WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2012 – The American Bar Association announced today its selections for the Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts, which recognize outstanding work that fosters the American public’s understanding of law and the legal system.  This is the ABA’s highest honor in recognition of this purpose, and no more than one Silver Gavel is presented in each category.

The ABA will present four Silver Gavels and seven honorable mentions from the nearly 200 entries received in all eligible categories, which include: books, newspapers, magazines, commentary, documentaries, drama and literature, radio, television, and websites.

Selection criteria include: how the entry addresses the Gavel Awards’ purpose and objectives; educational value of legal information; impact on, or outreach to, the public; thoroughness and accuracy in presentation of issues; creativity and originality in approach to subject matter and effectiveness of presentation; and demonstrated technical skill in the entry’s production.

The association has presented these awards annually since 1958. The 18-member Standing Committee on Gavel Awards, chaired by Sheila Slocum Hollis of Washington, D.C., makes final award decisions.

The awards presentation will be July 17 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.  ABA President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III will present the Gavel Awards to honorees.

For further information, go to www.ambar.org/gavelawards.

The following is a complete list of winners with a link to their work:

SILVER GAVEL AWARDS

COMMENTARY

Silver Gavel

“The Death Penalty in America”
The Atlantic
Andrew Cohen, Contributing Editor and National Correspondent
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/the-looming-death-of-the-death-penalty/249969/

DOCUMENTARIES

Silver Gavel

Women, War & Peace: I Came to Testify
THIRTEEN and Fork Films in association with WNET and ITVS
Pamela Hogan, Series Co-Creator & Executive Producer/Producer/Writer
Gini Reticker and Abigail E. Disney, Series Co-Creators/Series Executive Producers
Nina Chaudry, Series Senior Producer
Andrew Fredericks, Editor
Jessie Beauchaine, Associate Producer
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/women-war-and-peace/full-episodes/i-came-to-testify/

NEWSPAPERS

Silver Gavel

“Imminent Danger”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Meg Kissinger, Reporter
http://www.jsonline.com/features/health/134341463.html

TELEVISION

Silver Gavel

The Color of Conscience: Human Rights in Idaho
Idaho Public Television
Marcia Franklin, Producer/Writer/Host
Jay Krajic, Videographer/Editor
http://idahoptv.org/productions/specials/colorofconscience/index.cfm

BOOKS

Honorable Mention

Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong
Brandon L. Garrett, Author
Harvard University Press
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674058705
Habeas Corpus After 9/11: Confronting America’s New Global Detention System
Jonathan Hafetz, Author
New York University Press
http://nyupress.org/books/book-details.aspx?bookid=1266

DOCUMENTARIES

Honorable Mention

Scenes of a Crime
New Box Productions
Grover Babcock and Blue Hadaegh, Producers/Directors
Robert DeMaio, Editor
Michael Kowalski, Sound Mix
http://scenesofacrime.com/

NEWSPAPERS

Honorable Mention

“Deadly Force: When Las Vegas Police Shoot, and Kill”
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Lawrence Mower, Staff Writer
Alan Maimon, Special Correspondent
Brian Haynes, Staff Writer
John Locher, Photographer
James G. Wright, Project Editor
http://www.lvrj.com/news/deadly-force

RADIO

Honorable Mention

“Rising Violence in California Psychiatric Hospitals”
National Public Radio
Ina Jaffe, Correspondent
Quinn O’Toole, Editor
http://www.npr.org/series/135540070/violence-at-californias-psychiatric-hospitals

TELEVISION

Honorable Mention

NewsChannel 5 Investigates: Policing for Profit
WTVF-TV, Nashville
Phil Williams, Chief Investigative Reporter
Kevin Wisniewski, Producer
Bryan Staples and Iain Montgomery, Producers/Photojournalists
http://www.newschannel5.com/category/211433/nc5-investigates-policing-for-profit

WEBSITES

Honorable Mention

Justia.com
Timothy Stanley, Chief Executive Officer
Stacy Stern, President
Guillermo Balboa and Berenice Beltran, Engineering Staff
Elizabeth Roig and Ken Chan, Attorneys
Mountain View, Calif.
www.justia.com

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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