OKLAHOMA CITY – Robert “Don” Gifford, an Assistant United States Attorney  in Oklahoma City and a 1989 graduate of Mannford High School was recently presented with the Justice Cardozo Award by the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Criminal Law Section for his work and contributions in the area of criminal law.  The award is named for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo who served on the court in the 1930s and is remembered for his significant influence on American law.  In addition, Mr. Gifford was selected to be Chair-Elect of the Criminal Law Section for 2018 for the 17,500 member bar association.

As a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice, Mr. Gifford is the human trafficking coordinator and a tribal liaison within the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition, Mr. Gifford is also an adjunct law professor at the law schools at OU, OCU, and Arkansas where he teaches courses related to National Security.  Gifford also serves as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, Chief Judge for the Kaw Nation Tribal Court, and is an Associate Justice for the Supreme Court for he Iowa Tribe.
Mr. Gifford received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, a bachelors degree from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, and holds a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.