FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 8, 2023
Courthouse News Service editor Bill Girdner to receive James Madison Award
AUSTIN – Bill Girdner, the editor of Courthouse News Service who has worked to require timely news media access to court filings in Texas and across the nation, will receive the prestigious James Madison Award.
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas bestows the award on those who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the principles of the First Amendment and open government. The foundation will present the award to Girdner at its state conference Sept. 28 in Austin during the John Henry Faulk Awards Luncheon.
A journalist for more than three decades, Girdner has spent much of that time battling state court officials over access to new filings when a court receives them. This has led to First Amendment victories in numerous trial and appellate courts.
He has sought to compel court clerks to provide the news media with same-day access to e-filed complaints, petitions and motions as a matter of First Amendment law, noted attorney Paul Watler, a member of the Freedom of Information Foundation board who nominated Girdner for the award.
“At a time when traditional press outlets have dialed back their commitment to media access cases, Bill single-handedly has been the impetus behind an evolving body of law addressing the right of news media access to electronic court filings,” Watler said.
Matt Dow, a partner along with Watler at the Jackson Walker law firm who represented Courthouse News in a court access case in Texas, said Girdner is smart, humble and persistent.
“Bill is a tireless champion of the First Amendment,” Dow said.
Girdner explains that his commitment to fighting for public access comes from the fundamental belief that American courts are open, public institutions at the heart of our democracy. He said he often encounters “militant opposition from within state court bureaucracies that use public funds and public lawyers to oppose public access in the electronic era.”
The FOI Foundation of Texas has presented the James Madison Award annually since 1987 to journalists, attorneys, public officials and vigilant citizens.
In addition to honoring Girdner, the foundation’s state conference Sept. 28 will mark the 50thanniversary of the Texas Public Information Act and explore current issues in open government and First Amendment rights. The awards luncheon will also honor excellence in journalism with two Spirit of FOI Awards.
The conference is open to the public. It will be at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus. Registration information and the full agenda can be found at https://foift.org/activities-programs/events/.
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Bill Girdner