About
Mary Anne Franks is the Eugene L. and Barbara A. Bernard Professor in Intellectual Property, Technology, and Civil Rights Law at the George Washington University Law School. She is an internationally recognized expert on the intersection of civil rights, free speech, and technology with additional expertise in family law, criminal law, and constitutional law.
Her research focuses on how digital technologies impact civil rights and free expression, with particular attention to nonconsensual intimate imagery, deepfakes, and constitutional interpretation. Her scholarly work critically examines the societal consequences of rigid constitutional devotion, especially regarding guns and free speech.
Dr. Franks has published two major books that have shaped academic and policy discussions. Her 2024 work 'Fearless Speech' challenges conventional First Amendment thinking, while her 2019 book 'The Cult of the Constitution' examines America's problematic relationship with constitutional texts.
- Fellow with the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom
- Affiliate Fellow of the Yale Law School Information Society Project
- Member of the American Law Institute
- Admitted to practice in U.S. Supreme Court and District of Columbia
As President and Legislative & Tech Policy Director of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, Dr. Franks has pioneered legislative approaches to combat online abuse. She drafted the first model criminal statute on nonconsensual distribution of intimate imagery (2013), which has served as template for multiple state laws and federal legislation including the 2025 'Take It Down Act.' She served as reporter for the Uniform Law Commission's 2018 Uniform Civil Remedies Act and advises major technology platforms on privacy and safety issues.
