Lawyer David Sobel Receives 2004 James Madison Award
At the annual Freedom of Information Day ceremony at the Freedom Forum in Arlington, Virginia, March 16, David Sobel, the general counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, was given the American Library Association’s 15th annual James Madison Award, which recognizes efforts to promote government openness.
Sobel was cited for his persistent and creative use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to keep government agencies open and accountable to the public. The award noted his work in Electronic Privacy Information Center v. Department of Defense, in which the organization sought records concerning the DOD’s Total Information Awareness project, as well as his efforts to obtain documents about the FBI’s controversial Carnivore Internet surveillance system and the misuse of passenger data by JetBlue and Northwest Airlines.
In his acceptance speech, Sobel observed that this year “marks the 30th anniversary of both the 1974 FOIA amendments and the Privacy Act, two of the key reforms that emerged as a result of Watergate” and stressed the importance of these laws in the wake of September 11 and the government’s response to terrorism.
“David Sobel is a tireless and courageous advocate for openness and public disclosure of government information, and in his work has continuously defended what James Madison would often refer to as the ’liberty of learning,’” said ALA President Carla Hayden. “Because libraries can only prosper in an environment of openness and free access to information, those who work so hard to protect and defend such rights, like David Sobel, live up to the true spirit of liberty that the Madison Award was established to honor.”
Also at the Freedom of Information Day ceremony, Patrice McDermott of ALA’s Washington Office and Rebecca Daugherty of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press received the Citizen Access Project Service Awards for their work for Citizen Access, which involved reviewing more than 1,000 legal statements concerning 120 state laws and court decisions to determine the openness of information in each of the 50 states.
The Madison Award, named for President James Madison, was established in 1986 and is presented annually on the anniversary of his birth. The award honors those who have championed, protected, and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know.
Posted March 19, 2004.
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