On Friday, March 22nd, days after the 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the landmark US Supreme Court ruling providing counsel to indigent defendants in criminal cases, GPDSC honored House Judiciary Committee Chairman Wendell Willard and Lookout Mountain Circuit Public Defender David Dunn. Pictured: Chairman Wendell Willard, Representative Tom Weldon, CPD David Dunn, GPDSC Director Travis Sakrison.

We are pleased to welcome the nine members of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council. Appointed by Governor Deal were Donna Avans Seagraves, Piedmont Circuit Public Defender, G. S. “Gator” Hodges, Butts County Commissioner, Lamar Paris, Union County Sole Commissioner,  Ronald Cross, Columbia County Commission Chairman and W. David Sims, Esquire of Insley and Race. Lt. Governor Cagle appointed Arch W. McGarity, Flint Circuit Superior Court Judge and E. Lee Morris III, General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer of S&W Management. Murphy C. Miller, Enotah Circuit Superior Court Judge and Edward D. Tolley, Esquire of Cook Noell Tolley & Bates LLP were appointed by Speaker Ralston.

Gerald Word, Capital Defender on GPB Lawmakers discussing mental retardation and the death penalty. Video clip here, starts at about the 14 minute mark.  

Upon receiving the Gideon Award, David Dunn thanked the Council and Director Sakrison for the honor and for their work in support of indigent defense in Georgia. “Most of all,” Dunn said,”I thank the hundreds of men and women of GPDSC for their dedication and commitment to justice and for allowing them to fight by their side.”