PERSON: Pierre Thomas

Senior justice correspondent

Pierre Thomas is the Senior Justice Correspondent for ABC News. He joined the network in November 2000 and reports for "World News with Diane Sawyer," "Good Morning America," "Nightline" and other ABC News programs.

Thomas was a key member of ABC's team of correspondents covering the terrorist attacks of September 11 and he continues to report on all aspects of the aftermath of those attacks. The network's coverage of the 9-11 tragedy was widely recognized for its excellence, winning the prestigious Peabody and Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards and an Emmy Award. Thomas also participated in a "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" broadcast which won the Edward R. Murrow Award for best newscast in 2005. Thomas was a key part of the ABC News team honored with two additional Murrow awards in 2012 for the network's coverage of the tragic Tucson shooting and the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Mr. Thomas received an Emmy Award as part of team coverage of the inauguration of President Barack Obama and in 2011 the Houston Association of Black Journalists honored Thomas with its Pinnacle Award. He was recently featured in the American Journalism Review and in 2011 was the focus of an hour long C-SPAN broadcast about his career and thoughts on journalism. In 2012 Thomas was named Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists.

Thomas, a former Washington Post reporter who took the lead on such significant stories as the Oklahoma City bombing and the FBI's role at Ruby Ridge, joined CNN as Justice Department correspondent in 1997. He broke news on many fronts including terrorism, cyber-crime, the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the FBI's Most Wanted list and the Justice Department's involvement in the Elian Gonzalez case. He has received the Pass Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for his article "Beyond Grief and Fear", has twice won the Mort Mintz Investigative Award and was a finalist for the Livingston Young Journalist Award.

Thomas joined the Washington Post in 1987 covering local Virginia politics as well as the court and police beats in Prince William County and the city of Alexandria. In 1991 he joined the Metro projects staff and was part of a team whose work was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for reporting on illegal gun use in the Washington, DC region.

Thomas started his career at The Roanoke Times and World-News. He is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. Thomas currently serves on the steering committee for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

-- ABC News