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On August 12, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was honored with the 2013 ABA medal, its highest honor, in recognition of “distinguished service by a lawyer to the cause of American jurisprudence.”
“I am so deeply grateful to you for this award, and I am humbled by those who have received it in the past, to join their company in some small measure, to continue the work that the ABA has championed,” said Secretary Clinton. In her speech, Secretary Clinton praised ABA’s efforts in promoting the rule of law worldwide, referring to ABA President Laurel Bellows’ contributions to combatting human trafficking, as well as the launch of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative in over 60 countries.
Secretary Clinton also noted the launch of the World Justice Project and its Rule of Law Index, which measures governance around the world based on four universal principles. She acknowledged that the principles are essential concepts for any healthy democracy, including the United States.
“The search for justice drives people to stand up against dictatorship, corruption and oppression,” she added. “Rule of the law is the most powerful tool in human history to deliver this justice.”
The main focus of the speech was voting rights, where she urged citizens, lawyers and members of the ABA in the grassroots level to address challenges to voting rights.
“Now not every obstacle is related to race, but anyone who says that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in American elections must not be paying attention” she said.
ABA President Laurel Bellows applauded Secretary Clinton for her “immense accomplishments as a lawyer, the strides she made for women both professionally and civically, and for promoting the interests of the U.S. and human rights abroad, she not only deserves this honor, but also the gratitude of the legal profession and the nation.”
Previous recipients of the ABA medal include former Supreme Court justices, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. and Sandra Day O’Conner, and current Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
