The Mecklenburg County Bar presented Claire K. Tate the 2010 Liberty Bell Award on May 5, 2010 during their annual Law Day celebration.
The Liberty Bell Award is presented annually to a citizen who has fostered public understanding of law and performed community service that has strengthened the American system of freedom under law.
Tate was honored, in part, due to her advocacy and work to create a safe, secure place for children in the Courthouse. Tate's work was instrumental in establishing a non-profit child care center for all children whose parents have business within the Mecklenburg County Courthouse - Larry King's Clubhouse. Prior to her work, children remained with their parents/guardians in courtrooms where they could serve as potential distractions or witness emotionally-damaging testimony.
Tate currently serves as the president and founder of Partners in Out of Schools Time (POST) and is the Board Chair of the Women's Impact Fund.
In 1958 President Dwight Eisenhower established Law Day as "a day of national dedication to the principle of government under law." In celebration of the 53rd annual Law Day, the Mecklenburg County Bar hosted Chief United States Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. He spoke on the 2010 Law Day theme, Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions, Emerging Challenges.