Attorney Michael A. Bamberger has been named the inaugural honoree of the American Booksellers Association's Joyce Meskis Free Speech Award, which honors, the association said, those "who have provided extraordinary service in defense of the First Amendment rights of booksellers and their customers."
The award, which is named after the owner of Denver’s Tattered Cover Book Store, will be presented during the Celebration of Bookselling and Author Awards at BookExpo in New York on Wednesday, May 31.
“It is entirely appropriate that the award should be named after Joyce who has spent her whole career fighting for free speech,” ABA CEO Oren Teicher said in a statement.
According to an ABA release, Bamberger has defended clients on the grounds of freedom of speech and the press since 1977, when he was named general counsel of the Media Coalition, which defends the First Amendment rights of businesses that produce and distribute books, magazines, movies, videos, recordings, and video games. Bamberger is a senior partner in the New York office of the law firm Dentons.
“Michael Bamberger has been a true and steady protector of the First Amendment," Meskis said in a statement. She called him "a stalwart colleague and wise counselor to booksellers across the nation."
