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- The June 2013 announcement set out the basic details of the honor
- The ABA Medal is a professional honor with a stated purpose
- Reports about the 2013 Annual Meeting described the medal being presented
- Public awards can be easy to misunderstand in legal contexts
- Why older announcements still matter for historical research
- Sources
Key Facts
- Federal and state: The ABA Medal is an award presented by the American Bar Association at its Annual Meeting.
- Federal and state: ABA guidance describes the ABA Medal as recognizing a member of the bench or bar who has “rendered conspicuous service in the cause of American jurisprudence.”
- Federal and state: A June 2013 ABA Journal news report stated that the American Bar Association announced Hillary Rodham Clinton as the 2013 ABA Medal recipient.
- Federal and state: The same June 2013 report stated that the medal presentation was scheduled for the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco in August 2013.
- Federal and state: An American Bar Association Washington Letter recap of the 2013 Annual Meeting described the ABA Medal being presented to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in San Francisco.
- Federal and state: The American Bar Association’s ABA Medal recipients list includes Hillary Rodham Clinton as the 2013 recipient.
- Federal and state: The Washington Letter recap described Clinton as being recognized for a distinguished career as a lawyer and public servant.
- Federal and state: The American Bar Association’s history materials state that the organization was founded in 1878.
The June 2013 announcement set out the basic details of the honor
In late June 2013, a news report in the ABA Journal stated that the American Bar Association announced Hillary Rodham Clinton as the recipient of its highest award, the ABA Medal.
That report described the planned timing and setting for the presentation as part of the ABA’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco in August 2013, along with background details about Clinton’s public service and legal career.
The ABA Medal is a professional honor with a stated purpose
The American Bar Association’s ABA Medal page describes the medal as recognizing a member of the bench or bar who has “rendered conspicuous service in the cause of American jurisprudence.”
On the same ABA page, the association lists recipients by year, including Hillary Rodham Clinton for 2013.
Separate ABA guidance on the medal also describes it as an award that is not required to be presented every year, which is one way professional organizations sometimes preserve the meaning of a top honor.
Reports about the 2013 Annual Meeting described the medal being presented
Later ABA coverage of the 2013 Annual Meeting in San Francisco described the ABA Medal being presented to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during the meeting.
The ABA Washington Letter recap also described Clinton’s role as the first chair of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession and characterized her overall recognition as tied to a distinguished career in law and public service.
Public awards can be easy to misunderstand in legal contexts
Professional awards often receive wide attention, especially when the recipient has held major public offices, but an award announcement typically functions as recognition rather than a legal finding or a court action.
In plain terms, an association’s award usually reflects the organization’s stated criteria and choices at that time, not a change in federal or state law.
Why older announcements still matter for historical research
Older award announcements can help document professional history, including what an organization said at the time and how it described the award’s purpose.
When multiple sources describe both the announcement and the later presentation at a named meeting and location, they can also help confirm the timeline of what happened in a reliable way.
