Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association

PR: Constitution Day Celebration

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: JoAnne Musick, HCCLA President
Office: (832) 448-1148 Cell: (832) 326-8864
email joanne

CONSTITUTION DAY CELEBRATION
PUBLIC READING OF BILL OF RIGHTS & OTHER CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Houston, Texas – August 20, 2015 – Please join the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2015 for a brief, public celebration of Constitution Day. HCCLA members will read the Bill of Rights and other Constitutional Amendments on the courthouse steps of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center at 1201 Franklin, Houston, Texas 77002.

This event draws its inspiration from HCCLA’s annual public reading of the Declaration of Independence, which has served as a model for over 100 local criminal defense lawyer organizations engaging in similar yearly readings across Texas.

What: Constitution Day (also known as, “Citizenship Day”) is a federally observed date to commemorate the signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 17, 1787. As criminal defense lawyers, HCCLA members fight daily to protect the Constitution and its safeguards, many of which are set forth in amendments to this cherished document. HCCLA wishes to remind citizens of the importance of their Constitutional rights, for which so many have sacrificed and some have paid the ultimate price. HCCLA’s public reading of fundamental rights enshrined in Constitutional amendments—including the first ten, known collectively as the “Bill of Rights”—will be a brief and simple gesture which HCCLA hopes the Houston-area media will cover as a public service.

When: 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2015. Event should last approximately 20-30 minutes.

Where: Front steps of Harris County Criminal Justice Center (Criminal Courthouse) at 1201 Franklin, Houston, Texas 77002 (corner of Franklin and San Jacinto, downtown Houston).

Who: Event is sponsored by the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, America’s oldest and largest local organization of criminal defense lawyers, with over 750 members. Public reading of Bill of Rights and other Constitutional Amendments will be led by HCCLA President JoAnne Musick. Event co-organizers are Houston attorneys and HCCLA members: Jennifer Gaut, Philip Gommels, Gemayel Haynes and Grant Scheiner.

What Else: Members of the public who attend this event will receive pocket-sized copies of the United States Constitution. For background information on HCCLA, visit www.hccla.org. For historical background on Constitution Day and information about other celebrations, visit the National Constitution Center at: www.constitutioncenter.org/calendar/constitution-day-2015

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PR: Declaration of Independence

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
JoAnne Musick, HCCLA President
832-448-1148 office,  email JoAnne

6th ANNUAL READING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Houston, Texas – June 29, 2015

In celebration of Independence Day, the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) is holding its 6th annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. This year’s event will be led by JoAnne Musick, the association’s president.

HCCLA’s reading of the Declaration is an annual tradition that was started by HCCLA Past President, Robert Fickman. This year he organized similar readings across the state, making defense bar history. Readings by defense lawyers will take place in front of 127 Texas courthouses, covering one-half of all county seats. HCCLA continues to lead Texas with the largest gathering, boasting over 100 local attorneys, judges and Houstonians in attendance.

The Declaration of Independence is our nation’s most cherished symbol of liberty. This sacred document is the founding document of the United States, and contains within its text the fundamental truths and unalienable rights that typify and embody the American way of life: …that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Please join us in honoring our nation’s most sacred document in the spirit of independence:
When: Thursday, July 2, 2014
Where: Harris County Criminal Justice Center
1201 Franklin Street , Houston, Texas
(Front steps of the courthouse)
Time: 11:30 AM

The Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association is the largest local criminal defense bar in the United States with more than 750 active members. For more information about the history of the readings and photos, visit: http://www.criminaldefensedeclarationreading.com/
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Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association also issued their press release as this event has grown into a statewide event:

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Joseph Martinez, Executive Director : TCDLA
TELEPHONE:  (512) 478-2514
PLEASE SEND ELECTRONIC TEARSHEET TO:  declarationreading@gmail.com

Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers to Lead Readings of Declaration of Independence in over 120 Texas Counties on July 2, 2015.

Members of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) are holding Annual Fourth of July readings of the Declaration of Independence at over 120 Texas County Courthouses on July 2, 2015. TCDLA is an organization committed to protecting individual rights guaranteed by the U.S. and Texas Constitutions in criminal cases. The readings were first organized in 2010 by Robert Fickman, a Houston criminal defense attorney, who leads the organization of readings today as well.

Sam Bassett, the President of TCDLA, states: “Criminal defense lawyers fight to protect the liberties of our fellow Americans on a daily basis in courts across Texas. As a group, we are proud to stand united and lead readings of the Declaration of Independence. It is a recognition that our Founders intended for individual liberty to be a paramount concern. As recent events have shown, power threatens these liberties. Prosecutors who illegally withhold evidence, courts that conduct plea mills, abusive police officers and appellate courts who gut the Fourth Amendment are examples of the ongoing struggle within the criminal justice system.”

The members of TCDLA stand united in defense of liberty.

To learn more about this event, please contact TCDLA President Sam Bassett at (512) 472-0144 or sbassett@mbfc.com or Robb Fickman at (713) 655-7400

Alfred Brown Unresolved Matters

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In a letter to Hon. Devon Anderson, Harris County District Attorney, HCCLA calls for action on unresolved matters related to the Alfred Brown prosecution.

As you may be aware, our District Attorney has announced the dismissal of charges against Alfred Brown as being unable to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. This dismissal comes after the discovery of exculpatory evidence (tending to corroborate Brown’s alibi), the exposure of improper grand jury badgering of Brown’s alibi witness (Ericka Dockery), and recanting witnesses.

In case you missed it, Lisa Falkenberg (Houston Chronicle) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of this grand jury behavior. Her spotlight on this issue also led to grand jury reform in this year’s legislative session! (Read some more about grand jury reform and the District Attorney’s Office here)

We now call upon the Office of District Attorney to continue the inquiry into the conduct surrounding the initial investigation and prosecution of Alfred Brown and the prosecution of Ericka Dockery, specifically focusing upon potential criminal offenses and unethical conduct by Brown’s lead prosecutor, Dan Rizzo.

Our letter to Devon Anderson can be viewed and downloaded here:

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Press Release May 2015

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
JoAnne Musick, HCCLA President
832-448-1148 office,  email JoAnne

First Second-Term President Elected in HCCLA History

Houston, Texas – May 18, 2015 – The Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) held its 45th annual banquet and awards ceremony on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at The Rice Hotel, 909 Texas Street, Houston, Texas 77002. HCCLA honored the following award recipients:

Stanley G. Schneider ~ Richard “Racehorse” Haynes Lifetime Achievement

           Mark Bennett ~ Lawyer of the Year

           David R. Dow ~ Torch of Liberty

           Thuy Le & Nicolas Hughes ~ Sharon Levine Unsung Heroes

Tyler Flood ~ Member of the Year

            David M. Ryan ~ Mentor of the Year

            Christopher L. Tritico ~ President’s Award

HCCLA also honored Dick DeGuerin for 50 years of practice. Mr. DeGuerin swore in the new Officers and Board of Directors for 2015-16. JoAnne Musick will lead the Association as President for her second term. Her first term was in 2009-2010.

HCCLA President-Elect, JoAnne Musick said, “I am honored and humbled to undertake this office once again and lead the largest local criminal bar association in the nation.” Her theme for this year is Martin Luther King’s example:

A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.

– Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on courage, March 8, 1965

“We have a strong board this year. I have challenged them to stand with me for what is right.” With so many ongoing projects, our new board will hit the ground running and work to better the criminal justice system and raise the bar for criminal defense.

Effective immediately, please direct all media inquiries to:

JoAnne Musick, HCCLA President
Musick & Musick, LLP
397 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite 325
Houston, TX  77060
(832) 448-1148 Office
(832) 448-1147 Fax
email JoAnne

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PR: Improper Conduct

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HCCLA Calls for an Independent Investigation of Improper Conduct of Former Harris County Prosecutor Dan Rizzo

Houston, Texas – November 17, 2014 – The Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) strongly condemns the conduct by former Harris County Assistant District Attorney Dan Rizzo when he used a grand jury to intimidate an alibi witness in a capital murder case. Rizzo’s conduct was an abuse of power by a prosecutor charged with the obligation to seek justice in every case.

HCCLA is calling for an independent investigation into his improper conduct during the Alfred Brown grand jury proceedings. An independent investigation should determine whether or not his improper conduct violated the law or his ethical obligations as a prosecutor serving the citizens of Harris County.

Upcoming Events

Contact Us

Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association
P.O. Box 924523
Houston, TX 77292-4523
(713) 227-2404