Work

Puerto Rican street with Puerto Rican flag hanging from balconey
| August 4, 2026

Amicus win – First Circuit permanently enjoins Puerto Rico’s false information law

Puerto Rican street with Puerto Rican flag hanging from balconey

In a win for free speech and press, the First Circuit affirmed that Puerto Rico’s law criminalizing “false” notices or alarms published during state-declared emergencies must remain permanently enjoined. The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic filed a “friend of the court” brief on behalf of multiple civil liberties and free press organizations urging this outcome in Rodríguez-Cotto v. González-Colón. The brief emphasized how similar laws in other countries have become tools for suppressing legitimate news reporting and citizen dissent.

Keep Reading
| July 31, 2026

Evans presents at Georgia Press Association Annual Convention

Georgia Journalism Attorney Ward Evans presented at the 139th Annual Convention of the Georgia Press Association. Evans provided guidance on media law topics including defamation, copyright, and the Georgia Open Records Act, enabling newsrooms to increase the effectiveness of their reporting while minimizing their legal risk. This was Evans’s second year presenting at GPA’s Annual Convention.

Keep Reading
| June 24, 2026

Clinic hosts 6th year reunion

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic held a reunion for former students, legal fellows, and longtime clinic collaborators. This was the first such gathering since the Clinic launched in the Fall of 2020. People traveled from as far away as New York and Colorado to reconnect with what several described as their most formative experience at UGA Law.   

Keep Reading
, | May 12, 2026

Norins presents at AALS Clinical Conference

Clinical Associate Professor and First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins presented at the 2026 American Association of Law School’s Clinical Legal Education Conference. The presentation, titled “First Principles: No Democracy Without Freedom of Speech,” explored how protecting individual expressive freedoms is foundational to participatory governance at the local and state level. Norins was joined by fellow First Amendment clinic directors from Arizona State, Duke and Vanderbilt.

Keep Reading
| April 12, 2026

Avid v. Taylor – Seeking to protect local bookseller’s First Amendment right to communicate with jail residents

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic argued for summary judgment on behalf of Avid Bookshop LLC, challenging the constitutionality of the Gwinnett County Jail’s mail policy that bars physical bookstores from shipping books to Jail residents. Carly Judenberg (2L) and Clinic Legal Fellow Christina Lee presented the case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Keep Reading
| March 20, 2026

Public defenders have speech rights when speaking to the media

Clinical Associate Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins presented virtually on public defenders’ First Amendment rights when speaking to the media as part of a panel titled “Speaking Truth, Staying Ethical” at the National Association for Public Defense conference titled “Rise. Resist. Represent. 2026.”

Keep Reading
| March 11, 2026

Norins presents at Clemson University

Clinical Associate Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins was a featured guest speaker on the “First Amendment Litigation Panel” during Clemson University’s Lectures in Law and Humanities Series in March 2026. She co-presented with Gabe Walters, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Keep Reading
| February 28, 2026

Talking about Freedom of Information fixes

Clinical Associate Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins moderated the panel “Drinking from a F.O.I. Firehose: Barriers to Timely Records Fulfillment” at the 35th annual Georgia Bar, Media & Judiciary Conference in February 2026. 

Keep Reading
Next
Puerto Rican street with Puerto Rican flag hanging from balconey
| August 4, 2026

Amicus win – First Circuit permanently enjoins Puerto Rico’s false information law

Puerto Rican street with Puerto Rican flag hanging from balconey

In a win for free speech and press, the First Circuit affirmed that Puerto Rico’s law criminalizing “false” notices or alarms published during state-declared emergencies must remain permanently enjoined. The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic filed a “friend of the court” brief on behalf of multiple civil liberties and free press organizations urging this outcome in Rodríguez-Cotto v. González-Colón. The brief emphasized how similar laws in other countries have become tools for suppressing legitimate news reporting and citizen dissent.

Keep Reading
| July 31, 2026

Evans presents at Georgia Press Association Annual Convention

Georgia Journalism Attorney Ward Evans presented at the 139th Annual Convention of the Georgia Press Association. Evans provided guidance on media law topics including defamation, copyright, and the Georgia Open Records Act, enabling newsrooms to increase the effectiveness of their reporting while minimizing their legal risk. This was Evans’s second year presenting at GPA’s Annual Convention.

Keep Reading
| June 24, 2026

Clinic hosts 6th year reunion

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic held a reunion for former students, legal fellows, and longtime clinic collaborators. This was the first such gathering since the Clinic launched in the Fall of 2020. People traveled from as far away as New York and Colorado to reconnect with what several described as their most formative experience at UGA Law.   

Keep Reading
, | May 12, 2026

Norins presents at AALS Clinical Conference

Clinical Associate Professor and First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins presented at the 2026 American Association of Law School’s Clinical Legal Education Conference. The presentation, titled “First Principles: No Democracy Without Freedom of Speech,” explored how protecting individual expressive freedoms is foundational to participatory governance at the local and state level. Norins was joined by fellow First Amendment clinic directors from Arizona State, Duke and Vanderbilt.

Keep Reading
| April 12, 2026

Avid v. Taylor – Seeking to protect local bookseller’s First Amendment right to communicate with jail residents

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic argued for summary judgment on behalf of Avid Bookshop LLC, challenging the constitutionality of the Gwinnett County Jail’s mail policy that bars physical bookstores from shipping books to Jail residents. Carly Judenberg (2L) and Clinic Legal Fellow Christina Lee presented the case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Keep Reading
| March 20, 2026

Public defenders have speech rights when speaking to the media

Clinical Associate Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins presented virtually on public defenders’ First Amendment rights when speaking to the media as part of a panel titled “Speaking Truth, Staying Ethical” at the National Association for Public Defense conference titled “Rise. Resist. Represent. 2026.”

Keep Reading
| March 11, 2026

Norins presents at Clemson University

Clinical Associate Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins was a featured guest speaker on the “First Amendment Litigation Panel” during Clemson University’s Lectures in Law and Humanities Series in March 2026. She co-presented with Gabe Walters, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Keep Reading
| February 28, 2026

Talking about Freedom of Information fixes

Clinical Associate Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins moderated the panel “Drinking from a F.O.I. Firehose: Barriers to Timely Records Fulfillment” at the 35th annual Georgia Bar, Media & Judiciary Conference in February 2026. 

Keep Reading
Next