2016 Ninth Circuit John Frank Award: Tony Gallagher

The following is a News Release from the Public Information Office of the United States Courts for the Ninth Circuit about our own Tony Gallagher:

Federal Defender in Montana to Receive Ninth Circuit’s John Frank Award

July 1, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO – Anthony R. “Tony” Gallagher, the executive director of Federal Defenders of Montana, has been selected to receive the 2016 Ninth Circuit John Frank Award, which recognizes an outstanding lawyer practicing in the federal courts of the western United States. The award will be presented to Mr. Gallagher on July 11, 2016, during the opening session of the 2016 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference in Big Sky, Montana.

Over the course of his 39-year career, Mr. Gallagher has been an active litigator, taking part in more than 400 trials and arguing before state and federal appellate courts. His clients have included Leroy Schweitzer, the leader of the Montana “Freemen” movement, and, during the early stages of his case, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski. He has also served as an expert witness in trials and post-conviction proceedings.

A fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Gallagher was named Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year in 2005 by the Montana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has been an adjunct professor, guest lecturer and continuing legal education presenter throughout the United States, and is a member of several national and local court administration committees.

Mr. Gallagher has served as the executive director of Federal Defenders of Montana since it was established in 1992 as a community defender organization. His staff currently includes 11 lawyers and support personnel. The organization, which is headquartered in Great Falls and has divisional offices in Billings, Helena and Missoula, opened 828 new cases in fiscal year 2015.

Except for a brief period of private practice in the late 1980s, Mr. Gallagher has spent his entire career in government service. Prior to coming to Montana, he worked in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland from 1983 to 1992, serving as an assistant defender and a supervisory assistant. He began his legal career as an assistant states attorney for Baltimore County, Maryland, where he worked from 1977 to 1983 and was promoted to chief of the office’s Investigations Division.

A Pennsylvania native, Mr. Gallagher received his B.A. from Duquesne University in 1971, and studied psychology at the University of Northern Colorado in 1973. He received his J.D. in 1977 from the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he was active in the law review and law forum and served as a student representative to the American Bar Association.

The John Frank Award recognizes a lawyer who has “demonstrated outstanding character and integrity; dedication to the rule of law; proficiency as a trial and appellate lawyer; success in promoting collegiality among members of the bench and bar; and a lifetime of service to the federal courts of the Ninth Circuit.” The late Mr. Frank was a renowned attorney in Phoenix who, over the course of a 62-year career, argued more than 500 appeals before the Arizona Court of Appeals, the Arizona Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, other federal circuit courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.

The award was established in 2003 by the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit at the recommendation of the Ninth Circuit Advisory Board, a group of experienced attorneys who advise on circuit governance issues. The award will be presented by Peg Carew Toledo, who chairs the Advisory Board.

The 2016 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference will be held July 11-14, 2016, in Big Sky, Montana. The conference meets pursuant to Section 333 of Title 28 of the United States Code for “the purpose of considering the business of the courts and advising means of improving the administration of justice within such circuit.” Approximately 600 judges, lawyers and court staff are expected to attend the conference.

The Ninth Circuit consists of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the federal district and bankruptcy courts and their related court units in nine western states and two Pacific Island jurisdictions.