For Immediate Release

	April 23, 2004 NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION BANKRUPTCY LAW SECTION HONORS JUDGE CORNELIUS BLACKSHEAR Special Gala Awards Dinner and Ceremony to be held May 27, 2004 New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, New York, NY NEW YORK, April 22, 2004---The National Bar Association Bankruptcy Law Section will honor United States Bankruptcy Judge Cornelius Blackshear during a special Gala Awards Dinner and Ceremony Thursday May 27th at New York City’s Marriott Marquis. “It is so appropriate at this time to honor Judge Blackshear,” said Arlene Gordon Oliver, Esq., Chair, National Bar Association Bankruptcy Law Section. “We are pleased to honor him as a trail blazer for African American attorneys and for his many years of outstanding service not only to the bankruptcy bench, but for his exemplary service to the community overall.” Judge Blackshear was sworn in as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York in November 1985 after serving as the second appointed United States Trustee for the Southern District of New York for a two-year period, a position to which he was appointed in 1983 by Attorney General William French Smith. Judge Blackshear’s high profile cases included: Pan Am, Alexander’s Department Store, McCrory Corp., The Wiz, Spiegel and Eli Jacobs. Jacobs was the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, which, in August 1993, was auctioned by Judge Blackshear for a record $173 million. Upon being notified that he would be honored at the May 27th Gala Awards Dinner and Ceremony, Judge Blackshear commented. “During my tenure as a public servant, I have had the opportunity and pleasure to interact with some outstanding bankruptcy practitioners. These contacts have enriched my life.” In addition to the NBA, special presentations will be made by the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, American Bankruptcy Institute, and American College of Bankruptcy. The National Bar Association (NBA) was founded in 1925 and is the nation’s oldest and largest association representing a professional network of over 20,000 African American lawyers, judges, legal scholars and law students.