National conference on The Emerging Era in Whistleblower Rights and the Public’s Right to Know

Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008

The Government Accountability Project and the American University Washington College of Law are hosting a national conference in Washington, DC on June 23: The Emerging Era in Whistleblower Rights and the Public’s Right to Know.  This exciting legal conference will focus on the current state of federal whistleblower rights and pending legislation. See Details for the conference agenda.

The Emerging Era in Whistleblower Rights and the Public’s Right to Know

June 23, 2008
American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Room 603, Washington, DC 20016

Emerging from eight years of unprecedented assertions of executive power and government secrecy, and a judicial rollback of citizens’ free speech rights, Congress has a real opportunity to enact historic openness reforms. This conference explores new and pending laws that empower employees to blow the whistle and make our institutions more open and accountable. Panel 1 addresses what went wrong with the old whistleblower laws, how public employees’ First Amendment rights have been constrained, and how recently enacted reforms will help remedy these shortcomings. Panel 2 considers strategies for effecting national security disclosures and legislative reforms to protect national security whistleblowers. The final panel focuses on how the whistleblower bills that are pending or awaiting reconciliation promise to advance an openness agenda.

9:30 a.m.  Registration and Continental Breakfast

10:00 a.m.  Welcome Remarks by Mark Cohen, GAP Executive Director Project

10:30 a.m.  Panel 1:  Restoring Openness and Accountability to Government and Corporations

Moderator: Professor David Vladeck, Georgetown University Law Center
Panelists: Tom Devine, Legal Director, Government Accountability Project; David Marshall, Partner, Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP; Sean Moulton, Director of Federal Information Policy, OMB Watch; Bonnie Robin-Vergeer, Attorney, Public Citizen Litigation Group; Jason Zuckerman, Principal, The Employment Law Group, PC, Washington, DC.

12:30 p.m.  Luncheon (on site)

1:05 p.m.  Introduction by Mark Niles, Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, American University Washington College of Law

1:10 p.m.  Introduction of Luncheon Guest Speaker by Jesselyn Radack, GAP Homeland Security Director

1:15 p.m.  Luncheon Guest Speaker:

Babak Pasdar, computer security specialist whose whistleblowing is credited with turning the tide in the House of Representatives against granting immunity to telecommunications companies that enabled secret government surveillance of Americans.

2:00 p.m.  Panel 2:  The Special Case of National Security

Moderator: Conrad Martin, Executive Director, Fund for Constitutional Government
Panelists: Ann Beeson, Director of U.S. Policy, Open Society Institute; Danielle Brian, Executive Director, Project on Government Oversight; Louis Fisher, Specialist in Constitutional Law, Library of Congress; Mike German, Policy Counsel for National Security, American Civil Liberties Union; Thad Guyer, The Law Firm of Guyer & Ayers, PC; Stephen Kohn, Executive Director, National Whistleblower Center. 

3:30 p.m.  Break

3:45 p.m.  Panel 3:  The Next Steps Toward Achieving a Comprehensive Openness Agenda

Moderator: Tom Devine, Legal Director, Government Accountability Project
Panelists: Michelle Ash, Chief Legislative Counsel to Congressman Henry Waxman; Lynn Dondis, Senior Policy Advisor, House Committee on Education and Labor; Joanne Royce, Investigative Counsel, House Committee on Energy and Commerce; Peg Seminario, Director of Safety and Health, AFL-CIO; Jeb White, President, Taxpayers Against Fraud.

A complimentary reception will follow the all-day event.

General registration required - NO CHARGE
Register on the GAP Web site

Government Accountability Project
National Office
1612 K Street, NW Suite #1100
Washington, D.C. 20006
202.408.0034

Climate Science Watch is a program of the Government Accountability Project. 

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