TWO REPORTERS

A prominent judge’s braided - and surprising - life of blindness and the law, Part 1 / From the archive

David K. Shipler & Daniel Zwerdling

In this moving episode, David Tatel, who retired last year from the U.S. Court of Appeals, describes with his wife Edie how he gradually went blind - and struggled to hide it from friends and colleagues alike. David tells about tricks he would use, like counting rows and seats in a movie theater and following the clicks of high heels down sidewalks; Edie shares, among other things, why David's denial  caused tension at home. David became an accomplished lawyer who fought landmark civil rights cases - and an inspirational father. You can read their full story in David's book, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice. David will return in Part 2 to take us behind the scenes of the second most important court in the nation - and to warn how the Supreme Court threatens "the integrity of our democracy."