Russian Judiciary Honors USAID Rule of Law Advisor
On September 2, 2008, the Council of Judges of the Russian Federation presented USAID/Russia’s Senior Rule of Law Advisor William Patrick Murphy, Jr. with its highest award--For Service to Justice—citing his "large contribution to the improvement of justice and development of cooperation between Russian and American judges." The Council of Judges is a governing and policymaking body elected by judges that represents the interests of the judiciary.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina’s law school with nine years of experience in the U.S. federal judicial system, Murphy has worked at USAID/Russia since 1997. He is the fourth person involved in USAID judicial programs to be recognized by the Council of Judges. In May 2008, Aleksander Shibanov, Chief of Party of the USAID-funded Russian American Judicial Partnership, received the award; Dr. James H. Billington, Librarian of the U.S. Congress and founder of the Open World program, and Alexandr Khilkov, Open World’s Moscow-based Country Director, were similarly honored this past summer.
The Russian American Judicial Partnership and Open World have enabled more than 5,000 Russian and U.S. judges, court administrators, and court personnel to exchange knowledge and develop professional partnerships.
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| Patrick Murphy (wearing his medal of honor) stands with Yuriy Sidorenko, Chairman of the Russian Council of Judges. |
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