Oral Histories Project

The Federal Circuit Historical Society has been actively conducting interviews of judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as persons who have contributed significantly to the creation and development of the Court. The subjects of the interviews to date are Judges Cowen, Friedman, and Archer, as well as George Hutchinson, Clarence Kipps, and Donald Dunner. Future interviews of judges and others are proceeding according to seniority.

We use National Productions Company to provide the videography and transcript services for each oral history. The company has extensive experience with historical documentaries and has won national awards for its

work. The oral history project is being administered according to the protocol set forth by the Federal Judicial Center. Interviewers and interviewees execute legal release agreements to deed the copyright of the oral history transcript and video to the Historical Society. Interviewees exercise control over what portions of the transcript will be made public and at what time. Once the legal release agreements have been executed, the transcripts and video materials will be made available to the public in the Library of the Federal Circuit according to the terms set by the interviewee. These materials will be available for scholarly research and will serve as the bases for additional historical works about the Federal Circuit.

The Federal Circuit Historical Society Oral Histories project is supported by a grant from the Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr. Foundation.