ACLU/SC to Honor Top Lawyers Fighting Drugging of Detainees and Hospital Patient Dumping
Thursday, June 19, 2008
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Attorneys who brought an end to the forced drugging of detainees in federal custody and the dumping of indigent patients on Skid Row streets by a local hospital will be honored at the 14th Annual ACLU of Southern California Law Luncheon on Thursday, June 26, 2008 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.
Among this year’s honorees are Jeff Bowen, Stephen M. Kristovich, Bradley S. Phillips, Fadia Rafeedie and Wesley T. Shih of Munger, Tolles and Olson LLP who are receiving the 2008 Equal Justice Advocacy Award for their work with the ACLU/SC challenging the federal government’s practice of drugging detainees to make them easier to control during deportation. As a result of this lawsuit, the Department of Homeland Security changed its policy.
Also being honored is Steven Archer of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, who will receive this year’s Humanitarian Award for his participation with the ACLU/SC in representing Gabino Olvera, a homeless paraplegic who was dumped on a Skid Row street without a wheelchair after his release from Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital.
This year’s First Amendment Award is being given to Michael E. Chait, of Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp LLP, for working with the ACLU/SC to protect the First Amendment rights of petition of Jeff Furchtenicht, a resident of Ojai, California who wanted to get two initiatives qualified for a city ballot but instead was sued by the Ojai city attorney who did not want to process his initiatives as required by state law.
Erwin Chemerinsky, founding dean of the Donald Bren School of Law at UC Irvine, the first new public law school in California in 40 years, will deliver this year’s keynote address. His appointment to that post caused a national controversy last fall when the appointment was rescinded because of his liberal views. Since 2004, Chemerinsky has been the Alston and Bird Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science at Duke University and before that he spent 21 years teaching law at the University of Southern California. The subject of his address will be “The Role of the ACLU and Progressive Lawyers in the Time of a Very Conservative Federal Judiciary.” Chemerinsky will begin his new job as dean of the Bren School of Law this summer.
The Full list of honorees at the ACLU/SC 14th Annual Law Luncheon:
Jeff Bowen, Stephen M. Kristovich, Bradley S. Phillips, Fadia Rafeedie and Wesley T. Shih, of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, the Equal Justice Advocacy Award for acting as co-counsel with the ACLU/SC in the case of two detainees who were forcibly drugged by federal agents attempting to deport them.
Michael E. Chait, of Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp LLP, The First Amendment Award for representing Jeff Furchtenicht as co-counsel with the ACLU/SC in suit filed against him by the city attorney of Ojai, Calif. that infringed upon his First Amendment rights of petition.
Hannah Cannom, of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, Freedom of Expression Award for representing Michael Buday and Diana Bijon as co-counsel with the ACLU/SC in their equal of treatment of spouses lawsuit that enabled Michael to take his wife’s last name.
Steven Archer, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, Humanitarian Award for his work as co-counsel in the case of Gabino Olvera, a paraplegic man who was dumped in the street without a wheelchair after his release from Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital.
Charles A. Larson, of Larson and Bawden LLP, Legal Advocate Award, for his service to the ACLU/SC and many of its donors in estate planning, tax advice and financial planning for the future of the ACLU/SC.
Steven A. Ellis and Nitin Reddy of Sidley Austin LLP, Pro Bono Advocacy Award, for their work with the ACLU/SC on the case of Victor Martinez. The government argued that Martinez, a lawful resident who had lived in the U.S. since childhood, should be subject to mandatory deportation for his petty theft convictions instead of letting him have a hearing before an immigration judge to show he deserved another chance. The appeals court ruled against the government and Martinez received his right to a hearing. He has lived a productive life since his release from immigration detention in February 2007.
Drew A. Norman, of Sidley Austin LLP, Pro Bono Special Service Award, for his service to the ACLU/SC in navigating the complexities of government regulations, contract negotiations and landlord/tenant negotiations
Michael A. Lawson, Thomas E. Haroldson, Farhad Amid, Kevin Malcolm and Walter Mosley of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, the Racial Justice Advocacy Award for their work as co-counsel with the ACLU/SC on a racial profiling claim against Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, representing 33 black and Latino male and female students at Los Angeles Trade Technical Community College who were illegally detained and searched by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on the basis of their race.
