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Eligibility Rules

In 1981, the American Bar Association Board of Governors authorized the National Conference of Specialized Court Judges to institute an Annual Award.  The purpose of the Award is to recognize a person, institution or judicial education and training entity for successful efforts in providing high quality judicial education and training to judges. Criteria include:

  1. The nature and extent of opportunities provided to judges to receive local and in‑state judicial education and training.
  2. The nature and extent of opportunities provided to judges to receive nationally-based judicial education and training.

Please note that the Judicial Education Award emphasizes what has been done for tribal, state, military or other judicial education and training in general. This award has been created to encourage entities to address the needs of these particular jurists and to reward those who do so in a superior fashion.

Nominations

The 2025 Judicial Education Award will be presented at the ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto, ON, from August 6-12, 2025. Nominations are now open with a submission deadline of March 12, 2025.

Applications should be submitted utilizing the Application Form, which is due by March 12, 2025.. The copies will be edited by the Conference Associate, prior to distribution to the judges of the Judicial Education Award Committee, to delete reference to the name of the submitting entity. Those judging the competition will do so based upon the merits of the applicants and do not wish to have knowledge of the identity of those applicants during the judging process. For this reason, other than in the confidential portion of the application, applicants are urged not to make reference to the name of their state or otherwise disclose its identity.

Past Recipients

  • 2024: Ms. Thea D. Whalen, Texas Justice Court Training Center, Austin, TX
  • 2023: Hon. Tommy Fowler, Craighead District Court
  • 2022: Hon. Katina Steuart, Prince George’s County District Court
  • 2020: Hon. Elizabeth R. Finn, Glendale, AZ
  • 2019: National American Indian Court Judges Association
  • 2017: Appellate Judges Education Institute, Durham, NC
  • 2016: Air Force Trial Judiciary (AF/JFT), JB Andrews, MD
  • 2015: Michigan Judicial Institute, Lansing, MI
  • 2014: Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. United States Army
  • 2013: Denise Kilwein, Topeka, KS
  • 2012: Mr. Marty Sullivan, Little Rock, AR
  • 2011: Puerto Rico Judicial Academy of the Puerto Rico Office of Court Administration
  • 2010: Judge Kevin S. Burke, Minneapolis, MN
  • 2009: American Association for the Advancement of Science - Judicial Seminars on Emerging Issues in Neuroscience
  • 2008: University of North Carolina School of Government, Chapel Hill, NC Professor Cheryl Howell
  • 2007: Sarah Y. Sheppeard, Knoxville, TN
  • 2006: Texas Center for the Judiciary
  • 2005: New York State Unified Court System
  • 2003: Hon. Peter Evans, Palm Beach County, FL
  • 2002: National Outreach Division of NHTSA
  • 2001: Hon. Robin Smith, Midland TX
  • 2000: Hon. Lawrence Rodowsky, Baltimore, MD
  • 1999: Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia
  • 1998: Institute of Government – UNC Chapel Hill
  • 1997: Rozier E. Sanchez, Judicial Education Center in New Mexico
  • 1996: The Education Services Division of the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts