Gerry Goldstein

Last updated

Gerald "Gerry" Harris Goldstein is a criminal defense attorney in San Antonio, Texas, best known for his civil rights and drug-charge defenses. He is currently a partner of Goldstein & Orr and is Board Certified by the State Bar of Texas in criminal law and appeals.

Contents

Early life and education

Goldstein was born in Santa Maria, California in 1944. At the time, his father, Eli Goldstein, was a lawyer working for the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) at the Army Air Force Base in Santa Maria. His parents later moved to San Antonio, Texas, where Goldstein grew up. [1] Goldstein has a bachelor's degree in art from Tulane University and received his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1968. [2]

Career

Goldstein joined his father's law firm in San Antonio. After a medical deferment from the Vietnam War, he partnered with Maury Maverick, Jr., a liberal leader in Texas politics, to defend conscientious objectors and civil rights cases. [3] [4] In 1970, Goldstein joined the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and began building a reputation for defending drug charge cases after he represented the organization's founder, Keith Stroup, after a drug bust. [3] [4]

Goldstein represented a newly hired theater operator in San Antonio who had been arrested for showing the x-rated movie Deep Throat in 1974. [5] Goldstein won the case before the Supreme Court on appeal. [3]

Goldstein's 1978 appeal reversed the convictions in the Piedras Negras Jailbreak Case. In that case, the two men, Sterling Davis, Sr. and William McCoy Hill, entered the border city's jail in Mexico and freed fourteen American inmates charged with drug offenses. The U.S. government indicted the two men alleging that a sawed-off shotgun used during the raid violated gunrunning laws. The men went to prison. Goldstein won the appeal by arguing that the two men had unknowingly, as opposed to intentionally, violated the law because neither had known the length at which a sawed-off shotgun was illegal. [4]

He represented one of Texas House Speaker Billy Clayton's cronies in the kickback scandal known as Brilab in 1980. [4]

Goldstein represented a fringe Mormon group that advocates polygamy, regarding a raid of their Texas ranch. He represented the Yearning for Zion Ranch head Frederick Merril Jessop's case. [2] The polygamist sect was investigated and prosecuted after a massive child-abuse investigation. Goldstein argued in court that although the multiple marriages were not common, the group had the right to their faith and privacy. [2]

Goldstein was elected president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) in 1992 and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) in 1994 and 1995. [2] [3]

He represented Mexican drug lord Juan García Abrego after an arrest and extradition in January 1996. Abrego hired Roberto Yzaguirre, and then Yzaguirre brought Goldstein and Tony Canales into the case. [4] Abrego was accused of presiding over the flow of Colombian cocaine through northern Mexico into the U.S, [6] as well as money laundering, attempted bribery, and the murders of numerous individuals. García Ábrego was convicted on all charges. He was sentenced to 11 life terms. [7]

In 2008, he was the defense attorney for an indicted member of the Yearning for Zion Ranch. [8]

Goldstein testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2010 and was critical of the Patriot Act. Goldstein's criticism centered around the detainment of his client, Dr. Al-Badr Al Hazmi, a radiology resident, who was arrested the morning after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Dr. Al Hazmi was later cleared of any wrongdoing but Goldstein highlighted the violation of Dr. Al Hazmi's Fifth Amendment protections in criticizing the Patriot Act and the authorization of the Federal government by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to monitor communications between suspected terrorist and their attorneys. [9]

He wrote an amicus brief on behalf of Manuel Noriega. [8]

Goldstein is also a former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, American College of Trial Lawyers, and of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. [10]

In December 2019, Gerry Goldstein was selected as one of five 2019 recipients of the Texas Bar Foundation's Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award. The award recognizes attorneys whose practice has spanned 50 years or more and who adhere to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession and service to the public. In order to honor Mr. Goldstein the Bar Foundation commissioned an oral history to recognize and preserve the accomplishments of Mr. Goldstein's legal career.

Personal life

He married Christine Sayre in 1969. [4] They live in San Antonio, Texas, and Aspen, Colorado, and have a son, Matthew Goldstein . [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osiel Cárdenas Guillén</span> Mexican drug lord incarcerated in a US federal prison

Osiel Cárdenas Guillén is a Mexican drug lord and the former leader of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. Originally a mechanic in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, he entered the cartel by killing Juan García Abrego's friend and competitor Salvador Gómez, after the former's arrest in 1996. As confrontations with rival groups heated up, Osiel Cárdenas sought and recruited over 30 deserters from the Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales to form the cartel's armed wing. Los Zetas served as the hired private mercenary army of the Gulf Cartel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Serra</span> American lawyer (born 1934)

Joseph Tony Serra is an American civil rights attorney, activist and tax resister from San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Cartel</span> Criminal group based in Tamaulipas

The Gulf Cartel is a criminal syndicate and drug trafficking organization in Mexico, and perhaps one of the oldest organized crime groups in the country. It is currently based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, directly across the U.S. border from Brownsville, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom DeLay campaign finance trial</span>

Tom DeLay, a Republican U.S. Representative from Texas from 1979–83, and from 1985–2006 and the House Majority Leader from 2003–05, was convicted in 2010 of money laundering and conspiracy charges related to illegal campaign finance activities aimed at helping Republican candidates for Texas state office in the 2002 elections. In 2013, a Texas Court of Appeals panel acquitted DeLay when it overturned his conviction. This decision was affirmed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on October 1, 2014. DeLay had three years from that date, i.e. until October 1, 2017, to file any lawsuits for wrongful action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YFZ Ranch</span> Former Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints community in Texas

The Yearning for Zion Ranch, or the YFZ Ranch, was a 1,700-acre (690-hectare) Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) community of as many as 700 people, located near Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas, United States. In April 2014, the State of Texas took physical and legal possession of the property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norm Kent</span> American publisher, attorney, radio show host, writer (1949–2023)

Norman Elliott Kent was an American criminal defense attorney, publisher, and radio talk show host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Yves Limantour</span>

Joseph Yves Limantour was a French merchant who engaged in the California sea trade during the years preceding American occupation of that Mexican province in 1846. He was also known in California as José Limantour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeralyn Merritt</span> American lawyer

Jeralyn Elise Merritt is an American criminal defense attorney in private practice in Denver, Colorado, since 1974. She served as one of the trial lawyers for Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing case in 1996 and 1997. In 2002 Merritt founded and is the principal author of the blog TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime. She also serves as a legal commentator for news media programs and as an internet journalist.

A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various jurisdictions with criminal courts for appointment to represent indigent persons; the latter are generally called public defenders. The terminology is imprecise because each jurisdiction may have different practices with various levels of input from country to country. Some jurisdictions use a rotating system of appointments, with judges appointing a private practice attorney or firm for each case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan García Abrego</span> Mexican convicted drug lord

Juan García Abrego is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former leader of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. He started in the cartel under the tutelage of his uncle Juan Nepomuceno Guerra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel N. Flores</span>

Manuel Flores served as a volunteer in the Texas army in 1835–1838. Fighting and commanding, he rose through the ranks to reach sergeant status during the fight for Texas independence and was commissioned a captain during the Republic years.

Ewing Werlein Jr. is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Leiderman</span> American lawyer (1971–2021)

Jason Scott "Jay" Leiderman was an American criminal defense lawyer based in Ventura, California. The Atlantic Magazine called Leiderman the "Hacktivist's Advocate" for his work defending hacker-activists accused of computer crimes, or so-called "Hacktivism" especially people associated with Anonymous. BuzzFeed called Leiderman "The Maserati-Driving Deadhead Lawyer Who Stands Between Hackers And Prison" and stated he was "A medical marijuana and criminal defense lawyer from Southern California [who] has made himself into the country's leading defender of hackers."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Perry veto controversy</span> 2014 prosecution in Texas, United States

On August 15, 2014, Texas Governor Rick Perry was indicted by a Travis County grand jury, but has since been cleared on all charges. The first charge of the indictment was abuse of official capacity, a first-degree felony, for threatening to veto $7.5 million in funding for the Public Integrity Unit, a state public corruption prosecutors department. The second charge, which has since been ruled unconstitutional, was coercion of a public servant, a third-degree felony, for seeking the resignation of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat, after she was convicted of drunk driving and incarcerated. Lehmberg was a district attorney in Travis County, Texas, and the Travis County DA's office managed the Public Integrity Unit's operations. The veto was seen as retribution for Lehmberg not stepping down. Perry pleaded not guilty to both charges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Stevens Berry</span> American lawyer

John Stevens Berry Sr. is an American attorney and the founder of Berry Law Firm in Lincoln, Nebraska. He is notable for a number of high-profile cases including the defense of Green Berets in Vietnam.

Don Pumphrey, Jr. is a Tallahassee, Florida-based criminal defense attorney, former state prosecutor, law enforcement officer, and former NFL player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilberto García Mena</span> Mexican drug lord

Gilberto García Mena, also known as El June, is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. He began his criminal career as a small-time marijuana smuggler in his teens, and later joined the Gulf Cartel under kingpin Juan García Ábrego. García Mena was arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas while possessing marijuana in 1984, but was released without a conviction. He returned to Mexico, and established a center of operations in Nuevo León. García Mena was arrested on drug-trafficking charges in 1989, but authorities were again unable to convict him. Released in 1990, he rejoined the Gulf Cartel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Líctor Hazael Marroquín García</span> Mexican criminal

Líctor Hazael Marroquín García was a Mexican criminal and convicted vehicle thief. He was the best friend of drug kingpin Juan García Abrego, the former leader of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. In 1978, Marroquín García was indicted by the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Texas in Brownsville for transporting stolen vehicles from the U.S. into Mexico. He was charged along with seventeen other people, including García Abrego, who was a low-level criminal at that time. Convicted in 1979, Marroquín García had his sentence suspended and was deported back to Mexico. He died of cirrhosis in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael John Kennedy</span> American criminal defense attorney

Michael John Kennedy was an American criminal defense attorney, expert in U.S. Constitutional law, and a civil rights advocate who defended cases for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee (NECLC) and in his private practice. Kennedy, who tried cases in 36 states, was a member of the National Lawyers Guild and the State Bar in California and New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Abrego</span> Wealthy 19th century merchant

José Abrego was a 19th-century Californian merchant. He arrived in Alta California in 1834 as a member of Compania Cosmopolitan A, part of the Hijar-Padrés colony. It was led by José Maria Hijar and Don José Maria Padrés. Abrego became a merchant in Monterey, California, and held a variety of political offices. He served as treasurer of the territory from 1839 to 1846. After the Mexican–American War, he continued to operate as a merchant. He became very wealthy and built a home that is still preserved in Monterey.

References

  1. 1 2 Gordon, Stephen H. “Gerry Goldstein, for the Defense.” San Antonio Lawyer. March–April 2013. Pg. 5
  2. 1 2 3 4 Neil, Martha (Apr 11, 2008). "Meet Gerry Goldstein, Lawyer for Polygamy Sect in Texas Ranch Raid". ABA Journal.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Anderson, Patrick. “High in America: The True Story Behind NORML and the Politics of Marijuana.” Viking Press. 1981. Chapter 15.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Swartz, Mimi. “The High Times of Gerry Goldstein” Texas Monthly. April 1996
  5. ↑ Gonzalez, John (April 26, 2014). "40 years later, S.A.'s racy Deep Throat case recalled".
  6. ↑ Cockburn, Alexander (1998). Whiteout: The CIA, Drugs and the Press. Verso Publisher. pp.  361. ISBN   1-85984-139-2.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Jury Convicts Mexican on Drug Charges". New York Times. 17 October 1996.
  8. 1 2 Vine, Katy. “Fundamental Arguments.” Texas Monthly. November 2009
  9. ↑ "USA Patriot Act and the Attack on the 5th Amendment Right to Counsel". Goldstein, Goldstein, Hilley & Orr. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  10. ↑ "Gerald H. Goldstein". Goldstein & Orr. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.