Mary Rose Papandrea Installed as Burchfield Professor of First Amendment and Free Speech Law

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GW Law hosted an installation ceremony announcing Mary Rose Papandrea, a nationally recognized free speech and media law expert, as the inaugural Burchfield Professor of First Amendment and Free Speech Law.

The Burchfield Professorship was established through a gift from GW Law alumnus Bobby Burchfield, J.D. '79, a longtime advocate for free and civil discourse.

The ceremony, held in the Jack Morton Auditorium, brought together university leaders, faculty, alumni and distinguished guests to celebrate the pivotal moment for the law school.

GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew opened the event by welcoming attendees and underscoring the importance of investing in First Amendment education. "This is no ordinary academic investiture," Matthew said. "Today is a celebration, indeed, a launch of George Washington University Law School's preeminence in the legal academy as the home of what I see as the most talented, diverse and influential free speech scholars in the nation."

She emphasized GW Law's unique position in Washington, D.C., where legal education intersects with public discourse and policymaking.

"Free speech has never been more central to the legal, cultural and academic challenges of our time," Matthew said. "This law school is prepared to drive societal and legal conversations centered on free speech and the First Amendment. We are at the forefront of the debates on free speech. We testify before Congress, publish impactful scholarships, share our expertise in the national media. But nothing is more important than sharing our expertise with our students. Well, as you will see today, there is no other law school, indeed no other university, better ready to meet this moment."

GW President Ellen M. Granberg reflected on the significance of the Burchfield Professorship and its alignment with the university's mission to advance scholarship that serves the public interest. "As the battle over free speech reshapes society and civil rights, this distinguished professorship sits at the intersection of some of the most consequential legal issues of our era," Granberg said.

She noted that endowed professorships are among the highest honors a university can bestow and serve as powerful catalysts for academic leadership, research and public engagement. By funding endowed professorships, donors provide secure, long-term resources that help the university attract leading scholars.

"Professor Papandrea's scholarship helps analyze and explain the complex forces at play with regard to free speech in the United States," Granberg said. "Thanks to her expertise, our students will be well-prepared to navigate rapidly-evolving legal landscapes and to lead with vision, to advance justice and to defend the First Amendment and free speech."

GW Interim Provost John Lach provided historical context on the tradition of endowed professorships, tracing their roots to Oxford and Cambridge and noted their continued importance in higher education.

"Since 1865, GW Law has cultivated curious and ambitious legal scholars who have stood at the center of some of our most critical legal conversations, locally, nationally and globally," Lach said. "Today, we are proud to recognize Mary Rose Papandrea with an endowed professorship. This honor reflects not only her extraordinary academic and professional accomplishments, but also her deep and ongoing commitment to advancing legal scholarship in ways that serve the public good."

Burchfield, a retired courtroom lawyer who never lost a jury trial, is a renowned legal strategist and longtime champion of civil discourse. He has advised major political and business leaders and has remained a vocal advocate for the preservation of free speech.

"When I retired from law practice in March 2021, I said my passion for retirement would be free and civil discussion and debate, which I described as the issue of our age," Burchfield said.

He addressed the growing complexity of speech controversies in the United States and abroad, particularly in digital and private spaces where First Amendment protections may not formally apply but where the cultural and ethical stakes remain high.

"These are not just legal issues," Burchfield said. "They are also cultural issues. What should be the prevailing philosophy in our culture regarding free speech?"

Burchfield emphasized the importance of preparing future legal professionals to navigate these evolving challenges and highlighted GW Law's longstanding commitment to scholarship in this area. He introduced Papandrea as someone who can help prepare students to take on these challenges once they graduate from GW.

"She not only meets the criteria for this chair, but she is, by reputation, a stellar teacher, a collaborative colleague, and I have found, a wonderful and engaging person," Burchfield said.

Papandrea expressed gratitude for the honor and to those who made the professorship possible. She emphasized the continuing importance of First Amendment scholarship and its impact on law and society. She began her remarks by highlighting a range of recent events that have challenged freedom of expression across the country, illustrating how even institutions like major media conglomerates are facing pressure.

"Those of us who are First Amendment experts are having a difficult time right now," Papandrea said.

She offered a historical view of speech repression in America and emphasized that the First Amendment alone is not enough to safeguard free expression. She pointed to structural limitations in the First Amendment's reach, particularly its inapplicability to private institutions.

"It is essential for us to create a free speech culture," Papandrea said. "So just having a legal protection is not sufficient. And so, it's so appropriate that this chair is not merely a First Amendment professorship, but a First Amendment and free speech professorship."

Ending on an optimistic note, Papandrea praised the work of lawyers, judges, educators and students working to uphold free expression.

She pledged to continue her scholarship, teaching and public engagement from her position at GW Law.

"I am so thrilled to continue my work right here in the eye of the storm in Washington, D.C., surrounded by incredible First Amendment lawyers, fellow professors and the inspiring GW faculty," Papandrea said. "Many thanks to you, Bobby Burchfield, for your generous support, and to GW University and GW Law School for your faith that I am the right person. Thank you."

A conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer

The event also featured a conversation on the First Amendment between retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Jeffrey Rosen, a professor of law at GW Law School and president and CEO of the National Constitution Center.

Rosen started by asking Breyer to reflect on the purpose of the First Amendment.

"In one of your last opinions, the Mahanoy case in 2021, you said that the central purpose of the First Amendment could be summed up in the famous aphorism, 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,'" Rosen said. "What is the purpose of the First Amendment?"

Breyer answered that the First Amendment "has many purposes, several. But one of them I read in Burt Neuborne's book. He calls it the music of the First Amendment."

"And what is it? You look at the First Amendment; there are a whole lot of things in there. There's religion, assembly, congress," he said.

Breyer traced the progression of freedoms outlined in the First Amendment, from thought to speech, to dissemination via press, assembly and finally to petitioning government.

"And so, in that way, in a democracy, we have the ability of now 330 million people, or a share of them, to get together and influence those few people who have the power to make laws," Breyer said.