Five ‘Greatest Reformers’ Given Medal of Freedom by President
President Clinton on Tuesday awarded the Medal of Freedom to “five of the greatest reformers of the century,” including the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and retired Justice William J. Brennan.
The medal, established by President Harry S. Truman, is the highest civilian award in the United States.
Current and former Supreme Court justices, members of Congress and the Cabinet attended the ceremony that also honored:
* Marjory Stoneman Douglas, 103, who led a crusade to preserve and restore Florida’s Everglades and is nicknamed the “Godmother of the Glades.” She also was a leader of the woman’s suffrage movement that led to the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.
* Late civil rights activist Joseph L. Rauh Jr., who was cited as “among the foremost defenders of the Constitution.”
* Former federal appeals court Judge John Minor Wisdom, 88, who maintains an active caseload. Clinton said Wisdom’s “brilliant opinions” advanced civil rights and economic justice.
Brennan stood up from his wheelchair to accept his medal. Marshall died on Jan. 24. Clinton said it was fitting that the two civil liberties leaders received the medal the same day.
Clinton called the medal winners “five of the greatest reformers of the century who changed the nation for the better.”
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