CJC Graduate Research Fellow Receives James R. Cleary Prize

Austin Vining, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project Graduate Research Fellow and doctoral student, received first place in the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy inaugural James R. Cleary Prize.

The competition honors papers published in 2018 that most creatively and convincingly propose solutions to significant problems in the field of media law and policy, including First Amendment speech and press issues.

Vining’s article, “Trick or Treat?: Mississippi County Doesn’t Clown Around With Halloween Costumes” published in the Mississippi Law Review, Issue 3, 2018, featured a Mississippi ban on clown costumes, a prohibition on mask-wearing and First Amendment rights violations. His first-place finish includes a $1,000 grant.

The prize honors the legacy of James R. Cleary, an attorney who practiced for 56 years in Huntsville, Alabama. He was particularly interested in the communications field and media law issues.  Cleary’s daughter, Telecommunication Associate Professor Emeritus Johanna Cleary, retired from UFCJC in 2015.

Posted: August 5, 2019
Category: College News, Student News
Tagged as: Austin Vining, James R. Cleary Prize, Johanna Cleary