American Bar Association Honors Assistant DA Woodley with Prestigious Award
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced today that Dwain Woodley, the Assistant District Attorney, was honored Friday with the American Bar Association Justice Section Curtin-Maleng Minister of Justice Award at a ceremony during the Criminal Justice Section Spring Meeting in Miami, Florida.
The Curtin-Maleng Award is bestowed on a prosecutor who embodies the principles enunciated in the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, Prosecution Function, particularly that “the duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice, not merely to convict.”
Woodley was recognized because his continued and tireless work exemplifies three important principles: the prosecutor’s obligation to protect the innocent as well as to convict the guilty; the prosecutor must guard the rights of the accused as well as enforce the rights of the public; and the prosecutor’s commitment to the legal and ethical standards must be unwavering.
“Assistant District Attorney Dwain Woodley epitomizes the principles of integrity that every prosecutor should aspire to. He treats everyone with dignity and respect, leads with the clarity of purpose that justice demands and gives voice to the People of San Diego County. He has worked tirelessly to deliver fair and equal justice for all, protect victims of crime, build trust with the public and develop direct access to our office for all the communities we serve,” DA Stephan said. “I am proud to work alongside ADA Woodley to lead the fifth largest District Attorney’s Office in the nation and continue to build a model prosecutor’s office that balances the rights of victims, the rights of the accused and the right of the community to be safe.”
Assistant DA Woodley helped develop and lead the DA’s Community Partnership Prosecutors program which has been especially successful connecting the public with much-needed services around domestic violence, child abuse and hate crimes. He also works with the advocacy organization “For the People” on reviewing cases that might qualify for prosecutor-initiated resentencings.
A former public defender, Woodley joined the DA’s Office as a Deputy DA in 2001. He began his management track in 2008 serving as Assistant Chief of Central Pretrial and Disposition Division, Assistant Chief of Superior Court Division, Chief of Superior Court Division, Chief of the Juvenile Branch, and Chief of the South Bay Branch. In 2018, DA Stephan named Woodley Chief Deputy DA and in 2021 he was selected as the Assistant District Attorney.
Woodley served honorably in the United States Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1989-1995, where he was both a prosecutor and defense counsel. His last assignment in the military was a staff attorney for Office of General Counsel at the National Security Agency. He then served as a San Diego Deputy Public Defender before joining the District Attorney’s Office in 2001.
Woodley grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) and University of Maryland Law School and completed the Prosecutors for Now course at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
