On Monday, we attended the Dallas Bar Association’s 2010 Philbin Awards, which recognize excellence in legal reporting. The Philbin Awards began in 1983 to honor the memory of Dallas lawyer Stephen Philbin, who passed away in 1982 from leukemia.
This year’s keynote speaker was Kenneth Starr, former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and current President of Baylor University. Judge Starr received a standing ovation following his introduction, and gave a speech focused on the importance of the First Amendment. Judge Starr’s speech highlighted several contemporary issues relating to free speech, including the recent Nobel Peace Prize awarded to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo (and the Chinese government’s subsequent censorship of news relating to the award), and the Snyder v. Phelps case currently pending before the Supreme Court.
The Philbin Awards were announced by Jason Bloom, of Dallas’ Haynes and Boones. Notable guests in attendance included Stephen Philbin’s widow and Judge Kinkeade of the Northern District of Texas.