Ken Starr

Kenneth Winston Starr was a prominent American lawyer and judge.

He is most famous for his role as an independent counsel. In this role, he led investigations into the administration of President Bill Clinton. His work resulted in the Starr Report. This document served as the primary basis for the impeachment of President Clinton. Starr's career spanned many high-level legal positions in the United States government and academia.

Starr's legal journey began with extensive academic training. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from George Washington University in 1968. He later earned a Master of Arts degree from Brown University in 1969. He finished his legal education at Duke University School of Law. There, he served as an editor of the Duke Law Journal. He graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1973.

These credentials prepared him for several prestigious roles.

Before his time as independent counsel, Starr held significant government offices. He served as a federal appellate judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. President Ronald Reagan nominated him to this position in 1983. He later served as the U.S. solicitor general from 1989 to 1993. The solicitor general is a high-ranking official who represents the government before the Supreme Court. He served in this capacity during the presidency of George H. W. Bush.

In August 1994, a three-judge panel appointed Starr as independent counsel. This appointment followed the passage of the Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act of 1994. He was tasked with continuing the Whitewater investigation. This inquiry involved real estate investments made by the Clintons. His mandate also included investigating the death of Vince Foster. Foster was a deputy White House counsel who died by suicide in 1993.

Starr's team released a 137-page report on this matter in 1997.

The scope of Starr's investigation expanded significantly over several years. He was granted broad powers to issue subpoenas to gather evidence. His inquiry moved into many different areas of the Clinton administration. This included the firing of White House Travel Office staff and potential political abuse of FBI files. Most notably, the investigation focused on President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Starr looked for evidence of perjury and obstruction of justice.

This specific part of the investigation became highly controversial.

The investigation culminated in the production of the Starr Report. This report alleged that President Clinton lied during a sworn deposition. Specifically, Clinton had denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky. Starr used evidence, including a blue dress, to argue that the President's testimony was false. This allegation led directly to the impeachment of Bill Clinton. However, the Senate later acquitted the President. In 2004, Starr expressed regret about personally overseeing the Lewinsky portion of the investigation.

Later in his life, Starr moved into university leadership. He served as the dean of the Pepperdine University School of Law. He also became the president and chancellor of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. His tenure at Baylor ended in 2016 following an investigation. The university's board of regents looked into how Starr handled allegations of sexual assault on campus.

Following this, he resigned from his positions at the university. He later joined the legal team for Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Starr died on September 13, 2022.