New York State Bar Association Announces That U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Will Receive Gold Medal at Presidential Gala
9.24.2024
The New York State Bar Association is awarding its highest honor, the Gold Medal, to retired Associate Justice Stephen Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States, at its presidential gala on Jan. 16 at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.
“Justice Breyer’s loyalty is to the rule of law,” said Domenick Napoletano, president of the New York State Bar Association. “There is no higher calling than that, and it is why he so richly deserves the Gold Medal. He stood up for that principle for nearly three decades at the Supreme Court of the United States, the most prestigious court in the world. In a nation dominated by partisan politics, he argued against being labeled as a liberal or a conservative. Instead, he cared most deeply about the consequences of the court’s decisions and how they would impact ordinary people.”
Justice Breyer, who was chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit when President Bill Clinton appointed him to the Supreme Court in 1994, served the appellate court for 14 years. Members of the court were delighted to hear earlier this year that Justice Breyer, who has senior status, plans to return to hear cases in early 2025. A graduate of Stanford, Oxford and Harvard Law School, Justice Breyer has taught law for many years at his alma mater. He was also an assistant Watergate special prosecutor and chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I marvel at the ways Justice Breyer has served this country and the rule of law. At 86 years of age, he’s still giving back by hearing cases and writing books,” Napoletano said. “Through his writing and teaching, he has inspired so many young lawyers. In addition to his service as a judge, his experience as a government prosecutor and the chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee has given him a unique perspective that I’m sure will enthrall the guests at the presidential gala.”
Justice Breyer will take part in a fireside chat at the gala, speaking about his career, judicial philosophy and his recent book. He is the eleventh Supreme Court justice to receive the Gold Medal. Justice Elena Kagan was honored in 2020, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in 2008, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1995, Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., in 1993, Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., in 1989, Justice Potter Stewart in 1984, Justice Thurgood Marshall in 1976, Justice John Marshall Harlan in 1966, Justice Felix Frankfurter in 1961, and Justice Robert H. Jackson in 1954.
Justice Breyer has written books and articles about a range of legal topics, including administrative law, economic regulation, and the U.S. Constitution. His books include Active Liberty (2005), Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge’s View (2010), The Court and the World (2015), The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics (2021), and Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism (2024).
