News Release

Texas Access to Justice Foundation 
Aug. 12, 2022
 

Senator John Cornyn Honored for Access to Justice Efforts

Receives ABA Lifetime Achievement Award


AUSTIN, Texas––The American Bar Association (ABA) recently honored Senator John Cornyn for his longtime commitment and work on access to justice efforts with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The senator and his colleague, Sen. Dick Durbin, received Lifetime Achievement Awards from ABA President Reginald Turner at the 2022 Annual Meeting in Chicago on Aug. 6. The awards marked the 25th anniversary of ABA Day, the association’s annual grassroots advocacy event.

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, who served on the Texas Supreme Court with Sen. Cornyn, congratulated his colleague on this well-deserved honor. “Through Sen. Cornyn’s leadership in the Senate on this bipartisan issue, he has made a significant impact in helping provide access to justice to those in need of basic civil legal services, not only in Texas but throughout the country.”

Sen. Cornyn was recognized his support for the Legal Services Corporation, as well as legislative proposals to combat domestic violence and human trafficking, student debt relief, criminal justice reform, and, most recently, his leadership in obtaining passage of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. He was also instrumental in passing a bill protecting the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, a primary funding source for legal aid in Texas and nationwide.

“The Texas Access to Justice Foundation joins in congratulating Sen. Cornyn on this honor and thanks him for recognizing the critical role of legal aid in access to justice,” said Hon. Deborah Hankinson, chair of the Foundation.  “Throughout his career of public service, Sen. Cornyn’s work has helped countless low-income Texans resolve family, housing and employment issues, as well as recover from natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfirs and the pandemic.”
 

While legal aid currently helps more than 100,000 Texas families each year, only about 10% of the essential legal needs of disadvantaged Texans are being met due to a lack of resources. Legal aid helps spouses and children of domestic abuse; elderly wrongly denied life-sustaining prescriptions; veterans denied critical medical care, disability and other benefits; survivors of sexual assault and families who have lost their homes during recent economic struggles.

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About the Texas Access to Justice Foundation

The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (www.tajf.org), created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1984, is the primary state-based funding source for the provision of civil legal aid in Texas. The organization is committed to the vision that all Texans will have equal access to justice, regardless of their income. The Foundation administers a variety of funding sources, which are earmarked to assist nonprofit organizations in providing legal aid to more than 100,000 Texas families each year.

 

 

 

For more information:

Kimberly Schmitt
512-320-0099, ext. 104
kschmitt@teajf.org

 

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