CBS legal correspondent Crawford to address FOIFT annual conference

Jan Crawford, chief legal correspondent for CBS News, will be keynote speaker for the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas annual conference Sept. 26 in Austin.

The Bernard and Audre Rapport Annual Conference in Austin brings together journalists, government leaders, attorneys and interested citizens to delve into the current issues of government transparency and free speech. This year’s conference will be held at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 University Drive.

Crawford joined CBS News in October 2009 after being a regular contributor in 2005 and 2006. She is a recognized authority on the Supreme Court whose 2007 book, “Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for the Control of the United States Supreme Court” (Penguin Press), gained critical acclaim and became an instant New York Times bestseller.

She began covering the Court in 1994 for the Chicago Tribune and went on to become a law and political correspondent for all ABC News programs, a Supreme Court analyst for “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer” on PBS and a legal analyst for CBS News’ “CBS Evening News” and “Face the Nation.”

She has reported on most of the major judicial appointments and confirmation hearings of the past 15 years and amassed crucial sources in the White House, the Justice Department and Congress along the way.

Crawford began her journalistic career at the Tribune in 1987, joining the legal affairs beat in 1993, after her graduation from the University of Chicago Law School. The newspaper awarded Crawford its highest award in 2001 for her role on a team of reporters covering the presidential election of 2000, and the legal battles over the White House. She won the same prize for her 13-part series on the post-civil rights South, a project that brought her back to her native Alabama.

Crawford graduated from the University of Alabama in 1987. She has taught journalism at American University and frequently speaks about the Court to universities, law schools, legal organizations and civic groups across the country. She is a member of the New York Bar. She and her family live in Washington D.C.

Additional speakers at the conference will focus on government accountability surrounding the recent Hill Country floods, transparency efforts in the Texas Legislature and the public’s demand for news and information in the face of government cuts and secrecy. The FOIFT will present the James Madison Award for dedication to free speech and open government and will honor journalists with the Spirit of FOI Award.

Registration is open on the foundation’s website, www.foift.org. Individual registrations are $125, which includes the luncheon. Sponsorships are available for $1,000 and $550 for full and half-tables, respectively. Hotel rooms for the night of Thursday, Sept. 25, are available at a conference rate of $250 plus tax at this reservation link: https://book.passkey.com/go/FREEDO0925

Contact kelley.shannon@foift.org with any questions.