During the 2019 ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Congressman John Lewis received the Section's annual Thurgood Marshall Award. The first non-lawyer to receive the award, which honors those who contribute to the advancement of civil rights, civil liberties and human rights, the U.S. representative from Georgia’s 5th congressional district said he had been arrested 40 times during the 1960s, plus another five times as a member of Congress.
About - the AwardInspirational Folk Singer and Songwriter Rhiannon Giddens gave a powerful performance during the 2019 Thurgood Marshall Award Dinner, honoring longtime civil rights hero Congressman John Lewis. She captivated the audience, largely made up of influential legal professionals and ABA leadership.
Do you know an exceptional individual who has dedicated him/herself to the fight for civil and human rights? Nominations for the 2020 Thurgood Marshall Award are now open. Submissions are open until Tuesday, October 1, 2019.
Urges Congress to ensure that the health care delivered by the Indian Health Service (IHS) is exempt from government shutdowns and federal budget sequestrations on par with the exemptions provided to the Veterans Health Administration.
Urges Congress, states, and territories to enact legislation that would provide stronger remedies and protections against pay discrimination on the basis of sex (including gender and gender identity), race or ethnicity and for employees with disabilities to help overcome the persistent barriers that continue to impede the achievement of pay equity.
Supports the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in the effort to strengthen tribal jurisdiction over their child welfare system, uphold tribal kinship and set standards specific for American Indians/Alaska Natives child and youth placement.
Urges the Department of Justice to retain—as a minimum threshold—existing policy protections, as codified at 28 C.F.R. § 50.10 (2016), that limit federal law enforcement in obtaining information from, or records of, members of the news media, and that limit federal law enforcement in questioning, arresting, or indicting members of the news media.
Urges the United States Congress, and local, state, and territorial governments to enact legislation or regulations that require all law enforcement entities to meet training standards set by the Commission on Police Officer and Standard Training (POST) similar to California’s legislation, AB 2504, Peace Officer Training.
Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to refrain from imposing upon reproductive healthcare providers requirements that are not medically necessary or have the purpose or effect of burdening patients' access to such services.
Urges the United States Government, and Governments around the world to promote the human right to a basic income by increasing the funding, development and implementation of basic income strategies to prevent infringement of this right.
The ABA policymaking body met August 12-13 at the 2019 Annual Meeting in San Francisco to debate and vote on a wide range of policy issues.
