Statement of Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III, President, American Bar Association Re: Death of Nicholas Katzenbach

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 10, 2012 — Nicholas deB. Katzenbach will be remembered as a man who was deeply involved in the critical history-making political issues of the 1960s.  As a prisoner of war, a Rhodes Scholar and a defining force in the civil rights movement, Katzenbach proved he was a man of great intellect and dogged persistence.

Among Katzenbach’s achievements in civil rights was his founding role in establishing the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which honored him with its highest award in 2010.  The legal community remembers Katzenbach as a man committed to equality, dignity and the most basic human rights.  He will be greatly missed.

With nearly 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.

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(Media contact: Meredith Josef, 202-662-1092, or Meredith.Josef@americanbar.org)

Please click here for a biography and photo of Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III, president of the American Bar Association.