On Aug. 9, 2008, the Section will present Judge Nancy Gertner with the Thurgood Marshall Award in recognition for her outstanding work and enduring contributions to the advancement of civil rights, civil liberties, and human rights in the United States. The award will be presented at a ceremony during the ABA Annual Meeting in New York.

From her early years as a criminal justice attorney, Judge Gertner built a reputation of taking on difficult and occasionally high-profile criminal and civil rights cases. During her illustrious career, she has litigated every major abortion case in the state of Massachusetts, culminating with Moe v. Secretary of Administration and Finance, which ended in a decision guaranteeing a woman’s right to choose under the Massachusetts State Constitution. Appointed in 1993 to the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts by President Clinton, she continued her legacy on the bench. Over the past 15 years, Judge Gertner has handed down critical decisions in cases regarding school integration, wrongful conviction, and capital justice standards.

Established by the American Bar Association in 1992, the Thurgood Marshall Award is named for U. S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who received the inaugural award. Justice Marshall’s life work epitomized individual commitment, in word and action, to the cause of civil rights in this country. Judge Gertner joins a short list of attorneys and judges who have embodied Justice Marshall’s lasting legacy.