Benjamin R. Civiletti served as U.S. attorney general from 1979 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. An experienced lawyer specializing in criminal and civil litigation before entering government service, Civiletti served at a time of intense international pressure. He personally argued before the International Court of Justice on behalf of the American captives held in Iran.

Civiletti was born on July 17, 1935, in Peekskill, New York. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1957 and then attended the University of Maryland School of Law. After graduating in 1961, Civiletti worked for two years as a law clerk for a federal district court judge. In 1962, he was appointed an assistant U.S. attorney for the district of Maryland, a position he held until 1964.

He left government to join the Baltimore, Maryland, law firm of Venable, Baetjer and Howard. He became a partner in 1969, and in 1971 he was named head of the firm's litigation...