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This is fresh air. I'm Terry Gross.

After working as a civil rights lawyer, my guest David Tatel served as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, the nation's second highest Court of Appeals, with only the Supreme Court above it.

In his new memoir, he writes that he became tired of having his work reviewed

by a Supreme Court that didn't seem to share the principles he dedicated his life to.

This week's decision about presidential immunity he dedicated his life to.

This week's decision about presidential immunity

is an example of why he's lost faith in the court.

He's seen the court overturn cases

he worked on as a lawyer and as a judge, including voting rights.

Last week, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron decision, a decision that said

courts have to show deference to agency experts when those experts interpret the laws they enforce.

This was a disturbing decision for Tatal because the D.C. Circuit on which he served rules on cases related to federal agencies and many rulings

now risk being overturned.

Teter was appointed to the D.C. Circuit to fill the vacancy when President Clinton nominated Ruth

Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court. Tatel retired from the D.C. Circuit

earlier this year. For half of his life, Tatel has been blind as a result of the progressive eye disease retinitis pigmentosa.

For years he kept that hidden from colleagues and the public coming up with techniques and excuses to cover up. Finally he

decided he needed a white cane. He was in his 70s when he was persuaded to get a

...