Laurence H. Silberman, a conservative federal appeals court judge and advocate of judicial restraint whose opinions on gun rights, press freedom, the Affordable Care Act, and other crucial issues resonated widely and sometimes presaged Supreme Court decisions, died on Oct. 4 at his home in Washington, DC. He was 86.

Judge Silberman was unanimously confirmed by the Senate for six federal posts; was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President George W. Bush in 2008; and three times was shortlisted by Republican presidents for the Supreme Court.