Walter Dellinger was a scholar, a friend, and a lawyer’s lawyer.

I first met him when I invited him to speak at a religious freedom conference I helped organize while I was in law school. His presentation was exceptional, and he showed genuine interest in teaching and uplifting every person with whom he interacted.

One of those people was my father, who (unbeknownst to me prior to the conference) had known Walter for years and considered him a friend. My dad was battling late-stage cancer at the time, and didn’t have long to live. Sensing that he’d likely never see my dad again, Walter went out of his way to thank him for attending, praise him for his contributions to both the study and practice of law, and seek his advice regarding the role of the Solicitor General (Walter was about to be named to that post, which my dad had held more than a decade earlier).

My dad died just a few weeks after the conference. A few months after my dad’s death, Walter hosted a wonderful memorial service for my father at the Department of Justice, where he offered kind words of condolence to my family.

A few years later, Walter served as opposing counsel in a case my brother and I litigated—a case that culminated in arguments before the Supreme Court. After Walter’s client won the case in a complicated, split ruling, Walter called us to offer his perspective on the case, pointing out interesting nuances in the Court’s ruling, and praising us for the manner in which we had handled the case.

In the decades since then, Walter and I have continued to visit from time to time, and I have always left our conversations feeling uplifted and educated by his wisdom—just as I have felt on each of the many occasions when he has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which I have served for the last 11 years.

In every conversation I have ever had with him, Walter has offered encouragement, kind words, and sound advice. And although he and I had very different political views, that didn’t matter to him; friendship easily overcame politics for Walter.

I’m grateful to have known Walter Dellinger, and mourn his loss. 

My thoughts and prayers are with his family.