Floyd Abrams Participates as Panelist at ABA 2008 Annual Meeting
Monday, August 11, 2008 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
In a special program titled "The Use of Subpoenas to Compel Reporters to Disclose Their Sources," the ABA brought together noted experts on journalism and the First Amendment as part of its 2008 Annual Meeting in New York City on August 11, 2008. On the panel was:
- Floyd Abrams, noted First Amendment lawyer and professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
- James Fleissner, deputy special counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice and professor at Mercer University School of Law
- Geoffrey Stone, professor at the University of Chicago Law School and author of numerous books and articles on the First Amendment
- Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who will serve as moderator
Abrams represented the New York Times and reporter Judith Miller in the recent grand jury investigation into the leak of the identity of former CIA undercover operative Valerie Plame. Fleissner served as lead counsel in litigation surrounding motions by journalists to quash subpoenas during that investigation. Stone has written frequently on the topic of conflict between free speech and national security and his book on the topic, Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime from the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism, won numerous awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Award for the Best Book of the Year. The Free Flow of Information Act (S. 2035), which would protect journalists from undue legal pressure to reveal confidential sources with exceptions for special instances when national security or personal safety is at stake, has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and is being considered in the U.S. Senate.
The special program took place during the meeting of the ABA's policy-making body, the House of Delegates, during the ABA's Annual Meeting in New York:
What: "The Use of Subpoenas to Compel Reporters to Disclose Their Sources"
When: Monday, August 11th at 11:00 a.m.
Where: Hilton New York Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 3rd Level
Location:
Hilton New York Hotel Grand Ballroom 3rd Level