Dec. 17, 2007
FORIMMEDIATERELEASE                                   
Contact: Hollie Manheimer
404-525-4636, 404-759-3646

 ATLANTA – Former Georgia Attorney General Michael Bowers and Columbus Ledger-Equirer reporter Jim Houston are being jointly honored with Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Awards from the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, the organization announced today.

The awards will be presented Feb. 23, 2008, at the foundation’s annual Weltner Freedom of Information Award banquet at the Westin Buckhead, 3391 Peachtree Road, NE in Atlanta, with the reception starting at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m.

The featured speaker for the banquet will be a former winner of the Weltner Award, current Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker.

The late Charles L. Weltner served as Georgia's Fifth District Congressman and as Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. He was committed to high ethical principles in office, and was a champion of open and ethical government.

“Both Mr. Bowers’ and Mr. Houston’s careers reflect these convictions, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to honor their achievements,” said Robert Rothman, a partner at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP and chairman of the banquet.

Bowers was appointed state attorney general in 1981 and served at the helm of the State Law Department for 16 years. He championed open government, and made it one of the cornerstones of his tenure.

“Bowers did not hesitate to issue opinions in favor of greater government transparency or even to sue state agencies to ensure compliance with the open government acts. In so doing, he played a critical role in shaping how those laws have come to be understood and used,” Rothman said in announcing the honors.

Houston’s name became synonymous with open government back in the 1970s with the seminal case of Houston  v.  Rutledge, in which the Georgia Supreme court issued a definition of public records still used today. As a result of a jail-log dispute when Houston was a police reporter for the newspaper, the court ruled that public records are “all documents, papers, and records prepared and maintained in the course of the operation of a public office."

            Since that time, Houston has maintained a commitment to freedom of information battles large and small, mentoring young reporters in the area of FOI, persevering in his own reporting with the use of the open government acts, and leading the Ledger-Enquirer newsroom on the FOI front for decades.

“Throughout their careers, both men have been staunch defenders of the First Amendment and been champions of the public’s right to know,” Rothman said. 

Former recipients of the Weltner Award, in addition to Baker, include, U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob; Eason Jordan, former CNN newsgathering chief executive; former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes; former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher; and U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson.

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation, now in its 14^th year, has worked closely with the Georgia Attorney  General's  office,  statewide  county  government,  judicial, educational  and  law  enforcement  organizations on training and education concerning  Georgia's  open meetings and records laws.

The Weltner banquet is a major fundraiser for the organization. Sponsors pay from $1,500 to $10,000 to participate. Individual tickets sell for $250.