ABFFE Board Member Theresa Chmara Recipient of Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor Award

April 29, 2003

Attorney Theresa Chmara, a partner with the law firm of Jenner & Block in Washington, D.C., has been named the recipient of the 2003 Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor Award. Chmara is general counsel of the Freedom to Read Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. Chmara was also part of the legal team representing ABA in its lawsuit against Barnes & Noble and Borders.

A partner at Jenner & Block since 1988, Chmara, who has practiced extensively in the field of advertising law, is being honored for her work on First Amendment issues. She has represented the American Library Association, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and ABA on free speech issues. She has also participated as a faculty member at Lawyers for Libraries training institutes designed to train attorneys to handle First Amendment issues for libraries. She frequently speaks to library groups on First Amendment issues.

Chmara was a key part of the legal team that helped to win the case of ALA v. Department of Justice, which overturned portions of the Communications Decency Act. She is also part of the team that has guided the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) case to the U.S. Supreme Court. (For more on the CIPA case, click here.)

Founded in 1969, the Freedom to Read Foundation promotes and defends the right of individuals to freely express ideas and to access information in libraries and elsewhere.

The Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor Award will be presented at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Toronto as a part of the Opening General Session on Saturday, June 21.

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