August 26, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Camille Walsh
Media Relations Manager
State Policy Network
(504) 338-8785
walsh@spn.org
New “Mellor Prize” Recognizes Top Public Interest Legal Advocates Who Advance Freedom
Arlington, Virginia—State Policy Network (SPN) and the Institute for Justice (IJ) today presented the inaugural “Chip Mellor Prize for Excellence in Public Interest Litigation” to the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) for its work in overturning the Chevron Doctrine.
The Mellor Prize, which comes with $100,000, recognizes teams of litigators and advocates who work together to earn significant litigation victories to hold government officials accountable; advocate for civil society and the rule of law; and to help the most vulnerable among us who are least able to fight back against injustice.
The award is named after William “Chip” Mellor, the cofounder of the Institute for Justice, who passed away in October 2024 after leading the Institute for Justice as its president for 25 years, and later as chairman of its board of directors. The Mellor Prize will not be an annual award, but, rather, it will be presented as appropriate to recognize teams who have made remarkable achievements in the field of public interest litigation.
The New Civil Liberties Alliance earned the inaugural Mellor Prize for its work ending “Chevron deference,” a decades-old doctrine that let unelected government officials decide what laws meant, giving federal administrative agencies virtually unchecked power. By litigating to overturn Chevron, NCLA helped restore the basic constitutional principle that judges must decide what the law is, not simply defer to what government officials want it to be.
Mellor Prize recipients are innovative organizations and teams who—like Chip Mellor—have earned a reputation for leadership, integrity, resilience, empathy, and the pursuit of excellence. A devoted husband, father, friend and mentor—Chip set the standard in his life and through his work.
Over his 50-year career, Mellor pioneered the practice of free market-oriented public interest litigation. He demonstrated how principled and strategic advocacy, goodwill, and a long-term adherence to mission can change the law and improve the lives of everyday Americans.
“A Westerner at heart, Chip created a cavalry of public interest advocates who time and again rode in and saved the day when all seemed lost,” said Tracie Sharp, President and CEO of State Policy Network. “SPN is so pleased to join with IJ to be a caretaker of his legacy through the creation of the Mellor Prize, and recognize the remarkable achievements and goodwill Chip cultivated throughout his life and career.”
Mark Chenoweth, the President and Chief Legal Officer of NCLA, said, “The first call I made after joining Philip Hamburger at the founding of the New Civil Liberties Alliance was to Chip Mellor. I sought Chip’s guidance on running an organization that would not only be effective, but that would share the same kind of character that Chip and IJ represented—filled with high standards, a joy in the battle for justice, and always a focus on growing an effective team. That’s what Chip did year in and year out. NCLA is so honored to receive the very first Mellor Prize and to continue Chip’s public-interest litigation legacy.”
Scott Bullock, the President and Chief Counsel of the Institute for Justice, said, “With the Mellor Prize, we recognize and celebrate all that Chip did to inspire those around him to advance individual liberty, limit the size and scope of government power, and champion the everyday American whose rights were in jeopardy at the hands of the government. We are confident the Mellor Prize will shine a light on those who continue that work for generations to come.”
About State Policy Network
State Policy Network (SPN) is a leading non-profit organization working to advance freedom and opportunity through a Network of state-focused think tanks. SPN provides its members with a wide range of resources and support, fostering collaboration and promoting effective public policy solutions at the state level. Learn more at spn.org.
About the Institute for Justice
Through strategic litigation, training, communication, activism, legislative outreach and research, the Institute for Justice advances a rule of law under which individuals can control their destinies as free and responsible members of society. IJ litigates to secure economic liberty, educational choice, private property rights, freedom of speech and other vital individual liberties, and to restore constitutional limits on the power of government.