From left to right: ALI President Roberta Cooper Ramo, Patricia M. Wald, and Harry T. Edwards at ALI's 93rd Annual Meeting.
During ALI’s Annual Meeting earlier this week, Patricia M. Wald was presented the Henry J. Friendly Medal by Harry T. Edwards of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Medal recognizes contributions to the law in the tradition of Judge Friendly and the Institute.
Judge Wald served for 20 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, from 1979 to 1999, including five years as Chief Judge. She is currently a member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
Judge Wald has had an enormously distinguished career and is known for her modesty, humanitarianism, and great wisdom. She is a respected leader in the legal community, recognized for the manner in which she handled cases involving the rights of women and children in the U.S. and abroad. She was the first woman appointed to the D.C. Circuit and the first woman to serve as Chief Judge of a Circuit; she also was the first woman to serve on ALI’s Executive Committee and the first woman officer, holding the offices of Second Vice President and First Vice President.
After her retirement from the federal bench, she went on to serve as a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for two years and was appointed to the Iraq Intelligence Commission in 2004 to help investigate U.S. intelligence surrounding the beginning of the Iraq War. She also was a member of the President's Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the U.S. Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Before her elevation to the court, Judge Wald was the Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs at the Department of Justice. She also previously worked as an attorney at the Mental Health Law Project, the Center for Law and Social Policy, the Neighborhood Legal Services Program, and the Office of Criminal Justice at the Department of Justice, and as the co-director of the Ford Foundation Drug Abuse Research Project.
She has received innumerable honors and awards, including the ABA Medal and perhaps, most notably, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Judge Wald has been a dedicated member of ALI for 43 years. She served on the Council for 31 years, and on the Nominating Committee, which identifies candidates for ALI’s Council and other leadership positions, for 26 years. She is currently an Adviser on the Sentencing and Election Administration projects.
Read Judge Edwards’ and Patricia Wald's remarks.
Read a feature included in the Historical Society of the District of Columbia Circuit newsletter.
View a list of past Friendly Medal recipients.