David A. Schulz

David A. Schulz is the Director of the Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic (MFIA) at Yale Law School, where he serves as the Floyd Abrams Clinical Lecturer in Law and Senior Research Scholar. He is concurrently Senior Counsel at Ballard Spahr LLP, specializing in media law, First Amendment, and intellectual property litigation. With over four decades of experience, he has litigated landmark cases on public access to government proceedings and constitutional protections for newsgathering. He also serves on the New York Committee on Open Government and is a General Trustee of Knox College.

Education:

• J.D., Yale Law School, 1978
• M.A., Yale University, 1976
• B.A., Knox College, 1974

Schulz's research centers on defending press freedoms, government transparency, and First Amendment rights. His work at MFIA advances legal frameworks for journalistic access to information and challenges censorship.

His publications reflect a focus on media law and judicial ethics, including a 2024 critique of Supreme Court accountability and a foundational 2019 treatise on newsgathering rights. These works address evolving challenges in constitutional protections and institutional integrity.

Schulz leads the MFIA Clinic in high-impact litigation, securing victories for press freedom (e.g., drone usage rights for journalists in Texas) and transparency (e.g., FDA records disclosure). The clinic received $200,000 grants from Craig Newmark Philanthropies in 2020 and 2021 to support its mission.