About the Center
For more than 15 years, the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment has been a leader in education, research and outreach concerning the fundamental rights of free expression and free press in the United States. Founded in 1992, the Center has continuously provided educational programs, sponsored speakers, published books and articles in the popular and academic press, and served as a media resource on a wide array of First Amendment topics.

The work product of the Center has been cited to Congress, state legislatures and the United States Supreme Court. By providing expert testimony to legislative bodies and the courts and expert commentary to the regional and national media, the Center’s co-directors regularly represent the Center to the public and extend its reach beyond the academic environment. This notion of public scholarship – disseminating research to a wide audience where it is both applicable and influential – lies at the core of the Center’s mission.

Publications by the Center’s members include five books, more than 90 law review articles and more than 100 op-ed pieces in some of the nation’s leading newspapers. These works are regularly cited in both academic and popular publications.

The Center’s members are available for commentary and testimony on a broad range of First Amendment topics, including:

Higher Education Speech Cases

Senior fellow Martin Halstuk (left) and Center co-directors Clay Calvert and Robert Richards.

Open Records Clearinghouse Project
With the introduction of Pennsylvania's updated Right-to-Know Act, media members across the state face different challenges in terms of accessing public information. To address the needs of reporters, the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment has initiated an Open Records Clearinghouse Project that will compile information from reporters and track the performance of state agencies in regard to Right-to-Know requests.

Reporters who wish to access the reporting form should click here.

General questions may be directed to Martin Halstuk, assistant professor of communications and director of the Open Records Clearinghouse Project, by phone at (814) 863-7990 or by email (meh21@psu.edu).

Contact information
Robert Richards,
founding co-director,
(814) 863-1900 / rdr2@psu.edu

Clay Calvert, co-director,
(814) 863-5654 / cxc45@psu.edu

Martin E. Halstuk, senior fellow (814) 863-7990 / meh21@psu.edu

Recent Publications