Assembly Resolution No. 637

BY: M. of A. Lentol

COMMENDING Jonathan E. Gradess upon the occasion
of his pending retirement after 39 years as
Executive Director of the New York State Defenders
Association

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those singular individuals who devote their lives and
careers to preserving the rights and attending to the well-being of
individuals in need throughout New York State, and

WHEREAS, Jonathan E. Gradess became the first Executive Director of
the New York State Defenders Association in 1978, helping to shape its
mission to improve the quality and scope of publicly supported legal
representation to low income people,; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Jonathan E. Gradess has both
demonstrated and advocated for client-centered representation in
individual cases and in the public defense system, and has served all
New Yorkers as a leader on public defense and criminal justice issues;
and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Jonathan E. Gradess, the New York
State Defenders Association continues to provide public defense backup
legal assistance services to over 6,000 public defense attorneys
(assigned counsel, public defenders, and legal aid lawyers) across the
state, as well as providing technical assistance to county and state
officials in the provision of public defense services; and

WHEREAS, Through the testimony and speeches of Jonathan E. Gradess
before a variety of bodies, including this one, numerous officials at
the local, state and national level learned the importance of quality
public defense services in a justice system worthy of the name; and

WHEREAS, Through the many letters, opinion editorials, and other
writings by Jonathan E. Gradess, thousands of people have been informed
on important justice issues arising in the criminal and family court
systems and beyond; and

WHEREAS, Jonathan E. Gradess has persevered in a broad quest for
justice, advocating for human rights and recognizing human needs not
just in courts but in prisons and other settings; and

WHEREAS, Jonathan E. Gradess has served all New Yorkers as an
advocate and public policy leader on public defense and criminal justice
issues, including the establishment of the Capital Defender Office,
successful opposition to the death penalty, groundbreaking establishment
of the Office of Indigent Legal Services in 2010, and the landmark state
funding of public defense quality improvements in 2017; and

WHEREAS, Presented with numerous awards and accolades, Jonathan E.
Gradess received, among many recognitions, the New York State Bar
Association Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Delivery of
Defense Services in 1985, the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public

Affairs & Policy Distinguished Public Service Award in 1999; the New
York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Gideon Award in 2002;
City of New York Bar Association Capital Punishment Committee 2016
Norman J. Redlich Award for Capital Defense Distinguished Service; the
National Legal Aid & Defender Association Reginald Heber Smith Award in
2016; and the Capital Region Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties
Union Carol S. Knox Award in 2016; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when
individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our
attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Jonathan E. Gradess upon the occasion of his retirement from 39
years of exemplary public service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Jonathan E. Gradess.