Kenneth Starr

Biography

Kenneth Winston Starr (July 21, 1946 – September 13, 2022) was an American lawyer who served as the 39th Solicitor General of the United States from 1989 to 1993. He is best known for leading the investigation that resulted in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

Education

Starr attended George Washington University (B.A., 1968) and Brown University (M.A., 1969), earning his Juris Doctor from Duke University in 1973.

Legal Career

In the 1970s, Starr clerked for Judge David W. Dyer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. He served as counselor to the U.S. Attorney General (1981–83), as an appellate judge on the D.C. Circuit (1983–89), and as U.S. Solicitor General (1989–93).

Kirkland & Ellis

Starr returned to private practice in 1993 as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, specializing in appellate work, antitrust, federal courts, federal jurisdiction, and constitutional law. He remained at the firm until 2004. During this time, he was appointed Independent Counsel in the Whitewater investigation in August 1994.

Representation of Jeffrey Epstein

In 2007–2008, Starr was part of the legal team representing Jeffrey Epstein during negotiations with federal prosecutors in Florida. Documents show Starr wrote letters to Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip seeking review of the proposed federal prosecution, arguing the case was politically motivated.

Later Career

Starr served as dean of Pepperdine University’s law school (2004–10) before becoming president of Baylor University in 2010. He argued 36 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court during his career.

Notes

Kenneth Starr appears in the Epstein Files as one of Epstein’s defense attorneys during the 2007–2008 federal prosecution negotiations in Florida.