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Hennepin County Bar Association Honors Helen Palmer with
2007 Advancement of Justice Award
Minneapolis (5-24-07):
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The Hennepin
County Bar Association (HCBA) is pleased to announce
Helen Palmer as the recipient of the 2007
Advancement of Justice Award. Presentation of the
award was made May 24th at the HCBA Annual Meeting.
The Advancement of Justice Award is the only award given
by the HCBA to honor the work of an agency or individual
who is not a lawyer. The award is given in
recognition of contributions toward improving the
administration of justice, achieving freedom through
law, or increasing the public’s understanding of the
legal profession and justice system.
The award was given to Helen Palmer, immediate past
president of the League of Women Voters Minnesota
(LWVMN) to recognize the work and contribution made
during her time with the organization. Founded
in 1920 by those who had fought for women's suffrage,
the League is a nonpartisan, grassroots, volunteer
organization that encourages active and informed
participation in government and influences public policy
through education and advocacy. As president Palmer
oversaw a wide variety of voter service, educational,
and advocacy projects.
Palmer has also served as president of LWV-Rochester,
and chair of the state Action Committee that lobbies on
a broad range of issues. For over three years she
represented LWVMN on a state-appointed committee to
produce a generic environmental impact statement
regarding animal agriculture in Minnesota. She
co-chaired the League’s state study that led to the
publication of Choosing Minnesota's Judges (1999),
which she co-authored. She served on former
Governor Quie's Commission on the Preservation of an
Impartial Judiciary, the final report of which has just
been published. “Ms. Palmer was not paid for this work
[on the Quie Commission],” says Mary Vasaly of Maslon
Edelman Borman and Brand,
“Her motivation was her devotion to the rule of law and
the American justice system. This is a significant and
important contribution, particularly from a non-lawyer
member of the public. Her work, particularly if a
change in the system is achieved, will directly improve
the administration of justice.”
Palmer has a B.A. in French from Carleton College and a
Ph.D. in French language and literature from Brown
University. She has taught at a number of colleges and
universities, most notably at Union College in New York,
where she was a professor of French and chair of the
Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.
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The Hennepin County Bar
Association, the largest of Minnesota's 21 county bar
associations and representing almost half of Minnesota's
attorneys, is a private, non-profit organization which
provides or supports many free or low-cost services to
the public including: Volunteer Lawyers Network which
provides free legal advice for low income people;
TEL-LAW, a legal information message system available at
no charge in local calling areas; Lawyer Referral and
Information Services; public education programming; and
financial grants through the Bar Foundation.
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Hcba:ceh:070524
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