Oregon Humanities Team at Tonkon Torp Honored with MBA Pro Bono Award of Merit

Tonkon Torp attorneys Anna Sortun, Steven Wilker, Paul Balmer, and Gracey Nagle have been honored by the Multnomah Bar Association (MBA) with a 2026 Pro Bono Award of Merit. The award is in recognition of their work representing Oregon Humanities and the Federation of State Humanities Councils in Oregon Humanities v. DOGE et. al, a case challenging the Trump Administration’s decision to mass terminate grant funding for state and jurisdictional humanities councils in April 2025.

When the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) terminated all funding to state humanities councils, the effect was devastating to humanities nonprofits across the country. These nonprofits provide much-needed funding and support to local libraries, museums, history projects, language studies, and efforts to bridge the urban-rural divide. In the words of Anna Sortun, “No matter where you live, the humanities impact your daily life in ways you may not realize. The humanities are part of the glue that binds us together as a civil society.”

After filing litigation against DOGE and the NEH last summer, the Tonkon Torp team secured a preliminary injunction forcing the NEH to reserve more than $35 million in funds for the humanities councils pending the outcome of litigation. Tonkon Torp is currently gearing up to pursue summary judgment.

Together, Anna Sortun, Steven Wilker, Paul Balmer, and Gracey Nagle logged over 700 pro bono hours in 2025 and their pro bono efforts outside of the Oregon Humanities case included amicus work in collaboration with Lewis & Clark Law School’s Criminal Justice Reform Clinic, taking a housing discrimination matter through trial, and representing the Oregon State Bar.

The MBA Pro Bono Award of Merit is presented annually to a lawyer, a team of lawyers, or a law firm that has exhibited the highest standards of commitment to increasing access to justice within Oregon for those unable to afford legal assistance or those from communities underserved by the legal profession.

“The legal system only works if people can access it. Many people and small organizations can’t afford representation, so without pro bono work, their rights exist only on paper. Lawyers are uniquely positioned to close that gap,” said Sortun.