James Marsh
Letter of Nomination for James Marsh to receive the AVA’s Change Maker Award
Dear AVA Board Members,
This is my nomination of James Marsh for the AVA’s Change Maker Award that the AVA Award’s Committee agreed to give him last year but deferred to this year because Nadine Burke Harris told Tasneem that she would like to attend and speak at the AVA’s GHS in SLC. The death of Nadine’s mother prevented her from attending and receiving the Change Maker award in SLC. James had agreed to be considered and to provide a presentation at the AVA GHS before the dates were selected. As it turned out, he had a Board Meeting for Child USA whose Board he chairs on the same dates of AVA’s GHS in SLC.
The information from his firm’s website is included and provides a detailed account of his career and achievements. After completing law school at the University of Michigan, James completed a legislative internship focusing on adoption.
Verbatim quote from The Marsh Law Firm website:
“James R. Marsh has over 30 years’ experience advocating for children, victims, and survivors in state and federal trial courts, federal circuit courts, the United States Congress and state legislatures, and the United States Supreme Court. The organization he founded in Washington, DC—the Children’s Law Center—has helped over 50,000 at-risk and vulnerable children receive free legal advocacy over the past 25 years valued over $125 million. James is the board chair of Child USA, a think tank headed by Marci Hamilton, which engages in research-based public policy advocacy for children. James has been instrumental in passing major laws on behalf of victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse including the federal Amy Vicky and Andy Act, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act, the States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), Masha’s Law, and New York’s Child Victim’s Act. He created the Children’s Justice Fund to serve victims of child trafficking, child sex abuse, online child sexual exploitation, and child pornography.
His case on compensation for victims of child pornography in federal criminal restitution proceedings was decided by the United States Supreme Court in 2014. That case, United States v. Paroline, led to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 which passed the House and Senate by unanimous consent and was signed into law on December 7, 2018.”
James presented at the AVA GHS in Tallahassee, Florida. From review of his life’s work, it is clear that he has been an important “change maker” in our country regarding violence and abuse. Specifically was primarily responsible for assuring that victims of online child
sexual exploitation are eligible to receive restitution for the harm they have experienced and continue to experience through the sexual abuse and online distribution of their sexual abuse images and videos.
Respectfully submitted,
David L. Corwin, MD, Chair, AVA Awards Committee Date: 7/27/26
