Galen Guest Highlights Importance of a Free Press to the Rule of Law 

Professors Liz Frost, Rebekah Hanley, and Joan Rocklin (at left) appear with Georgetown Professor of Law Erin Carroll and Oregon Law Professor Suzanne Rowe.

Professor of Law Erin Carroll of Georgetown Law Center visited Oregon Law as the 2025-26 Galen Distinguished Guest in Legal Writing on September 22, meeting with faculty and students in discussions informed by her experience and expertise in law, journalism, legal writing, and education.   

Sharing her scholarship, “Beyond Democracy: How a Free Press Supports the Rule of Law,” with Oregon Law faculty at a noontime colloquium, Professor Carroll explained the benefits provided by a free press and the impact of the discourse on the judiciary.  

“At a moment when the free press is underfunded, untrusted, and disappearing, this Article argues that the press is not only foundational to democracy, but it is also essential to an ideal that has generally been considered to be separate: the rule of law,” Professor Carroll wrote in the paper she shared. 

Professor of Law Erin Carroll shares her scholarship with faculty.

In the afternoon, Professor Carroll led a roundtable discussion with new editors of Oregon Law’s three journals, who are currently writing their first major papers. As the author of many law review articles, she offered advice on selecting a topic, doing thorough research, outlining ideas, and staying motivated throughout the long process. Students had many questions and left with specific suggestions for moving forward.  

Prior to becoming a legal writing professor, Professor Carroll was a journalist. Her scholarly interests center on the intersection between legal analysis and communication, the free press, and technology. She is particularly interested in how law can help reimagine the press to better serve democracy.

Students talk to Professor of Law Erin Carroll.

Honored for her teaching excellence by Georgetown Law, Professor Carroll teaches Legal Practice and an upper-level writing seminar at the law school.   

The annual Galen Distinguished Guest in Legal Writing is among the programs provided by The Galen Endowment for the Advancement of Legal Writing. The endowment brings distinguished professors and practitioners to Oregon Law each year with the goal of enhancing student writing. The Galen Endowment was created thanks to a substantial gift from the late Morris Galen, JD ’50, who was passionate about legal writing.