Sen. Anne Carney recognized by Maine Justice Foundation with Howard H. Dana, Jr. Award

PORTLAND — On January 23, Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, received the Howard H. Dana, Jr. Award from the Maine Justice Foundation at their Annual Awards Reception in Portland. The Howard H. Dana, Jr. Award is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing access to justice.

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award, and I thank the organizations that nominated me for all their great work,” said Sen. Carney. “I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work – both as a lawyer and as Senate chair of the Judiciary Committee – to ensure that Maine upholds its obligation to keep our legal system fair and accessible to all.”

The Maine Justice Foundation presents three annual awards to recognize individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, innovation, and impact in advancing access to justice in Maine. These awards include the Howard H. Dana, Jr. Award, the New Lawyer Award, and the Downing Award. 

The Maine Justice Foundation Board of Directors unanimously voted to award the 2024 Howard H. Dana, Jr. Award to Sen. Carney. She was nominated by Pine Tree Legal Assistance, the Clinical Programs at Maine Law, the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Legal Services for Maine Elders, Maine Equal Justice and the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project. 

Following 17 years of practicing employment, civil rights, and municipal law at Norman, Hanson & DeTroy, LLC, Sen. Carney served as a volunteer attorney with Pine Tree Legal Assistance for eight years. She provided pro bono legal representation to Mainers with low or no income, with a focus on advocating for people who have no access to our legal system, such as women sexually assaulted at work, migrant farmworkers subject to terrible conditions, people who lost work because of their religion or because they were pregnant and more. In her time in the Legislature, Sen. Carney has sponsored and supported dozens of bills to increase access to justice, including increasing funding for civil legal aid and establishing a public defender system.

The Maine Justice Foundation, founded in 1983 as the Maine Bar Foundation, is the state’s leading funder of civil legal aid and is committed to ensuring access to justice for all Maine people.

Sen. Carney represents Maine Senate District 29, which includes South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, and part of Scarborough. 

Left to right: Sen. Carney’s brother, Sen. Carney’s sister-in-law, Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, holding her granddaughter, Governor Janet Mills, Sen. Carney’s daughter, and Sen. Carney’s son-in-law, at the ceremony in Portland on January 23

Left to right: Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, Sen. Carney with her granddaughter, Rep. Kelly Murphy, D-Scarborough, and John Brautigam of Legal Services for Maine Elders, at the ceremony in Portland on January 23

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