Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

On June 7, the American Constitution Society honored Choate Senior Counsel Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. Established to honor those individuals who have devoted their careers “to ensuring that the law is a positive force in the lives of all people,” Chief Justice Marshall was selected in recognition of her many decades of commitment to defending the core values of the United States Constitution, such as equality, justice and the rule of law.

Regarded as a preeminent lawyer and widely respected jurist, Chief Justice Marshall served for fourteen years on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court before she re-joined Choate as Senior Counsel where she is a member of Choate’s Complex Trial and Appellate litigation team. During her tenure on the bench she authored many ground breaking decisions, including the 2003 landmark decision Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, which declared that the Massachusetts Constitution prohibits the state from denying same-sex couples access to civil marriage. The ruling made Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage. She is widely recognized as a champion for an independent judiciary and the rule of law. A long-time advocate of access to justice for all, she implemented innovative procedures for self-represented litigants and strengthened pro bono services by the bar.

The award was presented by Janson Wu, Executive Director of GLAD, followed by remarks from Sally Yates, the former U.S. Deputy Attorney General.