Spotlight on Humphrey Honoree: Sen. Patrick Leahy

On May 12, the civil rights community will honor Sen. Patrick Leahy, D. VT, with its highest honor, the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award, for a long record of advocacy for social and economic justice.

Sen. Leahy is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.  First elected to the Senate in 1974, he is the third most senior Democratic senator.

Sen. Leahy’s efforts on a wide range of issues, including education, criminal justice, jobs, workers’ rights, environmental justice, hate crimes, civil liberties and a fair and independent judiciary have mirrored the values and mission that lie at the heart of The Leadership Conference.

In 2007, he created the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, which has led to increased Congressional activity around the advancement and enforcement of our nation’s human rights commitments.

Sen. Leahy is a graduate of Saint Michael’s College and Georgetown University Law Center.  He served for eight years as a Vermont state’s attorney in Chittenden County.  In 1974, he was selected as one of three outstanding prosecutors in the United States.

Visit our Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award Dinner page for more information on tickets, sponsorship, and the honorees.