American Society of Trial Consultants to Honor Members for Lasting Civil Rights Contributions; Evers Assassination and Birmingham Church Bombing Among Notable Cases.Business & News Editors/Legal Writers MEMPHIS Memphis, city, ancient Egypt Memphis (mĕm`fĭs), ancient city of Egypt, capital of the Old Kingdom (c.3100–c.2258 B.C.), at the apex of the Nile delta and 12 mi (18 km) from Cairo. , Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 10, 2004 The following press release is being issued by the American Society of Trial Consultants: The American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC ASTC All, Sine, Tangent, Cosine (in an X-Y graph) ASTC Association of Science and Technology Centers ASTC ASX Settlement and Transfer Corporation Pty Ltd ASTC Assam State Transport Corporation ) will honor several of its members Saturday for their work on litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. cases that have advanced civil rights objectives in the United States, including two notorious cases involving the assassination Assassination See also Murder. assassins Fanatical Moslem sect that smoked hashish and murdered Crusaders (11th—12th centuries). [Islamic Hist.: Brewer Note-Book, 52] Brutus conspirator and assassin of Julius Caesar. [Br. of civil rights leader Medgar Evers and the Alabama church bombing in which four little girls were killed. The nine honorees, who are trial consultants and researchers, will be recognized at a special banquet to be held Saturday evening as part of ASTC's 22nd Annual Conference, which is taking place at the Peabody Hotel June 10-13. "As trial consultants, we usually work outside of the public eye, preferring to advise our clients in the privacy of conference rooms and courtrooms on the significant cases and decisions that affect their and their clients' lives," said Richard Gabriel, ASTC President. "It is important, however, to recognize our members' work when it is of such significance and note that it literally becomes a part of the historical fabric of our country. The contributions of the members we will honor Saturday evening meet those criteria." Gabriel noted that the honors ceremony is especially appropriate in light of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education Brown v. Board of Education (of Topeka) (1954) U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. , which was celebrated last month, and because the setting for this year's ASTC conference is Memphis, where The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. in 1968. Among the honorees are ASTC members who were involved in several landmark civil rights cases: State of Mississippi v. Byron de la Beckwith Byron De La Beckwith (b. November 9 1920, Colusa, California – d. January 21 2001, Jackson, Mississippi) was an American white supremacist and the convicted murderer of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. , which prosecuted defendants accused of assassinating civil rights leader Medgar Evers as he returned to his Jackson, Mississippi home after attending several NAACP NAACP in full National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Oldest and largest U.S. civil rights organization. It was founded in 1909 to secure political, educational, social, and economic equality for African Americans; W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. events on June 12, 1963; and State of Alabama v. Bobby Cherry and State of Alabama v. Thomas Blanton, which prosecuted, nearly 40 years after the crime, the men who bombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham on September 15, 1963, killing four young Black girls. "History has recorded the long civil rights struggle that has continued to unfold in this Nation over the past half-century, including incidents of shocking violence and tremendous fortitude," said Gabriel. "Although these ASTC members may never be widely recognized individually for their work, undeniably, each of them has made a lasting contribution to the cause of equal opportunity for all Americans." The ASTC to be recognized, and the cases for which they are being honored, are as follows: Beth Bonora, of Bonora D'Andrea, San Francisco, CA (State of Alabama v. Bobby Cherry, United States v. Ernest Avants); David Cannon, of Sheldon Associates, Jacksonville, Florida (United States v. Ernest Avants); Kirk Elifson, Ph.D., of Sheldon Associates, Atlanta, Georgia (State of Mississippi v. Byron de la Beckwith, State of Mississippi v. Sam Bowers, State of Alabama v. Thomas Blanton, State of Alabama v. Bobby Cherry); DeAnn Gibson, J.D., of Trial by Jury, Atlanta, Georgia (State of Mississippi v. Sam Bowers, State of Mississippi v. Charles Nobles, State of Alabama v. Thomas Blanton, State of Alabama v. Bobby Cherry, United States v. Ernest Avants); Neal Howard, of Zagnoli, McEvoy & Foley, Chicago, Illinois (State of Alabama v. Thomas Blanton); Amy Pardieck, M.A, Atlanta, Georgia (State of Alabama v. Bobby Cherry); Pete Rowland, Ph.D., of Litigation Insights, Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. It is located in Johnson County, a satellite city of Kansas City, and is near Olathe, Lenexa, Prairie Village and Leawood. In 2006, the estimated population is 167,500. (State of Mississippi v. Byron de la Beckwith); Andrew Sheldon, J.D., Ph.D., of Sheldon Associates, Atlanta, Georgia (State of Mississippi v. Byron de la Beckwith, State of Mississippi v. Sam Bowers, State of Mississippi v. Charles Nobles, State of Alabama v. Thomas Blanton, State of Alabama v. Bobby Cherry, United States v. Ernest Avants); and Lawrence Wrightsman, Ph.D., of the University of Kansas The University of Kansas (often referred to as KU or just Kansas) is an institution of higher learning in Lawrence, Kansas. The main campus resides atop Mount Oread. (State of Mississippi v. Byron de la Beckwith). Founded in 1982 to advance the discipline and practice of trial consulting, ASTC has grown to include nearly 400 members from diverse professional fields, including political science, law, communication, psychology, sociology and linguistics. Its consultant members work with attorneys in a variety of specialties, including mock trials, change of venue A change of venue is the legal term for moving a trial to a new location. In high-profile matters, a change of venue may occur to move a jury trial away from a location where a fair and impartial jury may not be possible due to widespread publicity about a crime and/or defendant(s) , jury selection, witness preparation, focus groups, surveys, public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most programs and others. As trial consultants, researchers and educators in academic settings, ASTC members share an interest in understanding the dynamics of the trial procedure, the decision-making processes of juries and judges, and methods of alternative dispute resolution Procedures for settling disputes by means other than litigation; e.g., by Arbitration, mediation, or minitrials. Such procedures, which are usually less costly and more expeditious than litigation, are increasingly being used in commercial and labor disputes, Divorce . ASTC's nationwide membership includes individuals and long-established firms that have pioneered the field of trial consulting and research since the 1970s, as well as professionals who are exploring the field for the first time. More information on the American Society of Trial Consultants can be obtained by visiting the organization's website at www.astcweb.org. |
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