Rita Moreno Will Receive Trailblazer in the Arts Award at Public Counsel's Annual Event

The 49th Vice President of the United States, Kamala D. Harris will receive Public Counsel's William O. Douglas Award, and performer Rita Moreno will receive the Trailblazer in the Arts Award at Public Counsel's annual event taking place on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 in Beverly Hills, honoring their contributions to public service and the arts.

The William O. Douglas Award Dinner is an annual event attended by over 1,000 leaders from the business, legal, political, entertainment, and philanthropic communities who gather to support Public Counsel's work and to recognize those whose accomplishments have profoundly advanced justice and equality.

“Vice President Harris has dedicated her career to fighting for the people - from her service to the State of California to her historic tenure as Vice President of the United States,” said Kathryn Eidmann, Public Counsel's President and CEO. “Her leadership has helped advance civil rights, expand opportunity, and uphold equal justice and dignity for all. We are honored to recognize her with the William O. Douglas Award.”

Kamala D. Harris served as the 49th Vice President of the United States from 2021 to 2025 - the first woman in American history to hold the office. She began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and later served as District Attorney of San Francisco, where her Back on Track program became a national model for reducing recidivism.

As California's Attorney General and later as a U.S. Senator, Harris led efforts to combat corporate fraud, defend the Affordable Care Act, and advance civil, immigrant, and voting rights. As Vice President, she worked to strengthen global alliances and address key issues including economic opportunity, reproductive rights, and climate investment, casting a record number of tie-breaking votes.

Rita Moreno is a multi-award winning performer whose career spans more than eight decades across film, television, and stage. One of the few artists to achieve EGOT status, she has won an Academy Award, Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy, as well as a Golden Globe, with a body of work that includes more than 70 films and acclaimed performances on Broadway and London's West End.

Her extraordinary contributions to American culture have been recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and the prestigious Peabody Award. She continues to work across film and television, further cementing her legacy as a trailblazer in the arts.

The event will also honor Davis Wright Tremaine LLP with the Law Firm Pro Bono Award. For more than eight decades, the firm has demonstrated a deep commitment to public service, contributing more than 31,275 hours of pro bono work in 2025 alone, valued at $25.6 million, including major litigation supporting vulnerable immigrant children.

Through innovative initiatives at the intersection of law, technology, and social impact, Davis Wright Tremaine continues to expand access to justice and advance its longstanding mission.

Actor, director, and producer Jason George will return as emcee for the evening together with board member Tanya Acker, civil litigator and co-host of the twice Emmy-nominated Hot Bench and host of The Tanya Acker Show podcast. Poet Amanda Gorman will deliver a special reading, and award-winning actor Uzo Aduba will present the William O. Douglas Award to Vice President Kamala D. Harris. Additional presenters will be announced.

Past honorees include Jane Fonda, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Viola Davis, John Legend, Governor Gavin Newsom, Secretary Hillary Clinton, President Bill Clinton, Elie Wiesel, and Reverend James M. Lawson Jr., among others.

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