Breaking: Arthur Blank will invest at least $350 million in new NWSL team
Local News
Local News

Defender training center receives honor

By Bill Rankin
Sept 26, 2011

The Atlanta-based Southern Defender Training Center has been given the Emil Gumpert Award and $50,000 for its work training lawyers to represent indigent defendants across the South.

The American College of Trial Lawyers, which presented the award, hopes the cash prize will help cement the training center as "a free-standing nonprofit organization that changes lives, improves society and elevates the standards of the administration of justice," Michael Cooper, the group's president, said in a Sept. 22 letter to the center's founder, Jon Rapping.

About the Author

Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.

Follow Bill Rankin on twitter
More Stories

The Latest

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks next to Chief of Staff / Chief Policy Officer Courtney English during press conference to unveil the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative in the atrium at Atlanta City Hall, Tuesday, September 30, 2025, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

To TAD or not to TAD: Council considers Dickens’ $5 billion development plan

TRAFFIC UPDATE

5-vehicle crash causes injuries on I-20 East in Fulton County

Chilly temps linger Tuesday in metro Atlanta before midweek warmup

Featured

The DeKalb school district is suing to recover money spent on cellphone lockers, plus money spent on implementing social media guidelines and hosting associated events, lost teaching time and to hire extra school counselors. (The New York Times file)

Credit: NYT

DeKalb school district reveals $4M social media addiction problem

The district is suing social media companies to get them to pay for addressing students' addiction to apps like Instagram. The companies argue they aren't to blame.

Atlanta airport sees continued cancellations because of shutdown

More than 115 flight cancellations were recorded on a quieter frigid Tuesday morning, far below Saturday's surge of 370.

For Ossoff and Georgia Democrats, the shutdown fight is the message

The fight over the federal government shutdown has allowed Georgia Democrats, like U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, to show that they have the grit to stand up to Republicans.