David Rudenstine

David Rudenstine is the Sheldon H. Solow Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. He has taught constitutional law since 1979 and served as Dean from 2001–2009. His work focuses on free speech, press freedom, national security law, and the intersection of constitutional rights with government authority.

Education:

• B.A., Yale University, 1963
• M.A.T., Yale University, 1965
• J.D., New York University, 1969

Rudenstine is renowned for his seminal work The Day the Presses Stopped (1996), which examines the Pentagon Papers case and was Pulitzer Prize-nominated. His later book The Age of Deference (2016) critiques the Supreme Court’s deference to national security interests over individual rights. Recent work includes analysis of the Parthenon Sculptures dispute and reflections on the enduring legacy of the Pentagon Papers decision.

Key Contributions:

• Award-winning legal historian and scholar on free speech and national security
• Commentator on contemporary issues like NSA surveillance and Edward Snowden disclosures
• Inaugural fellow at Princeton’s Program in Law and Public Affairs (2000–2001)

Rudenstine’s scholarship emphasizes the press’s role as a fourth branch of government and the vital importance of factual transparency in democratic governance. His writings and legal analyses underscore the tension between national security claims and constitutional liberties.