John Langford ’14 to Join Yale Law School Faculty
Dean Cristina M. Rodríguez ’00 has announced that John Langford ’14 will join the Yale Law School faculty as clinical associate professor of law on July 1.
Langford has been a visiting clinical associate professor of law at Yale Law School during the 2025–26 academic year and was counsel at Protect Democracy from 2019 to 2024. As a nationally esteemed lawyer at Protect Democracy, he focused primarily on issues related to the First Amendment, newsgathering, free expression, and dignitary torts.
“In his work, John shows deep and enduring dedication to his clients and students,” Dean Cristina Rodríguez ’00 said in an announcement to the Law School community. “He works tirelessly to ensure that students receive the mentorship and acquire the skills and critical capacities they need to thrive in the legal profession.”
Before joining Protect Democracy, Langford was a clinical lecturer in law, associate research scholar in law, and the Floyd Abrams Fellow and Staff Attorney for the Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) clinic at Yale Law School. He previously clerked for the Honorable Robin S. Rosenbaum on the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and worked as a litigation associate at WilmerHale LLP.
Colleagues and former students have called Langford a creative lawyer, novel thinker, and gifted teacher who questions orthodoxy while tackling some of the most important issues affecting democracy.
“The area of First Amendment jurisprudence is lively, confused, and vital for the future of the nation,” said Sterling Professor of Law Robert Post ’77. “John exemplifies an approach to clinical education that is informed by cutting edge scholarship. The result is litigation that is not only important for the nation, but also profoundly educational for our students.”
In his time as a visiting clinical associate professor with the MFIA clinic, Langford has led the team of students in a wide range of cases, including those protecting the First Amendment rights of scientists and responding to the malicious use of AI-generated images.
Langford's writing has appeared in Lawfare, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and the Cardozo Law Review. He graduated from Oberlin College in 2010 with degrees in law and society and percussion performance and received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2014.
