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Thomas A. Durkin Wins Stevens Award

Mr. Durkin is one of the winners of this year’s Stevens Award. The award is named after retired U.S. Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens and was created in 2000 by Stevens’ former law clerks, the CBA and CBF.

At the awards ceremony, Mr. Durkin and Joan Hall, a retired Jenner & Block partner — read aloud Stevens’ dissents from two cases — Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 542 U.S. 426 (2004), and Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000).

“In Rumsfeld v. Padilla, the high court was asked whether Jose Padilla, who was deemed an unlawful combatant by the Bush administration, had rights under habeas corpus.

Durkin, who has represented alleged terrorists detained at Guantanamo Bay and around the country, read Stevens’ words on the importance of due process in a democratic society.”

Click here to read the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin article on the award ceremony.