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    The Charles R. English-Neil Sonnett Award

    Charles English was a California trial attorney who specialized in criminal defense cases.  He was an active member of the American Bar Association, having served as a member of the Criminal Justice Section Council and Chairperson of the Section’s Committee on the Association Standards for Criminal Justice.  He was well respected by members of the bench, and both prosecutors and defense bar.  

    This award was renamed the English-Sonnett Award in 2024 to honor the late Neal Sonnett, who was former Chair (1992-1993) of the ABA Criminal Justice Section.  Neal, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, had served on the ABA Board of Governors. He had been a member of the ABA House of Delegates for more than 20 years, representing the Criminal Justice Section.

    Selection Criteria

    Awardees will be judges, prosecutors, the defense bar, academics, and other attorneys who are members of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section and have distinguished themselves by their work in the field of criminal justice, and who meet the following criteria:

    • exemplify ethical and professional conduct.
    • have provided exceptional service to the Criminal Justice Section.
    • engage in activities that have increased the stature and professionalism of lawyers who practice in the criminal justice system.
    • enhance the relationship between prosecutors and defense bar by setting an example that subordinates parochial defense bar and prosecution views in both professional and bar association endeavors in favor of achieving a result that promotes fairness and justice.

    Nomination Guidelines

    2024 Award Deadline – Nov. 30, 2024

    Nominations should include:

    • the CJS Awards Nomination Form.
    • a letter addressing the selection 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

    • 2000: Terence F. MacCarthy
    • 2001: Neal Sonnett
    • 2002: Michael Th. Johnson
    • 2003: Hon. Andrew Sonner
    • 2004: Prof. Stephen Saltzburg
    • 2005: Albert Krieger
    • 2006: Raymond Banoun
    • 2007: Guantanamo Military Commissions Military Defense Counsel
    • 2008: Michael S. Pasano
    • 2009: Janet Levine
    • 2010: Irwin Schwartz
    • 2011: Robert Johnson
    • 2012: Morris “Sandy” Weinberg
    • 2013: Prof. Myrna Raeder
    • 2014: Prof. Andrew Taslitz
    • 2015: Ronald Goldstock
    • 2016: James E. Felman
    • 2017: Nina Marino
    • 2018: Matthew Redle
    • 2019: Judge Arthur L. Burnett
    • 2020 : Judge Earnestine Gray
    • 2021:  Cynthia Eva Hujar Orr
    • 2022: Ellen Yaroshefsky
    • 2023:  Leila Sadat