Janet Reno Receives Justice Award

WASHINGTON (CN) - Janet Reno, who served under President Bill Clinton, accepted the Justice Award Friday from Attorney General Eric Holder. The first woman attorney general was known for her tough stance against domestic violence, promoting the use of DNA as evidence, and for seeking alternatives to sending nonviolent drug offenders to jail.

Morris Dees quoted President Clinton as saying, "She was the best Attorney General I ever had."

In fact, she was President Clinton's only Attorney General. Her eight years of service make her the longest serving Attorney General in 100 years.

"Fighting domestic violence is a way of letting children know that violence is not a way of life," said Reno.

Over the course of her career, she prosecuted Microsoft for violating anti-trust laws, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, and sent the famous six-year-old Elián González home to his Cuban father.

Reno has since devoted her time to making the Song of America, a composition of 50 songs released in 2007 that she says tells the story of America through music.

"Music can open doors to young people," said Reno. She hopes it inspires youth to learn the nation's history.

The Justice Award is given by the American Judicature Society, which strives to uphold ethics and minimize the role of politics in the judicial system and to enhance the use of science in the courts.

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