The Criminal Defense Attorney of Michigan’s Awards Committee has selected a group of individuals as the recipients of their Justice for All award. This award recognizes the contributions of a group or individual in the form of legal representation or other extraordinary service.
State Appellate Defender Office attorneys Marilena David (Detroit), Michael Mittlestat (Detroit), Peter Van Hoek (Detroit), and Thomas M. Cooley Law School Professor Alan M. Gershel (Lansing), Hon. Kim McGinnis (Taos, NM), attorney Daniel Signs (Philadelphia, PA) and SADO Chief Investigator, Linda Borus (Detroit) will be honored for their efforts investigating convictions where the discredited and closed Detroit Crime Lab Unit might have played a part.
In five years, the attorneys in the unit with the help of Cooley Law School student volunteers reviewed 1,043 convictions. This review resulted in new trials for five clients, including one exoneration, and the release of two of these clients from prison.
“This award honors the extraordinary efforts made by the recipients to insure the integrity of the Michigan Judicial System,” said CDAM Board Member and Award Committee Chair Stuart Friedman. “When faced with the misconduct within the Crime Lab, these courageous individuals stepped up and took the necessary actions to review potentially flawed convictions and then acted to obtain justice when violations were identified. This took many, many hours of work by people committed to ensuring due process and fair trials for defendants and to ensure constitutional protections for all. With this award, CDAM recognizes and thanks the recipients for their efforts and success.”
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