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Key Facts
- Federal level: The Federal Judicial Center lists Sandra Day O’Connor’s birth and death dates as March 26, 1930, and December 1, 2023, respectively.
- Federal level: The Federal Judicial Center states that Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor on August 19, 1981, the Senate confirmed her on September 21, 1981, and her commission issued on September 22, 1981.
- National overview: The ABA Judicial Division describes the Justice and Rule of Law Award as recognizing dedication to improving the administration of justice and preserving the rule of law.
- National overview: The ABA award page says the award may be presented to an individual or organization and that nominees may be judges, nonlawyers, lawyers, or organizations.
- National overview: The ABA award page frames eligibility around extraordinary improvement in judicial independence, justice system reform, and public awareness about the justice system and the rule of law.
- National overview: The ABA award page lists 2011 recipients as Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and William H. Neukom.
- National overview: The same ABA award page includes a nominations deadline of April 3, 2026 and specifies nomination components, including a non-disclosure agreement.
Last reviewed: May 2026. Legal rules, forms, deadlines, and procedures can change by jurisdiction, agency, and court system.
- What the ABA says the Justice and Rule of Law Award is meant to recognize
- Selection criteria and eligibility categories described on the award page
- The archive fact the ABA award record shows for 2011
- Federal judicial service context for Sandra Day O’Connor
- How to read the award page’s nominations deadline in an archive recovery
- Common confusion an ABA honor is not a court ruling
- Related archive context about William H. Neukom on TheFirstFile
- What this archive recovery does not reproduce from the legacy announcement text
- Sources
This archive recovery summarizes what the ABA’s award-page record states about the Justice and Rule of Law Award and adds verified Federal Judicial Center biographical context for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
What the ABA says the Justice and Rule of Law Award is meant to recognize
The American Bar Association’s Judicial Division describes the Justice and Rule of Law Award as part of its awards collection (Judicial Division Awards and The Justice and Rule of Law Award). In the ABA’s own wording, the award was established to recognize people dedicated to improving the administration of justice and preserving the rule of law.
Selection criteria and eligibility categories described on the award page
According to the ABA award page, the Justice and Rule of Law Award may be presented to any individual or organization that has made a positive national impact on the justice system and preserving the rule of law, and it lists eligibility that can include judges, nonlawyers, lawyers, and organizations. The ABA also frames eligibility around responsibility for extraordinary improvement in three categories: judicial independence, justice system reform, and public awareness about the justice system and the rule of law.
| ABA category | What the award page ties to the idea of “extraordinary improvement” |
|---|---|
| Judicial Independence | Improvement linked to preserving independence within the justice system |
| Justice System Reform | Improvement linked to reform of the justice system |
| Public Awareness about the Justice System and the Rule of Law | Improvement linked to public understanding of the justice system and the rule of law |
The archive fact the ABA award record shows for 2011
Within the ABA award page’s past recipients list, the 2011 entry names “Justice Sandra Day O’Connor” and “William H. Neukom.” That listing is the core archive-recovery datapoint that ties the 2011 honorees to the ABA award program record itself.
Federal judicial service context for Sandra Day O’Connor
The Federal Judicial Center’s record confirms key dates for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The FJC lists her birth as March 26, 1930, and her death as December 1, 2023. It also gives Supreme Court service milestones: Ronald Reagan nominated her on August 19, 1981, the U.S. Senate confirmed her on September 21, 1981, and her commission issued on September 22, 1981. Finally, the FJC record states that she assumed senior status on January 31, 2006 and that her federal judicial service terminated on December 1, 2023 due to death (O’Connor, Sandra Day | Federal Judicial Center).
How to read the award page’s nominations deadline in an archive recovery
The ABA award page also includes nomination guidance and a time-specific nominations deadline of April 3, 2026. It specifies nomination components including a resume or biographical sketch, a description of the contribution and impact, letters of support (limit of 5), the nominating person or organization, and a non-disclosure agreement. In an archive recovery, these items function as current program administration information displayed on the ABA’s ongoing award page, rather than as historical facts about what the 2011 honorees were recognized for on any particular event date.
Common confusion an ABA honor is not a court ruling
The ABA materials that were retrieved describe the Justice and Rule of Law Award as an honor presented within a professional-association awards structure. The award page frames the program around recognition of contributions and impact and does not describe the award as a legislative or judicial act that would create or change legal rights or court authority. That distinction helps readers interpret the award record as an organizational recognition document rather than a legal decision.
Related archive context about William H. Neukom on TheFirstFile
For additional archive context that connects to William H. Neukom’s broader ABA-era visibility, TheFirstFile also preserves separate archive items, including one about his role as ABA president-elect (William H. Neukom named ABA president-elect (archive)) and another about a later public statement tied to a Supreme Court decision (Neukom statement on a Supreme Court decision (archive)).
What this archive recovery does not reproduce from the legacy announcement text
This archive recovery limits historical detail to the ABA award-page record and to the Federal Judicial Center biographical timeline for Sandra Day O’Connor, rather than reproducing additional narrative specifics from the legacy 2011 announcement text that are not part of the verified award-page and biography sources used here.
