David L. Shapiro, retired professor of Harvard Law School, passed away on November 19. He was 87 years old.
Professor Shapiro was well known for co-editing the leading casebook in the field of federal jurisdiction, Hart and Wechsler’s The Federal Courts and the Federal System (Foundation Press), for nearly five decades — from the second edition in 1973, to the supplement, to the 7th edition in 2019. In 1988, Professor Shapiro accepted an appointment as deputy solicitor general in the U.S. Department of Justice. During his three years in the position he collaborated on briefs for more than 40 Supreme Court cases and argued 10 of them before the Court.
An active ALI member for over 20 years, he was a member of ALI’s advisory Committee for the Study of Complex Litigation and served as a Reporter for Restatement of the Law Second, Judgments.
Read a memorial piece from Harvard Law Today here.