Today, the grassroots good government and legal reform advocate known as POPULAR, Inc. (POPULAR) announced the year-end recipients of its bi-annual "Restore Integrity Award". The award program administrators state “we are delighted that judges comprise half of our year-end award recipients,” noting “judges Lackey, Schack, and Spinner resisted powerful private interests without waiting for a groundswell of public support for their actions.”

Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 22, 2009 -- Today, the grassroots good government and legal reform advocate known as POPULAR, Inc. (POPULAR) announced the year-end recipients of its bi-annual "Restore Integrity Award".

Katherine Moore and Nancy Swan co-administer the award program as POPULAR’s Advisory Board President and Vice President, respectively. In June of this year they characterized the program as “an urgent measure” given a report by Transparency International that overall perception of corruption had increased 8 percent worldwide.

POPULAR’s 2009 year-end “Restore Integrity Award” recipients are as follows:

Public Sector Category:
- Judge Henry L. Lackey for reporting the bribery overture to federal authorities that derailed a seemingly invincible, corrupt segment of the Mississippi legal system led by various “Kings of Torts,” certain powerful lawyers who sullied the noble mission of the plaintiffs’ bar for personal gain.
- Judge Arthur M. Schack for his appropriately strict scrutiny of foreclosure cases before him and corresponding mantra, “(i)f you are going to take away someone’s house, everything should be legal and correct.”
- Judge Arlen Spinner for his bold step of preempting $525,000 in mortgage payments demanded by a California bank “so as to deter it from imposing further mortifying abuse” on a Long Island couple appearing before him in the underlying foreclosure dispute.

Private Sector Category:
- Retired U.S. Chief Deputy Matthew Fogg for his unique insights and public speaking on America's failed War On Drugs, contending "(d)rug prohibition helps the U.S. maintain a racial apartheid prison industrial complex."
- Mr. Alan Lange for his balanced expose´ on the Mississippi judicial bribery and racketeering cases of Paul Minor and Dickie Scruggs, now chronicled and published with Lange’s coauthor as the book “Kings of Torts.”

Grassroots Advocacy Category:
- Captain Dan Hanley of the “Whistleblowing Airline Employees Association” for his relentless advocacy to ultimately keep the skies safe for millions of air travelers, culminating with a recent commitment by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to consider alleged improprieties attendant to the United Airlines Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Moore and Swan add, “we are delighted that judges comprise half of our year-end award recipients.” Swan explains, “judges Lackey, Schack, and Spinner resisted powerful private interests without waiting for a groundswell of public support for their actions. Such quiet, brave displays of integrity are particularly refreshing in our society of Terri-Schiavo-Jena-6-like quests for justice.”

Moore emphasized that "all of POPULAR's award recipients have taken or otherwise pursued one or more specific acts or measures to eliminate significant inequity, waste, fraud, abuse, or other public and/or private sector corruption in America." POPULAR reportedly defines corruption as "any illegal or unethical conduct contributing to the systemic malfunction of government, commerce, and/or democracy in America as contemplated by the U.S. Constitution."

POPULAR will mail its year-end award recipients an encased certificate, commemorating their award. All but the judges were emailed prior notification of and congratulated for receiving the award. POPULAR will announce its third round of award recipients in June 2010.

To learn about prior “Restore Integrity Award” recipients, visit http://www.popular4people.org/Restore_Integrity_Awards.html

POPULAR is an acronym for "Power Over Poverty Under Laws of America Restored". The nonprofit corporation is an association of public interest attorneys and Juris Doctors, advised by a board of nonlawyer, community leaders. These good government advocates are committed to helping poor and other disadvantaged people access affordable and competent legal representation, appropriate judicial oversight, and important civil and criminal justice system reforms. See: http://www.popular4people.org/Home.html

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