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    The Curtin-Maleng Minister of Justice Award

    Norm Maleng served as the King County (Seattle, WA) Prosecutor from 1978 until his death in 2007.  He  was a very effective and, in many ways, a tough prosecutor, being particularly protective of those he viewed as vulnerable, creating special prosecutorial units to deal with child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence. He chaired the Criminal Justice Section in 2003-04 and served on its Criminal Justice Standards Committee in the early 1990’s.  In 2006, Norm Maleng was given the Section’s Minister of Justice Award recognizing his embodiment of the principles enunciated in the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, Prosecution Function, particularly: “The duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice, not merely to convict.”

    This award was renamed the Curtin-Maleng Minister of Justice Award in 2021 to honor the late Kevin Curtin, who was Senior Appellate Counsel/Grand Jury Director for the Middlesex District Attorney.  Curtin was vice-chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section Council and co-chaired the Section's Committee on Appellate and Habeas Practice. 

    Selection Criteria

    Awardees will be from all ranks of prosecutors including: (1) federal, state, local, and municipal prosecutors, (2) elected and appointed prosecutors, and (3) those in a large or small office.  Selection will be without regard to whether the recipient is head of an office, a supervisor of others, or a member of the ABA. The award will be bestowed on a prosecutor who embodies the principles enunciated in the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, Prosecution Function, particularly that “the Duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice, not merely to convict,” [Standard 3-1.2] and who exemplifies the following principles:

    • the prosecutor’s obligation is to protect the innocent as well as to convict the guilty.
    • the prosecutor must guard the rights of the accused as well as enforce the rights of the public.
    • the prosecutor’s commitment to the legal and ethical standards must be unwavering.

    Nomination Guidelines

    2024 Award Deadline – Nov. 30, 2024

    Nominations should include:

    • the CJS Awards Nomination Form. 
    • a letter addressing the award criteria listed above.
    • the nominee’s resume.
    • any other supporting documentation of the nominee’s achievements in the criminal justice field.

    Incomplete nomination packages will not be considered.  Should no qualified candidate be identified in a particular year the award will not be presented that year.

    Nominations must be emailed to [email protected]

    Recipients

    • 2002: E. Michael McCann
    • 2003: Cal Rerucha
    • 2004: None
    • 2005: Charles J. Hynes
    • 2006: Norman Maleng
    • 2007: Lt. Col. V. Stuart Couch
    • 2008: Gary L. Walker
    • 2009: Susan Gaertner
    • 2010: Barbara LaWall
    • 2011: Craig Watkins
    • 2012: Nola Foulston
    • 2013: Louis Lappen
    • 2014: Andrew Boutros
    • 2015: Pearl Kim
    • 2016: Kym Worthy
    • 2017: Richard Schmack and Robert Zauzmer
    • 2018: Kevin Curtin
    • 2019: Camelia M. Valdes
    • 2020: Judith Friedman
    • 2021: Daniel Satterberg
    • 2022: Erek Barron and Andrew H. Warren
    • 2023: Monique H. Worrell and Kristine Hamann