NC ACLU Names Jay Ferguson of Thomas, Ferguson & Mullins, LLP, to Paul Green Award for Death Penalty Defense Efforts

Durham, NC, February 02, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Jay H. Ferguson has a strong sense of justice for defense against the death penalty. He has defended clients facing death, advocated against the death penalty and written numerous opinion pieces arguing against the use of the death penalty.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina is recognizing Ferguson’s efforts with the Paul Green Award. From the ACLU-NC website:

"…Ferguson has worked on a number of death penalty cases over the years, perhaps most notably winning relief for Guy LeGrande in 2008. LeGrande is a severely mentally ill man who insisted on representing himself at trial. An African-American man, LeGrande was sentenced to death by an all-white jury, having been tried by a prosecutor’s office that rewarded assistant district attorneys who secured death sentences with noose lapel pins. Ferguson took the case on appeal and argued successfully that LeGrande was not competent to be executed. This was the first time a North Carolina court ground that a death-sentenced prisoner was not competent to be executed by the State.

"Ferguson also played a prominent role in securing passage of the Racial Justice Act and in developing litigation strategy since this new law took effect…"

Ferguson will accept the award at a ceremony in Chapel Hill in February.

Contact Information:
Cameron Knowles
(919) 408-9672
Jay H. Ferguson
(919) 682-5648
(888) 668-8253
www.tfmattorneys.com

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