Group to honor public defender

From the Hartford Courant:

On the worst days of his five-year battle with cancer, there was one thing Paul Thomas would not give up – his work as an assistant federal public defender.

Colleagues, inspired by his dedication, did not want the effort to go unnoticed. Tonight, Thomas will be awarded the Champion of Liberty award from the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association during the organization’s annual meeting in New Haven.

“Paul has worked tirelessly all these years for the indigent, going out of his way to champion their rights,” said Jon L. Schoenhorn, an attorney and president of the lawyers’ association. “But what makes him unique now is how he continues to fight for those rights while dealing with his own fight. Despite the cancer, he keeps coming to work. And he’s had several bouts now. He could have retired, he could get disability, but he’s not giving up.”

“This award is recognition of all the public defenders who labor in the shadows,” Thomas said. “We’re not the ones usually with great notoriety.”

Read the entire story