LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville today announced that U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens will receive the 2013 Brandeis Medal during an April 18 ceremony and lecture at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel.
Stevens was nominated as an associate justice of the Supreme Court by President Gerald Ford in 1975. At the time of his retirement in 2010, Stevens was the oldest member of the Court and the third longest-serving justice in the court’s history.
The award is given by the university’s Louis D. Brandeis School of Law to people who practice the ideals of personal freedom, concern for the disadvantaged and public service. Past honorees include Harry Blackmun, Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Janet Reno, Morris Dees, Robert Morganthau, John Lewis and Archibald Cox. The medal is given in tribute to Brandeis, a former U.S. Supreme Court justice from Louisville and namesake of the law school.
UofL interim law school dean Susan Duncan said that Justice Stevens and Justice Brandeis had similar ideals.
“Their legacies are similar,” Duncan said. “Both are considered champions for the protection of civil liberties and promoters of policies that uplift the disadvantaged.”
The Brandeis Medal ceremony and lecture are open to the public. The event costs $75 per person and begins with a 6 p.m. reception, followed by Stevens’ lecture at 6:30 p.m. and dinner immediately afterwards.
Reservations are required by April 11 and seating is limited. To register, go to http://tinyurl.com/bxxa4ku.
For more information, contact Becky Wimberg at 502-852-6879 or by email at rbwimb01@louisville.edu01