Diane Wood to Receive Justice John Paul Stevens Award from Chicago Bar Association

Chicago Bar Association Names Recipients of 2103 Justice John Paul Stevens Awards

The Chicago Bar Association (CBA) will honor four of Chicago’s outstanding attorneys at the 14th annual John Paul Stevens Award Luncheon on Thursday, September 26, at The Standard Club, 320 S. Plymouth Court, Chicago. There will be an 11:30 a.m. reception followed by the luncheon at noon. Tickets are $65 per person. RSVP to tdrees@chicagobar.org or 312-554-2057.

About the Stevens Award

Named for Chicago native Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired from the United States Supreme Court in 2010, The Stevens Award recognizes lawyers and judges who have demonstrated outstanding character and commitment to community throughout their careers.CBA President J. Timothy Eaton said, “In bestowing this award, the CBA looks for nominees who, like Justice Stevens, exemplify the highest personal integrity and devotion to public service.”...

Hon. Diane P. Wood

Judge Diane Wood serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and is a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School.

A New Jersey native, her family relocated to Texas when she was a child. She began her career clerkingfor Judge Irving Goldberg of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1975 to 1976 and for Associate Justice Harry Blackmun of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1976 to 1977. Judge Wood was among the first women to clerk at the Supreme Court.

After working in private practice and the executive branch, she became the third woman ever hired as a law professor at the University of Chicago Law School. She was nominated to the Seventh Circuit by President Clinton in 1995.

In recent years, the judge has been a leading candidate for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Obama. She was considered to be on the short list in both 2009 (for Justice Souter’s seat) and 2010 (Justice Steven’s seat).

Judge Wood earned her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1971 and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1975, where she was an editor of the Texas Law Review. She graduated with high honors and Order of the Coif, and was among the first women at the University of Texas admitted as a member of the Friar Society.

Read more at ChicagoBar.org

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