David S. Mao has been named the new Librarian of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Mao will be the 12th Librarian of the Court. He succeeds Linda Maslow, who retired in August 2022 after serving 10 years as Librarian and 33 years at the Supreme Court. William Sleeman, the Court’s Assistant Librarian for Technical Services and Special Collections, has served as Acting Librarian since July 2023. Mr. Mao is expected to assume his new duties on July 1, 2024. As Librarian, Mr. Mao will manage the Supreme Court Library, its 29 employees, and a collection of nearly 650,000 volumes.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., said: “ My colleagues and I extend a warm welcome to David Mao. We look forward to working with him in his important role at the Court and we thank Acting Librarian Bill Sleeman for his outstanding leadership over the past year.”

Mr. Mao comes to the Court from Georgetown University Law Center where he has served as chief operating officer and has been responsible for the school’s administrative operations, including financial affairs, employment services, facilities management, information technology, logistics, and public safety. In that role, he led the design and building of three new classroom spaces as well as the renovation of the Law Center's 370-seat auditorium. From 2005 to 2017, he served in various roles at the Library of Congress, including as the 23rd Law Librarian of Congress, the Deputy Librarian of Congress, and acting Librarian of Congress. As Law Librarian of Congress, Mr. Mao led a 100-person team that annually produced hundreds of legal research reports, memoranda, and news articles. His team also organized major public events, including a celebration of the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta that included lectures, a symposium, and an exhibition of an original 1215 Magna Carta. Additionally, he oversaw the renovation of the Law Library’s public reading room and the creation of a new secure storage facility for rare books in the collection. Prior to joining the Library of Congress, he worked in private practice.

Mr. Mao earned his B.A. at The George Washington University in 1990, his J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center in 1993, and his M.S.L.S. at The Catholic University of America in 1998.