WASHINGTON – Alliance Defending Freedom presented its 2025 Alan E. Sears Leadership Award to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall Friday.
“Steve Marshall is a man of rare courage and deep faith. His conviction and commitment to doing what’s right, no matter the cost, have already left a mark on history,” said ADF CEO, President, and Chief Counsel Kristen Waggoner.
“As attorney general, Steve has proven time and again his willingness to be the tip of the legal spear,” Waggoner continued. “On the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, he became the first state AG in the nation to see that abortion was no longer practiced in his state. And who can forget his groundbreaking leadership in Boe v. Marshall? In that case, Steve became one of the first state AGs to defend a law protecting children from life-altering gender transition drugs and surgeries. The case was pivotal; it laid the groundwork for the Supreme Court’s Skrmetti decision, which upheld protections for children in 27 states. ADF is honored to bestow the Alan E. Sears Leadership Award on Steve Marshall.”
The award is named in honor of Sears, who served as ADF’s founding president, CEO, and general counsel for more than 20 years. ADF bestows the award each year to individuals who embody Sears’ ideals: Servant leadership, humility, character, dedication, and commitment to victory.
Past recipients of the award include Sears himself, Joni Eareckson Tada, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Os Guinness, and others.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
# # #