Patrick J. Fitzgerald - Winner of the Harvard Law Cox-Richardson-Coleman Award

[Catherine Vincent]

Public service isn’t a sacrifice, says Fitzgerald, accepting Cox-Richardson-Coleman Award
April 27, 2007

PUBLIC SERVICE ISN'T A SACRIFICE, SAYS FITZGERALD, ACCEPTING COX-RICHARDSON-COLEMAN AWARD
April 27, 2007

Patrick Fitzgerald ’85, the United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and special prosecutor in the investigation of the leaking of the identity of former CIA officer Valerie Plame, received Harvard Law School’s Cox-Richardson-Coleman Award for distinguished public service yesterday.

“Public service is not a sacrifice at all,” Fitzgerald told an audience of alumni and students after accepting the award. He touched on the rewards of public work, and cautioned students not to let interesting career choices pass them by.

Introducing Fitzgerald, Dean Elena Kagan ’86 hailed him as “a great prosecutor, a lifelong public servant dedicated to the thorough, energetic and just prosecution of crime and to the advancement of the rule of law. He embodies the best of the values that Harvard Law School holds dear.”

Kagan also read aloud from a letter to Fitzgerald given to her for the occasion by Ted Wells ’76, the lawyer for former vice-presidential aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby in the CIA leak case. Wells, who defended Libby in the trial that ended in Libby’s multiple-count conviction, said:

The Cox-Richardson-Coleman award is given annually in honor of three of the law school’s most distinguished alumni in public service: Professor and Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox ’37, former Attorney General Elliot Richardson ’47 and William T. Coleman ’46, who served in the cabinet as secretary of transportation in the Ford administration. Recipients of the award in years past have included former U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes ’60, U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine ’85 and New York Governor Eliot Spitzer ’84.

more....
http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2007/04/27_fitzgerald.php

There is a video of Fitzgerald accepting the award in the above link. There is a question and answer session at the end and it is worth watching. Chicago is very lucky to have him as their attorney general. I really liked what he said about the war on drugs. He said there are large parts of Chicago that is gang ridden and that we can't write off people saying that's not our problem. He says the inner city is his office's district and the people living there should be protected from gang bangers. We can't write off the population that simply want to go to work, school or church and he realizes there is a huge problem with the lack of opportunity there.

And people wonder why I love this guy?

You guys should watch it. It is very good.

(kudos to JulieRB for this find)

[Me.]

1. Nice To See Someone Appreciates Him

He's been getting nashed by both sides lately.

[ThingsGottaChange]

2. You're just never going to get over this guy, are you!

Really, who can blame you? ;-)

[Catherine Vincent]

4. One can never get over "The Fitz".

:hi:

[tanyev]

3. Not bad for an attorney who was rated "mediocre".

Congrats, Fitz! :applause: