Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye Names Award Recipients

The award was named for Justice Huffman of the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Diego, because of his dedication to creating a court system that is more receptive to the needs of both children and families. Within the last year, Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye appointed him as the chair of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care and he has also served as both a participant and a trainer in a number of programs for juvenile officers, social workers, and attorneys.

Justice Huffman served as a Judge of the Superior Court for San Diego County from 1985-1988, when he was appointed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal for the State of California. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he served as the Chief Deputy District Attorney and as the Assistant District Attorney with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, during which time he supervised 450 staff members and personally took many cases to trial himself. His legal career originated with the State Attorney General's Office, where he headed the Attorney General's Special Prosecutions and Organized Crime Unit for Southern California, served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern and Central Districts, and served as a member of the Federal Strike Force on Organized Crime in Los Angeles. He has served an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Diego Law School since 1972 and as a faculty member and director of the its international and comparative law programs in Mexico, England, and Ireland.

Justice Huffman has been recognized as “Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year” by the California District Attorneys Association, “Outstanding Public Lawyer” by the San Diego County Bar Association, and “Prosecutor of the Year” by Citizens for Law and Order. He was also chosen for membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers and received the 1988 San Diego Trial Lawyers Association's “Trial Judge of Year Award.”

He is an active member of the Board of Governors for the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, a founding member of the San Diego Inn of Court, a Master of the American Inns of Court, a board member of the San Diego Museum of Man, and chair of the Financial Accountability and Efficiency Committee for the Judicial Council. He has also been a co-chair of the Tribal Court/State Court Forum, chair of the Riverside Criminal Backlog Reduction Task Force, chair of the Criminal Law Advisory Committee, a member of the Appellate Advisory Committee, and a chair of the Task Force on Photography, Broadcasting, & Recording in the Courtroom. He has additionally served as the Vice President of the San Diego Bar Association and as a member of the State Bar of California's commission evaluating judicial nominees.

William C. Vickrey, the other recipient of the Richard D. Huffman Justice for Children and Families Distinguished Service Award, has committed his life's work to child welfare issues. The retired Administrator of the Courts served on the 18-member Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care which was responsible for creating recommendations for encouraging positive outcomes for children in foster care around the nation. Furthermore, he is responsible for the establishment of the center for Families, Children & the Courts as a division of the Administrative Office of the Courts, which happens to be the first in the US to concentrate on families, children, and the situations they face in the family and juvenile courts.

“These two men exemplify the passion, dedication, and lifelong commitment to issues affecting children and families that are at the heart of this award,” said Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye of Huffman and Vickrey.