Clinic News
“Our free speech work necessarily spans the political spectrum — from fighting against book bans that seek to tell libraries what can be on their shelves to fighting against schools that seek to silence students seeking to promote conservative causes. For the First Amendment to mean anything it has to be applied vigorously on behalf of all of us.” – Clinic Director Mark H. Jackson
Clinic Files Lawsuit in Vermont Pursuing First Amendment Speech and Religion Claims
October 15, 2025 - The Cornell First Amendment Clinic filed suit in federal court in Vermont in late August to protect the First Amendment speech and religious rights of former prison volunteer Devon Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz served as a volunteer Quaker minister at the Southern State Correctional Facility (“SSCF”) in Springfield, VT until July 2024, when Vermont Department of […]
New York Focus Mentions New First Amendment Clinic Lawsuit
July 24, 2025 - In January, the department denied a public records request from New York Focus requesting call logs for the phone number that the agency advertises to people who need help filing claims. On July 7, after the agency denied an appeal, New York Focus brought an Article 78 lawsuit against the agency, arguing that the records […]
Burlington City Council Declines to Pass Troubling Ordinance After Clinic Intervention
July 14, 2025 - The Cornell First Amendment Clinic recently stepped in to object to two proposed amendments to the Burlington City Code of Ordinances that would have threatened the First Amendment rights of residents of Burlington, Vermont. At its meeting on December 9, 2024, Burlington City Council members voted against one of those amendments, with some echoing the […]
The Intercept Files Suit Seeking Access to Government Surveillance Records
June 3, 2025 - The Cornell First Amendment Clinic filed a public records suit yesterday with co-counsel Ben Rundall on behalf of news outlet The Intercept seeking access to government surveillance records that the public has the right to know about. The Intercept is suing Arizona’s attorney general and the Transaction Record Analysis Center (TRAC), a nonprofit the AG’s […]
Clinic Secures Release of Bodycam Footage of DUI Arrest of a Top Vermont Prosecutor
May 21, 2025 - A Vermont judge ruled in May that bodycam and dashcam footage concerning the DUI arrest of the top prosecutor of Addison County must be released to Clinic client VTDigger, a Vermont investigative news outlet. The team working on the case for the past three semesters included supervising attorneys Heather Murray and Jared Carter, co-counsel Timothy […]
Clinic Files Lawsuit Against Idaho for Book Censorship Law
February 11, 2025 - Cornell’s First Amendment Clinic filed a groundbreaking lawsuit in federal court in Idaho against the Idaho attorney general, county prosecutors, and others challenging the state’s law restricting public and school libraries from making constitutionally protected literary works available to minors. The Clinic is representing the Donnelly, Idaho Public Library District, public school librarian Christie Nichols, […]
Clinic Represents First Amendment Scholars to Protect Student Speech Rights in Sixth Circuit Appeal
February 11, 2025 - The First Amendment Clinic filed a brief of amici curiae in December in D.A. v. Tri County Area Schools in the Sixth Circuit supporting two middle school students who were punished for their in-school political speech. Represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (“FIRE”), the students sued their Michigan school district for forcing […]
Clinic and RCFP Unseal Settlement Records of Prison Healthcare Contractor in Wrongful Death Suit
October 26, 2024 - Settlement records that our Clinic and co-counsel Paula Knudsen Burke at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have successfully unsealed on behalf of the Bucks County Courier Times demonstrate that prison healthcare contractor PrimeCare Medical and Bucks County have paid out $3.8 million to settle wrongful death claims involving allegations of inadequate healthcare […]
In Groundbreaking Lawsuit, Streetsblog NYC Alleges Agency Has ‘Policy or Practice’ of Violating Records Law
September 19, 2024 - NEW YORK, N.Y. – Streetsblog NYC, represented by the Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic, filed a groundbreaking lawsuit last week against the New York City Department of Transportation, alleging that DOT systematically violates the state’s Freedom of Information Law by forcing nearly everyone who seeks public records to wait six months before receiving any […]
Clinic Student Argues Before Five-Judge Panel at Appellate Division Fourth Department
May 1, 2024 - In April 2024, Cameron Misner ’24 (pictured center) argued before a five-judge panel at the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in an important free speech case. Cameron argued that his clients – all of whom are involved in Central New York’s metal core music scene – should be awarded attorneys’ fees for their defense against a meritless […]