The Henry J. Friendly Medal is an award given periodically by the American Law Institute (ALI) in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of law. It is named in honor of Judge Henry Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The medal is conferred to an individual for their contributions "in the tradition of Judge Friendly."
The award is reserved to some of the most influential modern jurists in the U.S., including Judge Merrick Garland, and U.S. Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and John Roberts. It is the most prestigious award given by the ALI.
Background The Friendly Medal was established by Judge Friendly's former law clerks after his death. Friendly had been a member of the American Law Institute's council. The medal initially featured a likeness of Friendly smiling, but was changed as the judge rarely smiled. It is given by the American Law Institute Awards Committee.
Prize The medal is only awarded as appropriate and not on an annual basis. The award has been described as "prestigious" and "reserved for recipients who are considered especially worthy of receiving it." It is one of the highest honors given by the ALI, and is not limited to the organization's members. In 1992, Judge Michael Boudin of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit was the chair of the awarding committee. After it was established, Edward Weinfeld, a close friend of Judge Friendly, traveled in person to be the first to receive the award before dying a day later.
Recipients Year Image Recipient Title Ref 1988 Edward Weinfeld (1901–1988)Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York 1989 Paul A. Freund (1908–1992)Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard Law School 1993 Herbert Wechsler (1909–2000)Harlan Fiske Stone Professor of Constitutional Law at Columbia Law School 2000 William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. (1920–2017)Judge of the United States Court of Military Commission Review 2002 Anthony Lewis (1927–2013)James Madison Chair at Columbia University Linda Greenhouse (1947–)Joseph M. Goldstein Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School 2005 Ronald Dworkin (1931–2013)Frank Henry Sommer Professor of Law and Philosophy at New York University Richard Posner (1939–)Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit 2009 Nicholas Katzenbach (1922–2012)24th United States Under Secretary of State65th United States Attorney General 2011 Sandra Day O'Connor (1930–2023)Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 2013 William H. Webster (1924–2025)14th Director of Central Intelligence3rd Director of the Federal Bureau of InvestigationJudge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit 2014 Michael Boudin (1939–2025)Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Pierre Leval (1936–)Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 2016 Patricia Wald (1928–2019)Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia CircuitJustice of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia 2017 Conrad K. Harper (1940–)President of the New York City Bar Association 2018 Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020)Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 2019 Anthony Kennedy (1936–)Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 2022 Merrick Garland (1952–)86th United States Attorney GeneralChief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit 2023 John Roberts (1955–)17th Chief Justice of the United States 2026 Diane Wood (1950–)Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
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