They have three children, Eric, a reporter for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Massachusetts, and founder of Citizen Schools; Adair and Eliza.
In 1977 he was named by President Jimmy Carter to a committee that helped select William H. Webster as the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"At the time, his law firm, which takes on considerable public-interest litigation, was suing the Federal Census Bureau on the city's behalf, challenging a loss of aid based on undercounted minorities.
"[1] In his City Hall tenure, he defended victims of bias against homosexuals and minority hiring programs, advocated inclusion of AIDS victims in city classrooms, pressed the Reagan Administration to account for illegal cuts in disability benefits for New Yorkers and, amid scandals, helped reshape ethics and lobbying laws.
[3] On April 30, 2014, he was awarded the prestigious Ridenhour Courage Prize by The Nation Institute, which cited his lifelong pursuit of just and accountable government, including "his call for a full, wide, and no-holds-barred investigation of the abuses by the NSA and other intelligence agencies.