of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. at the U.S. Supreme Court. He has been involved in various legal and academic organizations, including chairing the Civil Rules Advisory Committee and the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the American Judicial System. Levi co-authored 'Federal Trial Objections' and teaches courses on judicial behavior, ethics, and legal history.

Research Interests

Experience