First Amendment Foundation celebrates Mary Margaret Oliver
Transparency in government was on the menu at the Georgia First Amendment Foundation’s 21st Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Celebration on Oct. 26 at the Emory Conference Center.
The highlight of the evening was Georgia Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver being honored with the 2023 Weltner Freedom of Information Award named after the former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia who had championed freedom of information and ethics in state government.
Former Georgia Rep. DuBose Porter, chairman of the Dublin Courier Herald Publishing Co., introduced Oliver — whom he called by her nickname “MMO” — by saying her proudest achievement was getting an ‘F’ rating from the National Rifle Association.
The two legislators sat next to each other until 2011 when Porter stepped down to run for governor.
“MMO has always been on the right side of history,” said Porter, who added it was wonderful that she still serves in the legislature. “MMO helped put the sunshine in Georgia’s sunshine laws.”
Upon receiving the award, Oliver said that in the spirit of Charles Weltner, everyone should raise a glass in honor of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. “She just makes me happy every single day,” Oliver said.
The dinner was on the same day U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled that Georgia’s congressional, state Senate, and House districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner. “We owe a debt of gratitude to him,” Oliver said.
The dinner also honored attorney Peter Canfield with the Founder’s Award and the Open Government Hero Award to the Georgia Library Media Association.
— Maria Saporta
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