Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland has announced commitments totaling $5 million from the Stanton Foundation in support of initiatives at the university’s School of Law to bolster the exercise of rights under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The funds will endow the law school’s First Amendment Clinic (FAC) and its director position. The foundation previously provided $1.5 million to help establish the clinic, as part of the school’s Milton and Charlotte Kramer Law Clinic. FAC—which will be renamed for the late Frank Stanton, a longtime president of CBS who died in 2006—enables third-year law students to serve as certified legal interns offering pro bono litigation services to those who rely on the First Amendment to collect and publish information, freely criticize the government, and express differing viewpoints on matters of public concern.
“As an academic institution, we have a responsibility to train our students to protect these fundamental rights,” said CWRU School of Law dean Paul Rose. “The foundation’s support…helps us continue this critical work in defending free speech and training the leaders of tomorrow.”
