Law professor honored by American Civil Liberties Union

On June 8 at the 18th Annual American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation Law luncheon, Law Professor Gary Blasi was awarded the ACLU’s 2012 Humanitarian Award.

Each year this award is given to attorneys who have done outstanding work in protecting civil rights and civil liberties. Blasi was chosen because of his extensive work as a co-counsel on the Valentini v. Shinseki case, which challenged the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Blasi was noticed for his “remarkable dedication of time and energy” to the case, which disputed discrimination against severely disabled veterans, said Hector O. Villagra, executive director of ACLU of Southern California.

At the UCLA School of Law, where he has been a faculty member since 1991, Blasi teaches clinical and public interest lawyering courses.