The Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C., Award - 2025: Thomas Ahearne '81

What would you fight for? In recognition of his decades of successfully fighting for the enforcement of constitutional rights, election integrity, and equality, the Notre Dame Alumni Association honors Thomas Ahearne ’81 with the Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C., Award.

Ahearne admits that he had:

• No plan to attend Notre Dame: But he landed in South Bend after an alum handed him a stamped, pre-addressed envelope at church one day, saying he’d done all the application paperwork for him. All Ahearne had to do was sign the application and drop it in the mail.
• No plan to pursue law school: But he decided after Father Hesburgh came to his dorm room to guilt him into it with The Parable of Talents (Matthew 25:14-30).
• No plan to clerk for a federal judge: But he did after watching Urban Cowboy on television the night before applications were due, and figured it would be fun to live for two years in Houston—where he then met the love of his life.
• No plan to become a constitutional lawyer: But he was the only litigator in the office the weekend someone needed an emergency injunction striking down an unconstitutional statute—commencing his decades-long career of fighting to enforce the constitutional rights of the powerless. In one such case, McCleary v. State of Washington, Ahearne won a ruling that forced the state to increase its annual public school funding by $6 billion to provide students in low-income areas the education to which they were constitutionally entitled.
• No plan to become an election law lawyer: But he did after receiving and accepting an unexpected request to represent the Washington Secretary of State in an emergency injunction hearing. Ahearne successfully fought to preserve the integrity of the ensuing governor’s election that was ultimately decided—after trial—by a margin of 133 votes out of over 2.8 million, and successfully fought to defend the constitutionality of the Washington State Grange’s Top Two Primary legislation in the U.S. Supreme Court.
• No plan to advocate for NAACP or civil rights disputes: But he did after enduring a snowboarding accident that permanently bound him to a wheelchair. The experience opened his eyes to the isolation, inequity, and exclusion felt by people with physical characteristics beyond their control. His experience motivated him to become one of the most effective advocates for equal justice for all in his state. 

“At first, it made me wonder why the ‘heck’ Notre Dame deemed me worthy of this honor. But then looking back on the past 45 years made me realize that while I did not have a meaningful plan for my life, God apparently did.”