Royce C. Lamberth, a senior judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, was presented with the Morris I. Leibman Award in Law and National Security at a June 6 dinner and ceremony at the University Club in Washington, D.C.
June 17, 2024 Top Legal News of the Week
2024 ABA Morris I. Leibman Award honors Judge Royce C. Lamberth
The award, which recognizes lawyers who have demonstrated a sustained commitment and made exceptional contributions to the field of national security law, honors the memory of Morris I. Leibman, a distinguished lawyer and co-founder of the Standing Committee on Law and National Security and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, who died in 1992.
“Royce Lamberth has spent a professional lifetime as a bulwark in the face of national security threats while also using his powers to protect the integrity of our democratic institutions and advance the rule of law,” said Stephen Preston, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security. “It is most fitting to present the Morris I. Leibman Award in Law and National Security to Judge Lamberth at this time.”
Lamberth thanked the committee for the award, and said he appreciates the “strong connection” he has to such a “top-notch” group of people.
Lamberth was appointed United States District Judge for the District of Columbia in 1987. He served as chief judge from 2008 until 2013, when he became a senior judge. He has the distinction of being the longest-serving district judge on the federal bench in Washington, D.C.
As a judge, Lamberth has made unique and enduring contributions in several areas of national security law. He shaped the contours of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, laying the groundwork for the Flatow Amendment that holds state sponsors of terrorism liable for their actions. He was the first judge to preside over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for a full seven-year appointment. His opinions concerning the Classified Information Procedures Act have been formative in how courts apply that law to protect both defendants’ rights and national security.
According to the citation submitted with his nomination for the Leibman Award, he has remained connected to his roots in military justice, being designated to sit several times on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
Related links:
- ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security
- List of previous Leibman Award recipients
- ABA Journal: