The Institute for Free Speech is pleased to welcome Stacy Hanson as our second First Amendment Fellow in the 2021-2022 class. Stacy will work with the Institute’s now nine-member legal team to tackle all aspects of trial and appellate practice in cases challenging restrictions on the rights of Americans to freely speak, publish, assemble, and petition the government and their fellow citizens. The Institute previously announced the first member of our 2021-2022 First Amendment Fellow class, Glynis Gilio, in mid-August.
As Stacy explains, “I knew early on during law school that I wanted to immerse myself in the fight for liberty. Robust First Amendment rights are essential to promoting civil discourse during an otherwise polarizing time. Fighting to protect those rights on a daily basis is something I couldn’t have ever imagined I would have the privilege of doing so early in my career. I’m thrilled that IFS has provided me the opportunity to learn and work beside some of the best First Amendment litigators in the country.”
Stacy began her legal career in 2020 as a Legal Fellow at the Cato Institute. During her time there, Stacy took a lead role in drafting two Supreme Court amicus briefs in the cases Brnovich v. DNC and Ortiz-Díaz v. United States and assisted in editing several others. She also published an op-ed and co-authored several blog posts on current legal issues and participated in editing the forthcoming edition of the 2020-2021 Cato Supreme Court Review, which will feature an entry from IFS Chairman Bradley A. Smith on the importance of AFPF v. Bonta to protecting Americans’ freedom of association.
Stacy graduated cum laude with a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Washington State University. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois. As a law student, Stacy served as President of the Federalist Society, Vice President of Student Legal Relief, and spent two semesters participating in Illinois’ Veterans Legal Clinic.
She also completed legal internships with the Pacific Legal Foundation, Illinois House of Representatives, U.S. Navy, and U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Outside of work, Stacy enjoys frequenting the Saint Louis Zoo, cheering on the Seattle Seahawks, and playing tennis.
We are excited to work with Stacy during her fellowship and benefit from her passion for protecting Americans’ First Amendment political speech freedoms. Please join us in offering her an enthusiastic welcome.
