NEWS RELEASE
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'America's trial judge' Receives Top Award from National Court Organization

Williamsburg, VA (April 15, 2009) – Cynthia S. Kent, retired district judge of the Smith County Circuit Court of Tyler, Texas, is the recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest awards presented by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to a person who has made longstanding contributions to the improvement of the justice system and who has supported the mission of the National Center.

NCSC President Mary C. McQueen will present the award to Kent during a portrait ceremony at the Smith County Courthouse, 100 N. Broadway Ave., in Tyler, Texas, on April 16.

Judge Kent’s support for a national court security initiative in the wake of the 2005 murders of a Superior Court judge and a court reporter in the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Ga., was instrumental in the successful passage of a national grant program for state court security.

In May 2005, just two months after the Atlanta incident, Judge Kent testified before the House Judiciary Committee about her personal experience with a shooting at the Smith County Courthouse and the ongoing threats to judges, court personnel, lawyers, litigants, and the public in courthouses every day.

“When Judge Kent testified, she was not only an outstanding Texas trial judge, she was America’s trial judge,” McQueen said.

As a result of Kent’s efforts, then-President George W. Bush signed the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007 into law in January 2008. The legislation authorized $15 million in funding for state courts to establish and maintain a threat assessment database and a $20 million grant program to create and expand witness and victim protection programs.

Prior to her retirement from the bench in 2008, Judge Kent served the 114th Judicial District Court in Smith County for 19 years. In 1984, she became the first female elected judge in a Smith County Court at Law, a position she held for four years.

The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. 

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National Center for State Courts, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg, VA  23185-4147