Professor and former Roger Williams University School of Law Dean David A. Logan enjoyed a “rock-star moment” on the final day of the Supreme Court’s term, completed last Friday as the long Independence Day weekend began. In an 11-page dissent to the Court’s denial of certiorari in, Berisha v. Lawson, , Justice Neil M. Gorsuch argued that the court should have heard a challenge to its landmark 1964 holding in, New York Times v. Sullivan., His opinion relied heavily on Logan’s recent law review article,, Rescuing Our Democracy by Rethinking New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, , 81 OHIO ST. L. J. 759 (2020), citing it 16 times. The upshot, to quote Gorsuch quoting Logan, is that “‘the distribution of disinformation’—which ‘costs almost nothing to generate’—has become a ‘profitable’ business while ‘the economic model that supported reporters, fact-checking, and editorial oversight’ has ‘deeply erod[ed].’” It is therefore time, according to Gorsuch (and Logan) to rethink, New York Times v. Sullivan, and our current approach to defamation law. As Logan writes, “with more than half a century of perspective, it is now clear that the Court’s constraints on defamation law have facilitated a miasma of misinformation that harms democracy by making it more difficult for citizens to become informed voters. The time has come to ask a once heretical question: ‘What if, New York Times, got it wrong?’” “We all strive to make a difference in our scholarship, teaching, and service—and in our scholarship we seek to critique and improve the law,” said RWU Law Dean Gregory Bowman. “I’m proud to be David’s colleague, and I celebrate his scholarly impact on this centrally important legal issue.” “ Needless to say, I am personally thrilled and professionally honored, ” Logan commented…
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Type: Faculty & Staff Profile
RWU Law made national headlines in 2021 when it became one of just a handful of law schools nationwide to introduce a new required course on race and the law to its core legal curriculum. It was also one of the first to pilot its course as a spring elective. After three years of strategic planning and a year of national reckoning, RWU Law designed the course to improve critical thinking about the…, Boston Globe, . “They need a broad and rich perspective on the law, how it has evolved, and how we will all work in our own ways to make the world a better place.” Speaking with Reuters , Professor Jared Goldstein said, “Within a few years, I expect it will seem as normal and necessary as other required law school courses, like contracts.” In a Q&A with Westlaw Today , Professor Diana Hassel said the…
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On September 10, 2019, RWU Law dedicated a classroom to Dorothy R. Crockett, a Black woman from Providence who became, in 1932, the 7th woman ever admitted to the Rhode Island Bar. The dedication ceremony featured a powerful keynote by 1st the Honorable Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (who this July became an RWU Law Board member), as well as remarks from…
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In April 2019, RWU Law honored the first 176 women to join the state’s bar, in an event that drew an overflow crowd celebrating the massive strides made since those early days – while recognizing the work still to be done. A plaque, prominently mounted in the law school’s second-floor Atrium, includes a listing of all known First Women “and others unknown,” which was painstakingly compiled by RWU…, “Roger Williams University School of Law honors the pioneering First Women of the Rhode Island Bar (1920 to 1979). Their efforts helped establish the rightful place of women in the legal profession and a foundation upon which a more fully inclusive legal profession can be built.”, The plaque was officially unveiled by Judith E. Hodge, who was admitted to the bar in 1965. Hodge was the earliest bar admittee (23rd of 176) of the First Women attending the event. “It’s been obvious from the start [of the project] that this issue has resonated with many, many people,” Professor Emily Sack noted in her introduction to the ceremony. “This is truly a powerful moment for our legal…
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