ABA to Honor Senators Dewine, Mikulski
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 24, 2006 – American Bar Association President Michael S. Greco today announced that Sens. Mike DeWine of Ohio and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland will be honored at an ABA Day reception in Washington, D.C., on May 3 for their contributions to the cause of justice.
“These two senators have shown great leadership in protecting women, children and the poorest in our society,” said Greco. “At a time when support for legal aid to serve our most vulnerable is in peril, we are honored to recognize Sens. DeWine and Mikulski for their efforts.”
The ABA is honoring Mikulski not only for her long-standing support for the Legal Services Corporation, but for her determined effort in 2005, as the Senate Appropriations Committee’s new ranking member on the Commerce, State, Justice and Related Agencies Subcommittee, to adequately fund LSC. It was an effort that ultimately proved unsuccessful, as last-minute budget negotiations negated a Senate floor vote to restore $34 million in funding, including $8 million to serve hurricane victims.
“It’s especially ironic and deplorable that funding levels were reduced so far below LSC’s needs for 2006, given the unprecedented magnitude of legal needs that arose from the destructive hurricane season along the Gulf Coast,” said Greco. “Even before the storm, one in two people eligible for help from Legal Services entities were being turned away due to the funding crisis. States are really hurt by this underfunding, and yet now the need is greater than ever due to tens of thousands of newly poor clients the storms created.”
Greco added: “We simply must make Congress understand about the desperate need to increase LSC funding, to help fellow Americans who live in perpetual misery and sorrow.”
DeWine will be honored for his long record of improving the justice system’s approach to child abuse and neglect cases, and foster care, as well as serving as a strong advocate for the Violence Against Women Act. DeWine’s support for curbing gun violence and improving gun safety, and his refusal to create special protections for gun manufacturers, also drew praise from the nominating committee.
The awards are part of “ABA Day in Washington,” during which hundreds of lawyers from across the country gather for education and advocacy. The ABA is a non-partisan organization; the ABA does not have a political action committee and does not endorse candidates. ABA Day will focus attention on four key legal issues in 2006: adequate funding for the Legal Services Corporation, protections for victims of medical malpractice, comprehensive immigration reform, and protection of attorney-client privilege.
With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law in a democratic society.
