The California Women’s Law Center (CWLC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Pursuit of Justice Awards: California’s Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Amed Khan. The Abby J. Leibman Pursuit of Justice Award is bestowed annually and recognizes leaders who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the advancement of gender equality. The 2022 recipients of this prestigious award will be honored at a luncheon on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye is California’s 28th Chief Justice. She is the second woman and the first Asian-Filipina American to hold this post. The Chief Justice is a leading advocate for equal access to justice who has worked tirelessly to improve fairness and transparency in the judicial system. She has motivated young leaders to increase their civic participation, prioritized the advancement of women and minorities in the legal profession, and convened discussions on implicit bias, human trafficking and school truancy. With steady resolve, the Chief Justice has worked to ensure that victims of intimate partner violence receive fair treatment and the appropriate resources to address trauma; she established and presided over the first court dedicated to domestic violence survivors; and initiated and oversaw changes in court rules to address harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. 

Amed Khan is a human rights advocate and philanthropist. Since August 2021, he has led efforts to evacuate Afghan women, families and human rights defenders and funded the lodging, food, medical and legal services for over 1,500 evacuees. Mr. Khan founded Elpida Home, a nonprofit in Greece which has helped thousands of Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees access international protection and services. As the founder of the Zaka Khan Foundation, he has invested in reconstruction projects in Iraq and the Middle East and works to raise awareness about complex emergencies and human rights violations. He formerly was a United States Peace Corps director and an administrator for the International Rescue Committee in Tanzania which oversaw refugee camps after the Rwandan genocide.  

We applaud these champions for creating a more equitable and just world and are pleased to acknowledge and recognize their outstanding achievements with CWLC’s 2022 Pursuit of Justice Award. Thank you for joining us in recognizing their leadership, and in supporting CWLC’s mission pursuing justice for women and girls.

For more information about the 2022 Pursuit of Justice Awards, please visit: bit.ly/POJ2022.