Janet Reno has been awarded the 1990 Medal of Honor for a Lawyer in recognition of her outstanding contributions to improving the administration of justice.
Janet Reno represents the best qualities of the legal profession. She is honest, works hard, and cares about people. As State Attorney since 1978, responsible for prosecution of crime in Florida’s most populous county, Janet Reno has earned her reputation as tough, tenacious and fair. As staff director of the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives during the revisions to our state constitution, in her early years in the state attorney’s office when she established a model juvenile division, and as consultant to the Florida Senate’s committee to revise our Criminal Code, she has played a major role in reform of our legal system.
Not satisfied, however, to deal only with the aftermath of crime, what sets Janet Reno apart from others is her deeply felt and tireless commitment to attack crime at its roots, in poverty and social injustice. Courageous, compassionate, a seeker of truth, we honor Janet Reno for her dedication to the highest ideals of our institutions of justice, and for lending her voice and the very strength of her being to those who without her would go unheard — children, victims of crime, the poor.
