Kenneth W. Starr was born on July 21, 1946 in Vernon, Texas, and raised in San Antonio. He and his wife Alice, along with their 3 daughters are anticipating his upcoming role as president of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

He practiced law in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. with the firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he was a partner in litigation practice. Previously, Judge Starr served as a law clerk to U.S. Court of Appeals Judge David W. Dyer (1973-74) and to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger (1975-1977). Judge Starr was admitted to the California Bar in 1973. Subsequent Bar admissions include the Virginia Bar in l979, District of Columbia in l979, and the U.S. Supreme Court in 1989. From May 27, 1989 to January 20, 1993, Mr. Starr served as Solicitor General of the United States, where he argued 25 cases before the Supreme Court involving a wide range of governmental regulatory and constitutional issues of commercial importance.

He came to national prominence during the “Whitewater Investigation.” Working under great stress and a flood of criticism, Starr survived the tumult to emerge as one of the country’s greatest legal scholars. Trying to fulfill his assignment sans political pressure, Starr operated his investigation with integrity and humility.

An accomplished author, Ken Starr has produced many works concerning history, law, and contemporary American culture. His most celebrated book First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life is a best seller and has received accolades from a number of historians, lawyers, and ordinary Americans.