Edwin A. Rothschild Civil Liberties Award

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois honored Kirkland with the Edwin A. Rothschild Civil Liberties Award at the organization's annual Bill of Rights Celebration. The ACLU recognized Kirkland for its pro bono contributions and decades-long dedication to the work of the organization, including in Jimmy Doe v. Cook County, a class action challenging the conditions of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center; Williams v. Blagojevich, a class action on behalf of people with mental illness living in Institutions for Mental Diseases; Lynch v. SOI, an amicus brief urging that the Illinois Human Rights Act be construed as a waiver of sovereign immunity; and Bassett v. Snyder, an ongoing domestic partner benefit case. The ACLU of Illinois is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, the state Constitution and state/federal human rights laws.