The University of Texas at Austin   School of Law

This seminar is subtitled "Redefining the Press."  The Supreme Court has never identified the entities to which the Press Clause of the First Amendment applies, sometimes because the party invoking it was obviously press, sometimes because the Court declined to give any effect to the Press Clause.  For nonconstitutional purposes, however,there are many legal definitions of the press -- for example, to specify who gets the benefit of shield statutes, press passes, tax exemptions, and exemption from campaign restrictions.  With the proliferation of new forms of media and journalism,these definitions often are problematic:  are online media or citizen journalists entitled to be treated as press? Is it possible to distinguish journalists from other information purveyors? Is it constitutionally permissible to give some journalists the benefit of press designation while denying it to others? Students will write papers exploring these or similar topics.