CACJ

is celebrating 50 years

Senator Steven Bradford

Legislator of the Year

Heather Rogers

Skip Glenn Award

Alex Landon

SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE AWARD

Recognizes the lifetime of commitment to individual rights and liberties of the recipient as demonstrated through their work and life at the bar or on the bench.

Landon is a highly respected and prominent criminal defense lawyer in San Diego and serves as lead counsel in class action lawsuits involving jail and juvenile hall conditions.

SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE AWARD

(Donald Wright Award for Lifetime Achievement)

Purpose:

Recognizes the lifetime of commitment to individual rights and liberties of the recipient as demonstrated through their work and life at the bar or on the bench.

Origin:

This award carries the name of California's former Chief Justice, the gentle and beloved Donald Wright. Here he is remembered for his opinion in People v. Anderson (1972) 6 Cal.3d 628 declaring California's death penalty cruel and unusual, and he is further distinguished by former Governor Reagan's statement that Chief Justice Wright's appointment was his biggest mistake as governor. Chief Justice Wright was the first recipient and brought tears to many in attendance as he so beautifully described justice as he saw it and tried to live it.

Alex’s Professional Experience

Landon is a highly respected and prominent criminal defense lawyer in San Diego and serves as lead counsel in class action lawsuits involving jail and juvenile hall conditions.

Professor Landon teaches in the area of criminal litigation.

Alex’s Honors and Affiliations

Landon is a former Executive Director of the Defenders Program of San Diego Inc; chairperson of the board of directors for Community Connection; chairperson of the Commission of Legal Services to the Indigent Accused of the State Bar of California; and Past President of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and the San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association.

Article about Alex becoming the Executive Director of the Defenders Program of San Diego:

Alex Landon : He Looks Nonconformist, but Head of New Indigent Defense Office Knows the System

Senator Steven Bradford

Legislator of the Year

To recognize the achievements of a member of the legislature for his/her commitment to fairness and equality in the justice system.

CACJ recognizes State Senator Steven Bradford as our Legislator of the Year for his ongoing efforts to reform California's criminal justice system. Senator Bradford is a champion for social justice and CACJ appreciates his work and his collaboration with us.

LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

Purpose:

To recognize the achievements of a member of the legislature for his/her commitment to fairness and equality in the justice system.

Origin:

Assembly Member Mark Leno in 2005.

In 2020, Senator Bradford was named Chair of the Senate Committee on Public Safety. As Chair, Senator Bradford ensured unnecessary and extreme "tough on crime" measures were amended or did not pass the legislature.

This year, Senator Bradford authored another CACJ sponsored bill, SB 441 (Bradford), which would require prosecution and law enforcement to turn over specified evidence 72 hours before a preliminary hearing. The bill passed the State senate and two committees in the State Assembly. The final vote in the Assembly has been postponed until 2024 when it will be eligible to be taken up for a vote and be sent to the Governor.

SB 441 is the first bill to amend Proposition 115 from 1990, which means that a 2/3 majority vote in the state legislature is needed to pass this bill to the Governor's Desk. In the State Senate it received bipartisan support.

Senate Bradford is a longtime champion for criminal justice reform and we are proud to honor him.

Nate Gartrell

Journalistic Integrity Award

Awarded to a member of the media whose work helped to further

the public's understanding of the criminal justice system

and the right to due process and equal protection

Nate Gartrell started his career in journalism by getting a sidebar column published in the New York Times Magazine at age 14. In college, he worked as a researcher on a book about the murder of Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey. He joined Bay Area News Group in 2014, and remains the only journalist in the Bay Area assigned to cover the Contra Costa and Alameda County court systems. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife, two daughters, and a bunch of animals.

Nate Gartrel, is exceptionally dedicated to truth in reporting, especially in his coverage of court proceedings and criminal justice issues. He demonstrates a relentless commitment to seeking out and uncovering information that might otherwise go unnoticed. Gartrell meticulously reviews court records, body camera footage, and other sources, even when faced with challenges such as uncooperative authorities and bureaucracy. He takes the responsibility of scrutinizing official narratives seriously, as seen in his efforts to reveal the truth about police encounters and deaths in custody, especially when they involve issues of civil rights and potential misconduct.

Gartrell's work highlights systemic problems in the justice system, focusing on issues like accountability for law enforcement, disparities in the legal process, and the need for transparency and reform. Despite the challenges and demands of his reporting, he remains dedicated to providing essential information to the public, especially regarding cases that might otherwise receive limited attention. His commitment to covering the courts and criminal justice is driven by the belief in the importance of upholding fairness and justice in society.

Articles by Nate Gartrell

• Exclusive: FBI criminal investigation of Antioch, Pittsburg cops grows; grand jury convening Read Article Here
  
• Despite years of shootings, beatings and dog bites, Antioch officers have avoided discipline. Now, the FBI is investigating Read Article Here
  
• Exclusive: Inside the Antioch police department’s secret racist texting group Read Article Here
  
• Antioch, Pittsburg cops charged in vast conspiracy to violate civil rights Read Article Here
  

Article about Nate Gartrell

Columbia Journalism Review entitled "The Courts Beat: If Nate Gartrell doesn't report on police misconduct in this country, who will?" Appearing in THE AUTHORITARIANISM issue, February 2, 2021. View Here

JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY AWARD

Purpose:

Present an award to a member of the media whose work helped to further the public's understanding of the criminal justice system and the right to due process and equal protection.

Origin:

CACJ’s Board of Governors endorsed this award at its January 1985 meeting, with the provision that it not be designated an annual award, but only be presented when truly merited. The Board voted to present the first Journalist Integrity Award in 1985 to Phil Kerby, a longtime reporter and editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times.

Heather Rogers

Skip Glenn award

To recognize the extraordinary achievements of a young attorney.

Heather Rogers is being honored for her unwavering commitment to justice, as exemplified by her pioneering role as the first Santa Cruz County Public Defender, her dedication to forming a well-rounded, client-centric public defender's office, and her vision for a holistic approach to defense that recognizes the complexities of each client's life story, striving for solutions rather than perpetuating the "us versus them" dialogue in the pursuit of fairness and equity in the justice system.

Heather Rogers is being honored for her remarkable journey and dedication to justice. From her pivotal internship at Biggam, Christensen & Minsloff (BCM), where she discovered the profound complexity of each client's story, to her historic role as the first Santa Cruz County public defender, Heather's vision for a client-centric public defender's office and commitment to holistic defense mark her as a trailblazer in the legal community. Her belief in understanding the bigger context and her passionate advocacy for fair representation challenges "us versus them" narratives, making her an exemplary champion of justice and equity.

Heather Rogers, with a deep sense of purpose and dedication, has worked in various public defender offices in California, drawing inspiration from public defender offices across the United States. Her life's greatest honor is to build her 'dream agency' for a public defender's office, driven by a passionate commitment to transform indigent public defense into a well-financed, well-resourced law office. Heather's unwavering belief in dignifying their clients through the exceptional representation provided by the attorneys and staff at the Santa Cruz Public Defender's office is at the core of her vision. Her ultimate goal is for the office's services to be so outstanding that even affluent individuals would seek the public defender, effectively making 'rich people beg for the public defender.' With a full range of services and a client-centric approach, Heather aims for people to perceive their office as a 'boutique law firm,' where clients receive top-notch care and representation."

Heather Rogers embodies the spirit of justice, making her a deserving recipient of this award.

SKIP GLENN AWARD

Purpose:

To recognize the extraordinary achievements of a young attorney.

Origin:

The Skip Glenn Award for Excellence in Advocacy was created as a way of recognizing the work of young, unsung California criminal defense attorneys. The naming of this award is intended as a tribute to Skip Glenn, who died in 1980, at the age of 39, following a massive heart attack. “Skip was a tireless, unselfish, dedicated worker,” said CACJ President Charles M. Sevilla. “And an inspiration to those who knew him.” The qualities of selfless dedication and tireless work are those we want to recognize in our award recipient. From the civil rights movement of the 1960's onwards, Skip Glenn represented hundreds of defendants in cases frequently involving political controversy, and just as frequently involving little or no pay. He participated in the defense of Paul Skyhorse, Richard Mohawk, and the San Quentin 6. In the case of civil rights activist Gary Lawton, being tried for the third time on charges of murdering two policemen, Glenn got an acquittal after the longest trial in Riverside County history. At the time of his death, he was involved with the 'Cheese King' murder trial in San Jose. In addition to his work as a criminal defense attorney, Glenn was appointed by Governor Brown in 1975 to a task force of lawyers charged with supervising the implementation of California's new Agricultural Labor Relations Act.

Donald Specter

Charles Garry Award

This award is given only rarely to honor those special attorneys whose commitment to justice and decades of work have inspired others and changed the world.

Since 1979, Don has been a driving force at the Prison Law Office, taking the helm as its Executive Director in 1984. His remarkable career is defined by his tireless commitment to advocating for humane conditions in adult and juvenile correctional facilities.

Don, who joined the Prison Law Office in 1979 and became its Executive Director in 1984, plays a pivotal role in the organization's leadership. He is responsible for office administration and the direction of litigation aimed at improving conditions in adult and juvenile correctional facilities. Don has been the lead counsel in numerous impactful cases and has successfully argued cases at all levels in California and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Notably, he argued and won the case of Brown v. Plata (2011), which led to court-mandated population limits for California prisons to remedy constitutional violations related to medical and mental health care for prisoners. Additionally, he secured a unanimous victory in Pa. Dep’t of Corr. v. Yeskey (1998), establishing that the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to state prisoners. Don's commitment extends to creating and overseeing the US-European Criminal Justice Innovation Program in partnership with the Criminal Justice & Health Consortium at U.C. San Francisco. This program facilitates tours of European prisons for correctional leaders to learn about innovative and humane approaches to sentencing, treatment, and prison reform. He has also held key positions such as a member of the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Committee to the Northern District of California and chair of the California State Bar's Commission on Corrections. Don holds a B.A. in Economics from New College in Sarasota, Florida, earned his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1978, and was admitted to the California State Bar in November 1978.

CHARLES GARRY AWARD

Purpose:

The award was created in 1988 with Charles Garry as the first recipient. It is given only rarely to honor those special attorneys whose commitment to justice and decades of work have inspired others and changed the world.

Origin

Charles Garry was a passionate and creative defender. He fought against the inquisition of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) for himself and for others accused for their political beliefs. He fought against racism and all forms of bias in the courtroom, representing Huey Newton and Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party among others. His views on social justice and his courtroom performances inspired and informed generations of attorneys.

Stephen Dunkle

President’s Award

Mary McComb

President’s Award

Alex Landon

Donald Wright Award for Lifetime Achievement

Donald Specter

Charles Garry Award

Senator Steven Bradford

Legislator of the Year

Nate Gartrell

Journalistic Integrity Award

Mary McComb

President's Award

Heather Rogers

Skip Glenn Award

Stephen Dunkle

President's Award

LIFE MEMBERS James J. Brosnahan | Michael R. Mcdonnell | Frank R. Ubhaus | William H. Dubois | Richard Alexander | Thomas L. Roehr | Gerald Blank | Blackie Burak | Joe Vandervoort | Richard P. Berman | Jack M. Earley | James R. Homola | Michael R. Levine | Christopher H. Wing | Paul Fromson | Marcia A. Morrissey | John Cotsirilos | Edward Tabash | W. Allan Williams | Timothy B. Rien | John Patrick Dolan | Andrew M. Stein | Jennifer L. Keller | Ilan Funke-Bilu | Cristina C. Arguedas | Ted W. Cassman | H. A. Sala | Richard M. Steingard | Nancy S. Pemberton | John V. Stevens | Robert J. Wilson | David A. Torres | Daniel L. Barton | Douglas L. Rappaport | Susan Roe | Mark Reichel | Kenneth Rutherford | Christopher C Melcher | Robert Tayac | Jonathan Franklin | Eric H. Schweitzer | Kristin J. Matsuda | Robert Marshall | Jay Leiderman | Annie Davidian | Jeremy M. Delicino | Rebecca Simmons | Yan Goldshteyn |

Looking to the Past, Shaping the Future

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California Attorneys for Criminal Justice Foundation

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Email Address

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phone number

(916) 643 - 1800