2020 Commitment to Equality Awards
| Jurisdiction | Georgia,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 26 No. 3 Pg. 0030 |
| Pages | 0030 |
| Publication year | 2020 |
The Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession recognizes and honors the recipients of the 2020 Commitment to Equality Awards. In a year of change, their dedication to diversity and inclusion stays strong.
BY SHATON C. MENZIE AND KATIE DOD
On behalf of the Committee to Pro-mote Inclusion in the Profession, we are happy to announce the recipients of the 2020 Commitment to Equality Awards. All six of our recipients exemplify a dedication to making our profession, and community at large, more diverse, inclusive and just. We are inspired by all they have done and continue to do. Our profession owes them each a debt of gratitude beyond what this award can provide, but we are honored to celebrate them nonetheless.
Randolph W. Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award
The Randolph W. Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has dedicated his or her career to providing opportunities that foster a more diverse legal profession for members of underrepresented groups in the state of Georgia.
M. Laughlin McDonald, Director Emeritus Voting Rights Project (ret.), American Civil Liberties Union
M. Laughlin McDonald has, for close to five decades, practiced law in Georgia, notably serving as the director of the Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union in Atlanta from 1972-2019. He served as lead counsel in cases that led to judges being placed on benches throughout Georgia, including for the team that represented Georgia State Legislator Tyrone Brooks and other plaintiffs to increase the number of African American judges in the state during the 1990s. With these changes, Georgia's judiciary better reflected the state's population and improved the perception of justice served through the courts.
McDonald represented minorities in countless discrimination actions, including before the U.S. Supreme Court, specializing in voting rights. He also authored several important books, including “A Voting Rights Odyssey: Black Enfranchisement in Georgia, and America” and “American Indians and the Fight for Equal Voting Rights.”
Hon. Jane Lynn Morrison, Judge, State Court of Fulton County
Hon. Jane Lynn Morrison is a trailblazer for the LGBTQ community in the legal profession. She was the first openly gay candidate elected to the bench in Georgia, and currently serves as one of the few openly gay elected judges in the state. She was also one of...
To continue reading
Request your trial