Members of Congress Honored For Helping Preserve Legal Aid Funding and Supporting Other ABA Initiatives

The American Bar Association will present six members of Congress with its annual Congressional Justice Award on April 17 to acknowledge their leadership on issues critically important to the legal profession.

The awards are given as part of the ABA’s annual effort to connect policymakers with constituents in the legal profession.  ABA Day 2012 brings distinguished lawyers from 50 states to Washington, D.C., to discuss issues such as funding for the Legal Services Corporation, the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, and the collection of overdue state court-ordered fees.

The awardees are:

• Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD-7^th)
  Rep. Cummings will receive the award for his support of increased Legal Services Corporation funding and the Second Chance Act, which was designed to reduce recidivism for people returning to their communities from prisons and jails.  Please click here for the full press release about Cummings receiving the award.
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
  Sen. Graham will receive the award for his co-sponsorship of the Justice for Troops Act, which supports programs that provide pro bono legal representation to military families. Please click here for the full press release about Graham receiving the award.
• Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
  Sen. Hutchison will receive the award for championing legislation that preserves funding for the Legal Services Corporation and co-sponsoring the ABA-supported Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act of 2012, legislation that would require prosecutors to disclose favorable information to the defendant in criminal proceedings brought by the United States. Please click here for the full press release about Hutchison receiving the award.
• Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
  Sen. Murray will receive the award for championing legal assistance programs for veterans and funding for the Legal Services Corporation. Please click here for the full press release about Murray receiving the award.
• Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)
  Sen. Reed will receive the award for his support of student loan forgiveness programs and his lifetime dedication to ABA-related issues including veterans’ assistance programs. Please click here for the full press release about Reed receiving the award.
• Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY-5^th)
  Rep. Rogers will receive the award for his continued support of funding for the Legal Services Corporation and student loan forgiveness programs. Please click here for the full press release about Rogers receiving the award.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the world’s largest voluntary professional membership organization. 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.