Last Thursday night in Detroit, the Federalist Society Michigan Lawyers Chapter honored a public interest lawyer who has made an indelible mark on Michigan’s legal environment.

The Federalist Society, a network of conservative and libertarian lawyers, conferred its prestigious Grano Award on Patrick J. Wright, who directs the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation.

The Grano Award recognizes Michiganders who show great respect for the rule of law and constitutional principles. It is named after Prof. Joseph D. Grano, a distinguished professor of law at Wayne State University Law School who died in 2001. As an originalist, Grano advocated judicial restraint. He argued that judges should not look outside the constitution’s text or structure to invent rights or privileges.

See Full Page