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Sen. Arlen Specter to Receive Bar Medal at June 20 Quarterly
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania's senior U.S. senator and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will receive the Philadelphia Bar Association's Bar Medal and deliver an address at the Association's Quarterly Meeting & Luncheon on Monday, June 20 at noon, at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel."We are very pleased to be able to welcome Sen. Specter and recognize his service to the state and the nation," Chancellor Andrew A. Chirls said. "Especially now, at a time when judicial selection and judicial independence are very much on everyone's mind, we think it's most appropriate to hear from someone who has a key role in the selection process."
Sen. Specter was born to immigrant parents in Wichita, Kan., and grew up in the small town of Russell, Kan. He was first elected to the Senate in 1980 and is currently serving his fifth term. He is a senior member of the Appropriations and Veterans Affairs committees. He began his career in public service as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia. While serving in that position, he was named assistant counsel on the Warren Commission investigation into President Kennedy's assassination. Two years later, Sen. Specter was elected district attorney of Philadelphia in 1965 at the age of 35.
The Bar Association's highly coveted Bar Medal, first presented in 1970, is given at the discretion of the Chancellor and only when it is felt that someone has contributed to the justice system and/or the community in a manner that is sustained, obviously extraordinary and worthy of emulation. In 2004, it was presented to Joseph H. Foster, a partner in the litigation department at White and Williams; the late Judge William J. Marutani; and J. Clayton Undercofler, a partner in Saul Ewing's litigation department.
New members of the Association's 50-, 60-, 65- and 70-Year Clubs will also be honored at the event. The Year Clubs recognize attorneys who have been practicing law for 50 years or more.
Tickets for the event are $50 for members and $55 for non-members.