Venable partner George Johnston is one of fifteen Marylanders who have been chosen as inaugural recipients of the James Baldwin Medals for Civil Rights. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on January 27, 2011 at Baltimore City Hall.

The awards were created by Baltimore-area talk show host Anthony McCarthy as a way to honor Marylanders who have "exemplified public service and have been active in the ongoing pursuit of civil and human rights for all people." The awards are named for James Baldwin, who was an American novelist, writer, playwright, poet and civil rights activist.