Since 1957, the Yale Law School Association, the alumni organization of Yale Law School, has presented the Award of Merit annually to an esteemed graduate or graduates of Yale Law School or to a person who has served as a full-time member of the Yale Law School faculty for at least 10 years. The recipients of the Award are recognized for having made a substantial contribution to public service or to the legal profession. Previous recipients of the award ’42 (1971), Gerald R. Ford ’41 (1979), Eleanor Holmes Norton ’64 (1980), Ellen Ash Peters ’54 (1983), and William J. Clinton ’73 (1993).
The Award itself was redesigned in 1998. It is a stained glass medallion resting in an oak base with a brass plaque inscribed to the recipient. The medallion depicts a traditional seated image of Justice holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. It was executed by Enchanted Glassworks of Beacon Falls, Connecticut. The Award is currently crafted by Renaissance Studio of Westport, Connecticut.
The medallion design is based on one of the many stained glass windows found within Yale's Sterling Law Buildings. The inspiration for that window, designed by Henderson Brothers of New York City during the original construction of the buildings in 1929–1931, was an image found on the reverse side of a medieval playing card, copied from an illustration in Les Cartes a Jouer, a book depicting the history of playing cards from the 14th to the 20th centuries.