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Key Facts
- Federal level: The Thurgood Marshall Award is named for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
- State level: The ABA CRSJ Section frames the Thurgood Marshall Award as professional recognition and does not describe it as a state licensing or disciplinary rule.
- National overview: The ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice established the Thurgood Marshall Award in 1992.
- National overview: The ABA says the award is intended to recognize long-term contributions to civil rights, civil liberties, and human rights in the United States.
- National overview: The ABA’s past recipients list states that Justice Marshall received the inaugural Thurgood Marshall Award in 1992.
- National overview: The ABA past recipients list identifies Paul M. Smith as the 2010 Thurgood Marshall Award recipient.
- National overview: An ABA news-archive biography line also states that Paul M. Smith received the Thurgood Marshall Award in 2010.
Why this archive recovery entry exists
Archive recovery matters when historical legal-news items get separated from their underlying official source pages. This entry explains the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice’s Thurgood Marshall Award and ties the 2010 announcement subject, Paul M. Smith, to the award information that the ABA currently maintains. For additional context about how ABA publicity historically framed rights-focused recognition, see ABA legal education award archive and ABA human rights recognition archive.
- Why this archive recovery entry exists
- A professional recognition, not a legal rule
- What the Thurgood Marshall Award is
- The 2010 recipient Paul M. Smith
- One quick comparison award recognition versus legal authority
- Why the First Amendment shows up in the 2010 framing
- Past recipients as the control point for the award year
- What to take away from the archive announcement
- Sources
A professional recognition, not a legal rule
The ABA presents the Thurgood Marshall Award as an award recognizing long-term contributions to civil rights and related civil-liberties work. That framing matters because it keeps the award in the category of professional recognition rather than treating it as legislation, a regulation, or a court decision.
What the Thurgood Marshall Award is
The ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice states that the Thurgood Marshall Award was established by the Section in 1992 and honors U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The same pages say the award is intended to recognize similar long-term contributions to the advancement of civil rights, civil liberties, and human rights in the United States.
The Civil Rights and Social Justice Section describes its civil-rights focus, which provides useful context for why the award fits within the Section’s broader mission.
The 2010 recipient Paul M. Smith
The ABA’s past recipients list identifies 2010 Award – Paul M. Smith and describes him as a U.S. Supreme Court Advocate for his participation in landmark civil rights, First Amendment, and voting rights cases. An ABA news-archive biography line on an ABA page also states that, in 2010, Paul M. Smith was the recipient of the Thurgood Marshall Award from the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice.
Taken together, these official ABA pages support both the award year (2010) and the recipient identity (Paul M. Smith).
One quick comparison award recognition versus legal authority
Archive material about civil rights and constitutional themes can blur boundaries between (1) professional recognition and (2) law itself.
| Question readers ask | What the ABA award pages say | What the pages do not say |
|---|---|---|
| What is the Thurgood Marshall Award? | The award was established by the CRSJ Section in 1992 and recognizes long-term contributions to civil rights, civil liberties, and human rights. | The pages do not describe the award as a statute, regulation, or court order. |
| Does the First Amendment mention create a legal rule? | The recipients list uses First Amendment and voting rights cases as examples of the type of work the award recognizes. | The pages do not describe the award as creating or interpreting First Amendment doctrine. |
| Is state procedure involved? | The award pages describe the Thurgood Marshall Award as an ABA Section recognition. | The pages do not tie award recognition to any state court process, licensing rule, or disciplinary standard. |
This comparison reflects the internal logic of the ABA award framing: it points to recognition of work, not to legal authorization.
Why the First Amendment shows up in the 2010 framing
The ABA’s past recipients list for the Thurgood Marshall Award does not treat the First Amendment as a standalone topic; it places First Amendment work alongside civil rights and voting rights in describing the types of landmark advocacy the award recognizes. That approach matches the award’s stated purpose: recognizing long-term contributions in civil rights and civil liberties work.
Past recipients as the control point for the award year
When historical material includes a date or year, archive recovery benefits from anchoring the claim to a stable official index. The ABA’s past recipients list includes the award year and identifies the recipient, using a format like “2010 Award – Paul M. Smith.” The award overview page also supplies the award’s purpose and administration by the ABA CRSJ Section, which helps separate “what the award is” from “who received it in 2010.”
What to take away from the archive announcement
In summary, the historical item aligns with the ABA CRSJ Thurgood Marshall Award in two ways: (1) the award’s establishment and mission are described by ABA award pages, and (2) the 2010 recipient identity is stated by the ABA’s past recipients list and reinforced by an ABA news-archive biography line.
Keeping that distinction clear helps preserve the archive’s historical value while avoiding any misreading of an ABA award as current legal authority.
