Gerald "Gerry" Harris Goldstein is a criminal defense attorney in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, 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 The State Bar of Texas (the Texas Bar) is an agency of the judiciary under the administrative control of the Texas Supreme Court. It is responsible for assisting the Texas Supreme Court in overseeing all attorneys licensed to practice law in ...

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

and appeals.

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

, where Goldstein grew up.Gordon, Stephen H
“Gerry Goldstein, for the Defense.”
San Antonio Lawyer. March–April 2013. Pg. 5 Goldstein has a bachelor's degree in art from

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

and received his law degree from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

in 1968.

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.Swartz, Mimi
“The High Times of Gerry Goldstein”
Texas Monthly. April 1996 In 1970, Goldstein joined the

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML ) is a social welfare organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States regarding both Medical cannabis in the United St ...

(NORML), and began building a reputation for defending drug charge cases after he represented the organization's founder,

Keith Stroup Keith Stroup is an American attorney and founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Biography After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1965, he enrolled in Georgetown Law School and worked in the office of I ...

, after a drug bust. Goldstein represented a newly hired theater operator in San Antonio who had been arrested for showing the x-rated movie Deep Throat in 1974. Goldstein won the case before the Supreme Court on appeal. 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 An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an indi ...

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. He represented one of Texas House Speaker Billy Clayton's cronies in the kickback scandal known as Brilab in 1980. Goldstein represented a fringe Mormon group that advocates polygamy, regarding a raid of their Texas ranch. He represented the

Yearning for Zion Ranch The Yearning for Zion Ranch, or the YFZ Ranch, was a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) cult community of as many as 700 people, located near Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas, United States. In April 2014, the ...

head Frederick Merril Jessop's case. The

polygamist Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

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. Goldstein was elected president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) in 1992 and the

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is an American criminal defense organization. Members include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, active U.S. military defense counsel, law professors, judges, and def ...

(NACDL) in 1994 and 1995.Anderson, Patrick
“High in America: The True Story Behind NORML and the Politics of Marijuana.”
Viking Press. 1981. Chapter 15. 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. Abrego was accused of presiding over the flow of Colombian cocaine through northern Mexico into the U.S, 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. In 2008, he was the defense attorney for an indicted member of the

.Vine, Katy
“Fundamental Arguments.”
Texas Monthly. November 2009 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. He wrote an

amicus brief An amicus curiae (; ) is an individual or organization that is not a party to a legal case, but that is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. Whether an ''amic ...

on behalf of

Manuel Noriega Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno ( , ; February 11, 1934 – May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian dictator and military officer who was the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Panama, ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. He never officially serv ...

. 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. 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. They live in San Antonio, Texas, and Aspen, Colorado, and have a son, Matthew Goldstein .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldstein, Gerry Texas lawyers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Tulane University alumni University of Texas School of Law alumni