CHICAGO, June 17, 2024 – The American Bar Association Judicial Division announced today that the National Judicial College will receive the 2024 ABA Justice and Rule of Law Award.
The award recognizes individuals and organizations that make a national impact on the justice system and preserving the rule of law in the categories of judicial independence, justice system reform or public awareness of the justice system. Past recipients include former U.S. Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O’Connor, 10 state court judges and justices, a governor and a U.S. senator.
The National Judicial College was founded in 1963 and is based at the University of Nevada, Reno. It trains judges nationwide, improving the delivery of justice and advancing the rule of law through a process of professional study and collegial dialogue. The college offers an average of 100 courses and programs annually with more than 8,000 judges attending from all 50 states and more than 150 countries. In addition, more than 10,000 judicial officers access 30 to 50 online events at the college each year.
Recently, the college has added several important events to improve public confidence in the judiciary and reinforce the importance of judges and the rule of law.
In March 2024, the college presented “Democracy’s Last Line of Defense,” a symposium in Boston to reinforce the role of judges in ensuring the rule of law. In October 2023, the college sponsored a program in Reno highlighting the importance of judicial training as a core component of ensuring fair and equitable courts. Earlier in 2023, the college presented a program in New York City on “Being Heard and Ensuring Fairness” and in Seattle on “Justice for All – Healing and Restoring Our Community.”
The Justice and Rule of Law Award will be presented July 31 at the 2024 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago. ABA President Mary Smith will present the award during a judicial reception at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The event is free and open to all Annual Meeting registrants.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers 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. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on X (formerly Twitter) @ABANews.