All Gavel Award entries are first reviewed by an approximately 50-person screening committee. Screeners include lawyers, judges, journalists, scholars, and other volunteers. The Standing Committee on Gavel Awards is comprised of presidentially-appointed ABA members, and includes lawyers, journalists, and other members of the media. They convene annually to evaluate entries and select winners.
March 17, 2021
Standing Committee on Gavel Awards
CHAIR
Sharon Stern Gerstman
Buffalo, NY
Hon. Nannette A. Baker
Saint Louis, MO
Stephen E. Chappelear
Columbus, OH
Justin Driver
New Haven, CT
Jonathan L. Entin
Cleveland, OH
Thomas A. Forbes
Austin, TX
William Freivogel
Kirkwood, MO
Patricia Garcia
New Orleans, LA
Sidney Kanazawa
Los Angeles, CA
Carla Laroche
Tallahassee, FL
Harold A. Lloyd
Winston Salem, NC
Ingrid Suarez Osborn
Jacksonville, FL
Thomas Hoff Prol
Newark, NJ
Virginia Sloan
Washington, DC
Daiquiri Steele
New Orleans, LA
Julie Strandlie
Alexandria, VA
Al-Amyn S. Sumar
Washington, DC
Lisa Michelle Tatum
San Antonio, TX
BOARD OF GOVERNORS LIAISON
Stephen J. Wermiel
Washington, DC
Members of the ABA Standing Committee on Gavel Awards are prohibited from judging entries in which they have personal, professional, or financial involvement. As soon as a Member becomes aware of such a conflict, the Member must notify the Ethics Office at the ABA or voluntary rescues themselves from the decision-making process.