ABA reveals finalists for annual Gavel Awards

The American Bar Association has announced finalists for the 2014 Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts, which recognize outstanding work in media and the arts that fosters the American public’s understanding of law and the legal system.

“The finalists result from a rigorous review process by the ABA’s Gavel Awards Screening Committee,” said Cory M. Amron, chair of the 18-member Standing Committee on Gavel Awards, which selects award winners.

Amron said the committee commended “all of these finalists for their efforts to advance public understanding of law and the justice system.”

The winners will be announced on May 15.

The ABA Gavel Awards Screening Committee, composed of 47 lawyer-members of the ABA, selected the 19 finalists from 169 entries received in all eligible categories, which include: books, newspapers, magazines, commentary, documentaries, drama and literature, radio, television and other media.

No more than one Silver Gavel Award is presented in each category.

Selection criteria include: how the entry addresses the Gavel Awards’ purpose and objectives; educational value of legal information; impact on, or outreach to, the public; thoroughness and accuracy in presentation of issues; creativity and originality in approach to subject matter and effectiveness of presentation; and demonstrated technical skill in the entry’s production.

The association has presented these awards annually since 1958. The awards presentation is scheduled July 22 in Washington, D.C.

ABA President James R. Silkenat will present the Silver Gavel Awards to honorees.

The following is a complete list of finalists:

Books
• “American Epic: Reading the U.S. Constitution,” by Garrett Epps.
• “The Roberts Court: The Struggle for the Constitution” by Marcia Coyle
• “States of Union: Family and Change in the American Constitutional Order,” by Mark E. Brandon.
• “The Terror Courts: Rough Justice at Guantanamo Bay,” by Jess Bravin.
• “A Wild Justice: The Death and Resurrection of Capital Punishment in America,” by Evan J. Mandery.

Commentary
• “An American Gulag, ” The Atlantic, by Andrew Cohen.

Documentaries

• “Gideon’s Army,” Trilogy Films; Dawn Porter, director/producer; Julie Goldman, Producer; Matthew Hamachek, Editor.
• “Dirty Wars,” Civic Bakery; Jeremy Scahill, writer/producer; Richard Rowley, director; David Riker, writer/editor; Anthony Arnove and Brenda Coughlin, producers

Drama & Literature

• “A Case of Redemption,” by Adam Mitzner,

Magazines

• “Heavyweight: How Ruth Bader Ginsburg Has Moved the Supreme Court,” The New Yorker, by Jeffrey Toobin
• “Welcome to the 36th,” The American Prospect; Kit Rachlis, editor-in-chief; Kat Aaron, contributor

Newspapers
• “Reinvestigating Rape: Old Evidence, New Answers,” The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio); Debra Adams Simmons, editor; Rachel Dissell and Leila Atassi, reporters
• “Twice Betrayed,” San Antonio (Texas) Express-News; David Sheppard, projects editor; Karisa King and Sig Christenson, reporters; Lisa Krantz, photographer; Jose Luis Rios, director of photography

Other Media
• SCOTUSblog; Tom Goldstein, publisher; Amy Howe, editor/reporter; Lyle Denniston, reporter; Kali Borkoski, manager; Andrew Hamm, deputy manager.
• “In the Name of the Law: What the Public Isn’t Being Told About Police Misconduct,” Honolulu Civil Beat; Patti Epler, editor; Nick Grube, reporter; Joe Rubin, videographer

Radio
• “The Constitutional Right to Bear Arms Has Outlived Its Usefulness,” Intelligence Squared U.S.; Dana Wolfe, executive producer; John Donvan, host/moderator; Lia Macko, producer; Kris Kamikawa, director of research; Maureen McMurray, radio producer.
• “Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl,” Radiolab; Jad Abumrad, host/editor; Robert Krulwich, host; Tim Howard, producer

Television
• “The Invisible War,” Chain Camera Pictures; Kirby Dick, director; Tanner Barklow and Amy Ziering, producers.
• “Constitution USA with Peter Sagal,” Twin Cities Public Television; Stephen Ives, director; Amanda Pollak, producer; Catherine Allan, executive producer; Jaime Bernanke, co-writer; Peter Sagal, host
 

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