Linda Strite Murnane receives ABA TIPS Edmund S. Muskie Pro Bono Service Award

May 01, 2026

Linda Strite Murnane receives ABA TIPS Edmund S. Muskie Pro Bono Service Award

CHICAGO, May 1, 2026 - Linda Strite Murnane received the American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) Edmund S. Muskie Pro Bono Service Award today during the TIPS Section Conference in Austin. The award recognizes TIPS members who demonstrate a commitment to justice for all and dedication to pro bono service.

"Linda is a deeply committed advocate who provides pro bono support to veterans and their families as they pursue the benefits they have earned through their service and sacrifice for our country," TIPS Chair Marcy Hogan Greer said.

Murnane is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who served nearly 30 years on active duty, beginning in 1974 as an airman basic, the lowest enlisted rank. She later earned her commission and transferred to the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps in 1981 after completing her law degree and admission to the Ohio Bar. Her legal career included roles as a prosecutor, defense counsel and staff judge advocate, culminating in her appointment as a military trial judge and Chief Circuit Military Judge (CCMJ) for Europe and the Eastern Circuit (Washington, D.C.), where she served 10 consecutive years on the bench.

While serving in Europe, she presided over the first trials of U.S. airmen in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, conducting proceedings in Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. She also served on the first U.S. military assistance team deployed to Rwanda following the genocide.

Following her retirement in 2004, Murnane served as executive director of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, overseeing statewide civil rights enforcement and litigation. She later held senior international legal positions, including with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and served as senior international attorney for the U.S. Defense Institute of International Legal Studies, supporting global rule of law and human rights initiatives.

Most recently, she served as an associate justice on the High Court of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (2022-2024). She has also presented internationally, including at the Vatican, on topics such as veterans' dispute resolution, climate justice and the ethical implications of artificial intelligence.

Murnane provides pro bono legal assistance to U.S. military veterans and their families, helping them secure benefits earned through their service from the Department of Veterans Affairs. She is a VA-accredited attorney and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, the Supreme Courts of Ohio and Kentucky, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the Air Force and Army Courts of Criminal Appeals.

Murnane has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Legion of Merit and the ABA Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, the ABA International Law Section's Mayre Rasmussen Award and the ABA Burnham H. Greeley Award. In addition, she was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2021.

Murnane earned both her B.A. (Dean's Honors) and Juris Doctor while on active duty, receiving her degrees from Christopher Newport College of the College of William and Mary and the University of Cincinnati College of Law, respectively.

Contact Shanda Ivory at [email protected] for a photo and bio of Murnane.