The Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic hosted the latest version of its heralded two-day pre-semester Bootcamp on August 21 and 22. Once again the line-up of speakers and panelists was comprised of major figures from the First Amendment and media fields.
This semester’s event opened with a live screening of the latest Clinic-focused eCornell Keynote, Empowering Local News: A Coalition To Strengthen Independent Journalism which featured Heather Murray, Clinic Associate Director and Managing Attorney of its Local Journalism Project; Adam Tragone, the Clinic’s Local Journalism Attorney; Halle Stockton, Editor-in-Chief and Co-Executive Director of Pittsburgh’s Public Source; and Paula Knudsen Burke, Senior Supervising Attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The panelists described the unique collaboration between the Clinic, the Reporters Committee and Public Source intended to empower local news in Western Pennsylvania.
Bob Corn-Revere, Chief Counsel of FIRE, delivered the keynote address, offering a unique perspective on First Amendment history through the lens of the obscenity conviction of comedian Lenny BruceCorn-Revere’s work to secure a posthumous pardon for the comedian. Corn-Revere told students that “we never seem to run out of First Amendment problems. It really is something you can earn a living at.” He encouraged students to take full advantage of the “valuable opportunity” the Clinic affords.
Professor Nelson Tebbe, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Jane M.G. Foster Professor of Law, Nelson Tebbe, made a welcome return to the Bootcamp, providing students with a grounding in First Amendment doctrine. Michael Grygiel, Cornell Law School Adjunct Professor and partner at Foley Hoag; Kelly McNamee, partner at Foley Hoag; Bob Corn-Revere, Chief Counsel of FIRE; and Lisa Macpherson, Policy Director, Public Knowledge, engaged in a timely discussion of the unique challenges presented by President Trump to First Amendment freedoms, with a special focus on a lawsuit he brought against the Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer over an Iowa poll conducted during the 2024 election.
Molly Linhorst, a Staff Attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, discussed the ACLU’s ongoing and hard-fought work on behalf of Mahmoud Khalil, the legal permanent resident and former Columbia University graduate student who is fighting deportation arising out of his advocacy related to the war in Gaza.
As part of the proceedings, Alyse Horan ’23 was presented with the Jackson Distinguished Alumni Award for her ongoing work – first as a clinic student and then as an alumni – on behalf of a Texas freelance journalist reporting on deaths along the U.S. and Mexico border. The award is named after the Clinic’s founder and director, Mark H. Jackson, A.B. ’81, J.D. ’85.
Returning students shared advice on making the most of the Clinic experience. Kat Namon ‘27 told attendees that the chance to meet clients and develop litigation skills has been incredible. “Learning how to be professional and how to have those skills in a real live experience is really special,” she said.
