Student Testimonial – Cristina Del Rosso, Scalia Law ‘23

Upholding the First Amendment right to free speech in America has always been important to me. So, when I came to Scalia Law, I knew I wanted to participate in the Free Speech Clinic to continue to follow this passion.

The Free Speech Clinic allowed me to broaden my First Amendment knowledge and provided me the opportunity to work on challenging projects for a variety of free speech claims. I also received hands-on training and developed litigation strategy skills that will be useful when I become a practicing attorney. For instance, I researched legal issues in cases of interest, and I helped draft complaints, motions, and other briefs challenging unconstitutional restrictions in public university settings. All my work in the Clinic was extremely meaningful, as I defended free speech while learning valuable skills.

Additionally, the exposure to various professionals who are experts in free speech was beneficial, as many of our guest speakers discussed recent developments in First Amendment law. Speaking to these professionals and hearing their perspectives cemented my weekly readings and allowed me a glimpse into these professionals’ lives and legal interests. I enjoyed hearing from speakers like Professor Jennifer Huddleston regarding data privacy and free speech on the internet and Professor Nadine Strossen who spoke about hate speech.

I am so thankful to have learned more about free speech law while in the Free Speech Clinic because it gave me an opportunity to reflect on the issues and think about the ways I can engage in this field as a lawyer in the future. The Clinic reinforced my interest in free speech litigation and piqued my interest in the related field of public interest law. After participating in the Free Speech Clinic, I can confidently say that it was one of the most worthwhile and rewarding experiences of my law school career.

Cristina Del Rosso, Scalia Law ‘23