Memphis City Attorney Herman Morris Jr. is recipient of the Joseph I. Mulligan Jr. Distinguished Public Service Award, honoring a local government attorney for significant and surpassing achievements in the field of local government law occurring or culminating in the previous year. Morris also is a 1973 Rhodes alumnus, and he served on the Rhodes Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2012.
The award is presented annually by International Municipal Lawyers Association. “It is always an honor to be recognized by your peers,” says Morris. “I am humbled, but know this award was due to the hard work of our fine City of Memphis legal department.”
According to a news release, Morris is the first from Memphis to receive this award, and among his accomplishments that impressed the selection committee include a $7.5 million dollar settlement of a law suit against Wells Fargo Bank for discriminatory lending practices; challenging the State of Tennessee voter ID law and winning the right for Memphis citizens to use library cards for identification; initiating the voter integrity project during the 2012 elections; settling the 20-year-old Beale Street law suits; and launching a major effort to sue the owners of blighted, neglected and abandoned property.
Most recently, Morris joined the district attorney in filing injunction law suits against street gangs.