Alumnus Dennis Archer Receives ABA’s Highest Award

Michigan State University College of Law alumnus Dennis Archer, ‘70, has been awarded the prestigious American Bar Association Medal.

The award represents the highest honor that the ABA can bestow, and recognizes “conspicuous service to the cause of American Jurisprudence.” Past ABA Medal recipients include iconic Supreme Court justices, leading human rights activists, and prominent attorneys.

Archer’s exceptional career has included serving as mayor of Detroit (1993 - 2001), as Michigan Supreme Court justice (1986 - 90), and as president of the American Bar Association. He has received 17 honorary Doctor of Law degrees throughout his career. He also taught at Detroit College of Law (currently MSU College of Law) from 1972 - 78.

Archer described the award as a “unique and high honor.”

“[W]henever the ABA Medal has been awarded, I have felt that those who were awarded the medal were outstanding legal giants and absolutely worthy of receiving the highest award that the ABA can bestow upon a lawyer or judge. As I sat there over the years I always wondered whether or not I might be found worthy even for consideration when you think about award winners of the magnitude of a Thurgood Marshall, Oliver Hill, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Hillary Clinton,” said Archer.

“Dennis Archer’s commitment to service – to his clients, to the people of Michigan, and to the national legal community – makes him an exemplary member of the profession. We’re privileged to count him among our alumni,” said MSU Law Dean Joan Howarth. “This award honors a career defined by truly extraordinary work for justice and diversity.”