California Public Defenders Association Honors Public Radio's Amy Goodman with 'Gideon Awa

California Public Defenders Association Honors Public Radio's Amy Goodman with 'Gideon Award'; CPDA Awards Next Week

4/21/2005 7:27:00 PM

To: National and Metro desks

Contact: Michael E. Cantrall of the California Public Defenders Association, 916-997-1597

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Fans of Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, award-winning journalist and hosts of the popular Democracy Now radio and TV news program, will get a chance to see Goodman live on Friday, April 22, when she will present a behind-the-scenes view of what it's like to be an independent journalist in a media landscape dominated by corporate giants and an administration that many feel is overtly hostile to dissent.

Fans of the program will also see Goodman receive the annual "Gideon Award" to be presented by a member of the board of directors of the California Public Defenders Association for her outstanding work has host of the popular Democracy Now program.

Next week when the CPDA organization hosts its annual convention in San Francisco, Calif., other annual awards will be presented to the following individuals and law firms from throughout the state of California:

Defender of the Year: Michael Ogul, assistant public defender, Alameda County

Defender Program of the Year: California Parole Advocacy Program

"The Goldstein Defense Team" will be awarded a special recognition award for their work in freeing Thomas Goldstein, an innocent man who served 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.

Special Recognition Award: Edward Kuwatch ("Fast Eddie"), who recently passed away, will be honored for his service to the criminal defense profession as an expert and author in the field of driving under the influence law.

Special Recognition Award: Kim Kruglick, a criminal defense attorney from San Rafael, Calif. who has spent his entire career devoted to handling what are often called "impossible cases" and who now is fighting his own personal battle with a life- threatening illness.

Lifetime Achivement Award: Presented to Louis Haffner, set to retire as the Sonoma County Public Defender after a career that spans more than 30 years as a criminal defense attorney and public defender office head.

For detailed information regarding any of these various awards, contact: California Public Defenders Association, Michael E. Cantrall, executive director, 916-997-1597

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