Sarat, who has taught at the College since 1974, is the first professor at a liberal arts college to receive this award. "I have a special and passionate relationship with Amherst," he said. "For many of us, there is some cost to being at a liberal arts college. It sometimes feels that it's harder to do the research and scholarship that I love to do. It felt even more special because this award was recognizing the possibilities of what others were recognizing as excellent."
Sarat's first notice of the award was unofficial. He received an e-mail from a colleague at a another institution who had heard that Sarat had been awarded the prize. The news was then followed by an official e-mail and a phone call. "I was very honored, and I was thrilled. This award interestingly kind of starts at the line between scholarship and the world that scholarship affects," he said. "In that sense, it's a kind of recognition of the quality of the scholarship, but also the way the scholarship affects the world beyond colleges and universities."
Sarat said that he is fascinated by the subjects about which he teaches and writes and is elated to be recognized for his work. "Much of what scholars do, they do alone because they have a passion for or deep curiosity about some subjects. Much of what I write or teach is motivated by my passion for my work. There is something intrinsic to that that is rewarding," he said. "At the same time it is rewarding that other people think that it is worthwhile. One is humbled to be recognized in this way."
The three books for which Sarat is receiving that award are, "Cause Lawyering: Political Commitments and Professional Responsibilities," "Cause Lawyering and the State in a Global Era" and "Something to Believe In: Politics, Professionalism, and Cause Lawyering."
Sarat explained that cause lawyers emphasize the use of morals in the law and strive for justice for people who might not otherwise have been helped. He has been interested in cause lawyering for quite some time. "The traditional idea of a lawyer in the U.S. is that ... when representing, the lawyer doesn't represent ideals. What I was interested in was understanding those lawyers who reject this idea of neutrality," he said. "At the heart of [cause lawyers'] work is the commitment to bridging the gap between law and politics, their political lives and moral lives. Much of the work of cause lawyers is taking on the causes of groups who but for their activities would not have received justice at all. Cause lawyers work to make legal justice more accessible."
Sarat said that his writing often inspires his teaching and vice versa. "I used to teach a class, several years ago called 'Lawyers and the Legal Profession,'" he said. "That class helped sparked my interest in the political and moral lives of lawyers and in the subject of cause lawyers."
Sarat has written and contributed to over 60 books on different subjects concerning the law, ranging from cause lawyering to the death penalty. "I'm interested centrally in [the] political, cultural and moral life of the law so that what may appear to be different subjects, they're connected in the way those subjects cause me to think about the political, cultural and moral life of the law."
The book award, named for Reginald Heber Smith (1889-1996), recognizes the influence of Smith's book "Justice and the Poor" which is often credited with launching the national legal aid movement in the United States. The award is given by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association to promote future study and exploration in the field of equal access to justice.
Sarat's next book, "Mercy on Trial: What It Means to Stop an Execution" concerns the negative impact of the death penalty on a democratic society. It will be published in 2005.
Sarat also serves as president of the Association for the Study of Law, Culture and the Humanities.