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Home » News » Archives » ACLU of Illinois Honors Legislators, Lawyers and Activists at Annual Gala Dinner
ACLU of Illinois Honors Legislators, Lawyers and Activists at Annual Gala Dinner National Public Radio Host Scott Simon Headlines October 5th Event For Immediate Release September 30, 2002 CHICAGO - Eleven devoted and remarkable legislators, lawyers, advocates and activists will be honored for their commitment to fundamental constitutional values by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois at the organization�s 2002 Bill of Rights Celebration scheduled for Saturday, October 5th. The awards recognize the honorees accomplishments on behalf of basic constitutional values in the courtroom, in the Congress, in the state legislature and in communities across Illinois. National Public Radio�s Weekend Edition Saturday Scott Simon will deliver keynote remarks to an expected gathering of more than six hundred (600) ACLU supporters from across the State of Illinois. This year�s awardees include: Fay Clayton, a lawyer with the firm of Robinson, Curley and Clayton in Chicago; Dawn Clark Netsch, a former Illinois State Senator and the first woman gubernatorial candidate in Illinois; Victor Stone, Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Illinois College of Law; ACLU of Illinois volunteers, Ruth Belzer, Nancy Rosen and Ann Rothschild; and, five members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation who courageously opposed the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act � Representative Danny Davis, Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., Representative Ray LaHood, Representative Bobby Rush and Representative Jan Schakowsky. �We are honored by this roster of awardees,� said Colleen Connell, Executive Director for the ACLU of Illinois. �From the prestigious members of Congress, the lawyers and legislators who take such strong, public stands to defend freedom to a group of outstanding ACLU of Illinois volunteers, each of these eleven individuals is a role model for how acts of courage and conscience can inspire other to work for fairness and justice.� Each year, the ACLU of Illinois presents awards to individuals, law firms and organizations that contribute to the advancement of civil rights and civil liberties in the State of Illinois. This year, the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Illinois voted to add a �Special Legislative Award� to honor the five (5) members of the House of Representatives from Illinois who voted against the USA PATRIOT Act in October 2001. The ACLU has criticized the breadth and scope of the USA PATRIOT Act, passed in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, questioning the need to expand law enforcement authority while removing judicial oversight of criminal investigations. The ACLU also has criticized provisions of the Act that allow the federal government to detain individuals indefinitely, without offering evidence that a non-citizen is a �national security threat� that is reviewed by a neutral, judicial officer. The Special Legislative Award will be presented to Representative Danny Davis, Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., Representative Ray LaHood, Representative Bobby Rush and Representative Jan Schakowsky. Each member cast a vote opposed to the USA PATRIOT Act in Congress last year. Other awardees include: Fay Clayton, a partner with the Chicago law firm of Robinson, Curley and Clayton, will receive the Edwin A. Rothschild Civil Liberties Award for her courageous and consistent pro bono legal work on behalf of critical civil liberties issues. Named by Chicago magazine as one of Chicago�s �30 Toughest Lawyers,� Clayton has used her considerable legal skills as a cooperating attorney for the ACLU of Illinois to defend religious liberty, to challenge the practice by Chicago police department of routinely strip-searching women arrested on minor charges. In addition, Clayton has served as counsel on a number of important cases protecting the reproductive freedom of women. Dawn Clark Netsch, professor (emeritus) at Northwestern University School of law, will receive the Roger Baldwin Award named for the founder of the American Civil Liberties Union. Netsch served in the Illinois Senate from 1973 until 1990, when she was elected Comptroller of the State of Illinois. In 1994, Netsch became the first woman to become a major political party�s nominee for the office of governor in our state. In her long and distinguished career in government, Netsch always advanced critical civil liberties issues � sponsoring the Equal Rights Amendment, the AIDS Confidentiality Act and Personal Records Protection Act. Victor Stone, professor (emeritus) at the University of Illinois College of Law, also will receive the Roger Baldwin Award. Stone, a long-time faculty member at the University, continues to teach a seminar each year on the Supreme Court docket. A champion for academic freedom, Stone has served on the Board and as General Counsel for the American Association of University Professors. In addition to his service to the law school and to the State of Illinois, Stone also was a founding member and driving force in the Champaign County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as chapters in other Illinois communities. Ruth Belzer, Nancy Rosen and Ann Rothschild, three long time volunteers for the ACLU of Illinois, will be feted with the Anetta Dieckman Volunteer Award. All three women continue to donate time and skill to the ACLU of Illinois, serving on the �front line� of the organization�s intake system. In that role, the three volunteers field �complaint� calls from thousands of persons across the State of Illinois who believe that their civil liberties have been violated. �We are looking forward to a successful Bill of Rights celebration,� added Connell. �The quality of the awardees, the strength of our members and supporters and the importance of civil liberties in the public consciousness makes this an appropriate time to recognize these honorees.� |
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