William J. Brennan, Jr., who authored the opinion in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, has several awards named in his honor, which are presented to individuals for dedication to public interest and free expression. Awards named after William J. Brennan, Jr. are presented by the following organizations.

Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression The William J. Brennan, Jr. Award honors the legacy of U. S. Supreme Court Justice Brennan's extraordinary devotion to the principles of free expression. The award recognizes an individual or group whose commitment to free expression is consistent with Justice Brennan's abiding devotion. Such commitment might be shown by a single act or through a lifetime of activity to enhance the liberties of free speech and press.

The award is given not more than once a year or less than once in five years. Honorees receive $5000.00 at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C. and have their name inscribed on a plaque on display in Justice Brennan's chambers in the United States Supreme Court. Nominees from all professions and backgrounds are considered and nominations from the general public are invited.

Recipients: 1993: Anthony P. Griffin 1996: Joyce Meskis 2001: Sean A. Fanelli 2004: David D. Cole 2009: Judith Krug

District of Columbia Bar The honor is presented biannually to a DC Bar member in recognition of "outstanding work toward furthering the public interest and equal justice."

Recipients: 1992–93: Elaine R. Jones 1993–94: Marcia D. Greenberger and Nancy Duff Campbell 1994–95: Alan B. Morrison 1995–96: Hon. William B. Bryant 1996–97: Antonia Hernández 1997–98: John H. Pickering 1998–99: Hon. John M. Ferren 1999–00: James M. Nabrit III 2000–01: Charles T. Duncan 2001–02: Wade J. Henderson 2002–03: Hon. Ruth Bader Ginsburg 2004–05: Peter B. Edelman 2006–07: James W. Klein 2008–09: Patricia "Patty" Mullahy Fugere 2010–11: Maureen Thornton Syracuse 2012–13: Walter A. Smith Jr. 2014–15: James J. Sandman 2016–17: Jonathan M. Smith 2018–19: Michele Zavos 2020–21: David Reiser 2022–23: Jon S. Bouker

International Commission of Jurists The Brennan Award, made possible by a generous grant from the Paul D. Schurgot Foundation, is presented to a non-American lawyer or judge who has made a notable contribution toward establishing or defending human rights and the rule of law. 2006: Bertrand Ramcharan

Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey William J. Brennan, Jr., Award. The Award, which is given annually by the Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey, honors those whose actions have advanced the principles of free expression. Judge Becker spent many years as a member of the ALI-ABA Committee and is a member of the Institute's Special Committee on Federal Judicial Code Revision.

Recipients: 1977 – Hon. Joseph Weintraub, Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 1978 – Hon. Worrall F. Mountain, Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 1979 – Hon. Richard J. Hughes, Governor of New Jersey and Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 1979 – Clifford P. Case, United States Senator 1980 – Hon. William H. Webster, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit 1981 – Hon. Albert B. Maris, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1982 – Hon. Nicolas deB. Katzenbach, Attorney General of the United States 1983 – Hon. Robert N. Wilentz, Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 1984 – Hon. Morris Pashman, Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 1985 – Hon. Collins J. Seitz, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1986 – Hon. Frederick B. Lacey, United States Attorney and Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1987 – Hon. Herbert J. Stern, United States Attorney and Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1988 – Hon. Mitchell H. Cohen, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1988 – Hon. Leonard I. Garth, Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1988 – Hon. James Hunter, III, Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1989 – Hon. Clarkson S. Fisher, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1989 – William J. Brennan, III, Esq. 1990 – Hon. John J. Gibbons, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1991 – Hon. John F. Gerry, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1992 – Thomas F. Campion, Esq. 1993 – Hon. A. Leon Higginbotham, Former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1994 – Hon. David H. Souter, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court 1995 – Hon. Harold A. Ackerman, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1995 – Hon. Stanley S. Brotman, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1995 – Hon. Dickinson R. Debevoise, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1996 – Hon. Robert L. Clifford, Retired Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 1997 – Hon. Sidney M. Schreiber, Retired Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 1997 – William B. McGuire, Esq. 1998 – Rev. Daniel A. Degnan, S.J., Former Dean of the Seton Hall University School of Law 1998 – Hon. Herman D. Michels, Retired New Jersey Superior Court Judge 1999 – Hon. Robert E. Cowen, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1999 – Hon. Joseph H. Rodriguez, Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2000 – Hon. Maryanne Trump Barry, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2000 – John J. Barry, Esq. 2001 – Hon. Anne E. Thompson, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2001 – Hon. Morton I. Greenberg, Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2001 – Hon. Alfred M. Wolin, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2002 – Hon. John C. Lifland, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2002 – Hon. Nicholas H. Politan, Retired Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2002 – Raymond A. Brown, Esq. 2003 – Donald A. Robinson, Esq. 2003 – Justin P. Walder, Esq. 2004 – Hon. Edward R. Becker, Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2004 – Frederic K. Becker, Esq. 2005 – Hon. John W. Bissell, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2005 – Hon. Joseph E. Irenas, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2006 – Hon. William G. Bassler, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2006 – Hon. William H. Walls, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2007 – Hon. Marie L. Garibaldi, Retired Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 2007 – Hon. Daniel J. O’Hern, Retired Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 2008 – Hon. James R. Zazzali, Retired Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court 2008 – Jonathan L. Goldstein, Esq. 2009 – Hon. John J. Hughes, Retired Magistrate Judge for the District Court for the District of New Jersey 2009 – Bruce I. Goldstein, Esq. 2010 – Hon. Garrett E. Brown, Jr., Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2010 – Michael R. Griffinger, Esq. 2011 – Thomas R. Curtin, Esq. 2011 – Hon. Katharine S. Hayden, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2012 – John J. Farmer, Jr., Esq. 2012 – Carl D. Poplar, Esq. 2013 – Hon. Rosemary Gambardella, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2013 – Theodore V. Wells, Jr., Esq. 2014 – Hon. Dennis M. Cavanaugh, Retired Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2014 – Joseph A. Hayden, Jr., Esq. 2015 – Hon. Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr., Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2015 – Lawrence S. Lustberg, Esq. 2016 – Hon. Jerome B. Simandle, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2016 – Hon. Stuart Rabner, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey 2017 – Hon. Paul J. Fishman, United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey 2018 – Hon. Michael A. Chagares, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2019 – Hon. Stanley R. Chesler, United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey 2019 – Joseph P. LaSala, Esq. 2021 – Hon. Patty Shwartz, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2022 – Peter C. Harvey, Esq. 2022 – Hon. John Michael Vazquez, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2023 – Hon. Esther Salas, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law With Justice Brennan's agreement and participation, the National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law established the William J. Brennan, Jr. Award in 1987. The Brennan Award honors Justice Brennan's unsurpassed contributions to the United States legal system and, in particular, to the enhancement of trial advocacy skills. The honorees--judges, public officials, and private practitioners--are selected on the basis of 1) their outstanding skills as trial lawyers and members of the judiciary, and 2) their outstanding contributions to advocacy education and to the legal profession. An engraved pewter bowl is given to each recipient.History Page, National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law (https://www.trialadcollege.org/history; Annual Brochure, "The Honorable William J. Brennan, Jr. Awards Ceremony," National Trial Advocacy College, Univ. of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, VA; Justice Brennan's remarks at the initial awards ceremony: http://www.trialadcollege.org/videos/brennan.wmv; websites of honorees

These persons have received the Brennan Award: 1987: Judah Best, Hon. Robert R. Merhige, Jr., Hon. Herbert J. Stern 1988: Hon. Charles L. Becton, James D. St. Clair, Stephen A. Saltzburg 1989: William J. Brennan III, Terence F. MacCarthy 1990: John J. Curtin, Bruce I. Goldstein 1991: Hon. Frederic N. Smalkin, Gregory P. Joseph, Peter J. Kenny 1992: Thomas F. Campion, Stephen M. Duncan 1993: Hon. James T. Turner, John C. Lowe 1994: James M. Brown, Barry I. Fredericks, Charles B. Gorham 1995: Hon. Ralph Adam Fine, Colin J.S. Thomas, Jr. 1996: Raymond M. Tierney, Mary Lynn Tate, Edward R. Slaughter, Jr. 1997: Stephen B. Farmer, Hon. Norman K. Moon 1998: Hon. Stephen H. Helvin, Gerald A. Messerman 1999: Hon. Helen S. Balick, Hon. Bernard Balick, Robert M. Taylor 2000: Michael R. Fontham, Hon. B. Waugh Crigler 2001: Brian J. Donato, Arthur J. Schwab 2002: David Boies, Gerald F. Ivey 2003: James J. Brosnahan, Hon. David G. Lowe, Hon. Clifford R. Weckstein 2004: Hon. Antonin Scalia 2005: Hon. Peter Hill Beer, Hon. Adrian G. Duplantier 2006: Benjamin R. Civiletti, Peter J. Neufeld 2007: Hon. Leonie M. Brinkema, Robert A. Clifford, Jo-Ellan Dimitrius 2008: Hon. Barbara J. Rothstein, Theodore V. Wells, Jr., Kenneth R. Feinberg 2009: Hon. Mortimer M. Caplin, Hon. Julian Abele Cook, Jr. 2010: Otto F. Feil III, Kathy L. Nusslock 2011: Hon. Liam O'Grady 2012: Hon. Russell E. Carparelli, Hon. Ricardo M. Urbina 2013: Hon. Gerald B. Lee 2014: Hon. Bernice B. Donald 2015: Hon. Robert J. Conrad, Jr., Kenneth W. Curtis 2016: Hon. Henry Coke Morgan, R. Craig Wood 2017: Hon. Karen A. Henenberg, Brenda Rodriguez-Howdershell 2018: R. Hewitt Pate