Donald Donovan Receives Honors from the Government of Mexico and the Mexican Bar Association for his Work on Consular Relations Cases

Donald Donovan of Debevoise & Plimpton represented Mexico before the ICJ in the Avena case concerning 51 Mexican nationals on death row in the U.S. He subsequently sought compliance with teh ICJ’s Avena decision in the Medellin case that went up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Donovan also litigated Breard, the first Vienna Convention on Consular Relations case in the U.S. courts and before the ICJ (Paraguay v. the U.S) and he argued the La Grand case (Germany v. the U.S.) before the ICJ. (Disclosure: I had worked with Donald at D&P, but not on the VCCR cases.)

Debevoise’s press release can be found here. It begins:

Donald Francis Donovan, a partner in the Litigation Department of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, has been honored with the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest award bestowed on foreigners by the Mexican government, in recognition of Mr. Donovan’s pro bono efforts on behalf of Mexican nationals on death row in the United States. He has also been honored with the Mexican Bar Association’s 2006 Premio Nacional de Jurisprudencia (National Jurisprudence Prize), presented for the first time in its 18-year history to a non-Mexican, in recognition of his achievements in international arbitration and international human rights, and especially his work on behalf of Mexican nationals on death row.

Congratulations!