The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in White Plains, New York, will present the 2025 Robert S. Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence to New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang, recognizing her exceptional leadership and integrity in overseeing public sector investigations and her commitment to justice and transparency in government.
“Lucy Lang represents the highest ideals of public service and prosecutorial excellence,” said Pace Haub Law Dean Horace E. Anderson Jr. “As New York state’s inspector general, she has brought a visionary approach to accountability and reform. Her career reflects an unwavering dedication to fairness, equity and the responsible use of prosecutorial power.”
Lang was appointed as New York state’s 11th inspector general in October 2021. A lifelong New Yorker, attorney and educator, she leads statewide investigations into allegations of fraud, corruption and abuse within New York state government. Under her leadership, the Office of the Inspector General has expanded transparency and technology initiatives, strengthened protections for vulnerable populations and fostered a multidisciplinary approach to public integrity enforcement.
Lang’s extensive background includes director of the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution and over a decade as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, where she prosecuted violent crime and developed impactful policy initiatives as special counsel for policy and projects. She created a first-of-its-kind college course jointly attended by incarcerated students and prosecutors, exemplifying her commitment to education, dialogue and justice reform.
A graduate of Swarthmore College and Columbia Law School, Lang is a Presidential Leadership Scholar and a member of the Council on Criminal Justice. She is widely published and is the author of the children’s book “March On!”, about the 1915 Women’s March for Suffrage. She also holds a certificate from the Executive Public Leaders Programme at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.
“Lucy Lang’s trailblazing work has made an indelible mark on public integrity and justice reform,” said Robert S. Tucker, whose generous endowment funds the award at Pace Haub Law.
The Robert S. Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence is awarded annually to an individual or a group of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of criminal prosecution and who demonstrate excellence in prosecutorial practice. Honorees are selected each year by a jury comprising former prosecutors and Haub Law faculty members.
Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University offers JD and Masters of Law (LLM) degrees in both environmental and international Law, as well as a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) in environmental law. The School, housed on the university’s campus opened its doors in 1976 and has more than 10,000 alumni around the world and maintains a unique philosophy and approach to legal education that strikes an important balance between practice and theory. Haub Law launched its Environmental Law Program in 1978, and it has long been ranked among the world’s leading university programs, with a current No.1 ranking by “U.S. News & World Report.” https://law.pace.eduA person in a white suit
