Stanton First Amendment Fellowship

The Information Society Project at Yale Law School is now accepting applications for a Stanton First Amendment Fellow, beginning in July 2016, who will support all aspects of the work of the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic (MFIA). Some litigation experience in the fields of media law, First Amendment, FOIA, Internet law or soft intellectual property law is preferred.

The MFIA Clinic has a two-fold mission: to support a robust investigative journalism and to promote the public’s right of access to information in the defense of democracy. The Clinic evolved out of the recognition that new technologies were forcing radical changes on the media market and leaving established news organizations in sufficiently precarious financial condition that they could not afford to pursue the type of affirmative litigation that is essential to effective newsgathering and a functioning democracy. Nor were they always able to fight vigorously the efforts by governments and others to unmask confidential sources and prevent whistleblowing. The Clinic was thus created in 2009 to help fill these gaps by providing pro bono legal services to journalists, pursuing impact litigation, and engaging in policy analysis on issues relating to the preservation of a vigorous press and effective government oversight.  

About the Stanton First Amendment Fellowship

The MFIA Clinic seeks candidates for this position with two to three years of relevant experience who are interested in pursuing a career in litigation or public advocacy on issues surrounding digital age free expression and transparency, either within government, at a non-governmental organization, or as a law school clinical professor.  The Stanton Fellow will gain relevant hands-on experience litigating cutting edge issues, develop litigation expertise in a chosen area of free expression, and participate in the intellectual life of the Yale ISP. The duties of the Stanton Fellow include:

-- Assuming overall responsibility for a number of active cases on the MFIA Clinic docket and supervising Yale law students in the Clinic; 

-- Assisting the Clinic’s intake process and shaping its docket;

-- Sharing responsibility for administration of the MFIA Clinic, in conjunction with its student directors;

-- Teaching a number of substantive and skill-based sessions each semester;

-- Supervising summer law student interns at the Clinic and covering Clinic cases during semester breaks; and

-- Engaging in the scholarly activities of the ISP, which include regular academic lunches, workshops, conferences, and talks.

Fellows must live in the New Haven area during their fellowship. The fellowship starts on July 1st and lasts for two years, with an annual stipend of $75,000 plus health benefits and access to university facilities.  

About the MFIA Clinic

The MFIA Clinic today is a program of the Abrams Institute for Freedom of Expression and is administered by the Yale Information Society Project (ISP).  Both the ISP and the Abrams Institute are directed by Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment Jack Balkin.  The Clinic is co-directed by Professor Balkin and Clinical Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow David Schulz, a long-time partner in the media law firm Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz LLP. 

Since its founding in 2009, the MFIA Clinic has achieved successes for a wide range of clients: from individual journalists at start up websites, to major news organizations such as The New York Times, The Guardian and ProPublica, as well as from individual civil rights activists to international rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch. The Clinic’s diverse docket is currently organized into four broad areas: 

1.      Government Transparency: Lawsuits seeking to compel disclosure of information vital to government oversight, such as asserting the public’s right to information about the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, the regulation of Internet infrastructure in New York City, and the use of dangerous x-ray technology by the NYPD. 

2.      Constitutional Access: Lawsuits seeking to enforce and expand the First Amendment access right, including litigation in Arizona and Missouri asserting a constitutional right of access to information about drugs used in lethal injection executions.

3.      National Security: Lawsuits asserting rights to information critical to oversight of our nation’s security policies, such as moving to compel the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to make its substantive opinions public, and fighting for limits on the extent to which those who receive national security investigative demands may be gagged from discussing the government’s actions.

4.      Twenty-First Century Newsgathering: Lawsuits addressing issues that will shape the ability of journalists to gather news in the digital age, dealing with issues such as privacy, use of new technologies to promote transparency, government regulation of Internet infrastructure, and related concerns.

The MFIA website provides more detail about the Clinic’s current caseload.  For additional information, feel free to contact MFIA Clinic Co-Director David Schulz at david.schulz@yale.edu

Applications

Applications should be submitted by January 31, 2016 (note updated deadline). Application materials should include:

-- A one to five page statement describing the applicant’s interest in the fellowship, relevant practice experience, and career goals;

-- A copy of the applicant’s resume;

-- A law school transcript; and

-- At least one sample of recent legal writing, preferably a brief or memorandum.

**Please indicate clearly in the application materials that you are applying for the Stanton First Amendment Litigation Fellowship**

Application materials should be sent (in electronic form) to Valerie Belair-Gagnon, Executive Director of the Yale Information Society Project, at valerie.belair-gagnon@yale.edu

Click here for more information.