Eben Moglen
Professor of Law and Legal History
Eben Moglen is Professor of Law and Legal History at Columbia Law School, where he has taught since 1987. He is the founder, director-counsel, and chairman of the Software Freedom Law Center and serves as general counsel of the Free Software Foundation. He clerked for Justice Thurgood Marshall on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2003, he received the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award for his contributions to freedom in the digital space.
Teaching Style
Professor Moglen is a passionate and iconoclastic lecturer known for his sweeping, provocative lectures that blend legal history, technology, and political philosophy. He does not rely on a traditional Socratic cold-call format but instead delivers extended, richly argued presentations and then engages students in challenging dialogue. His classes feel more like intellectual seminars than standard law school courses, and he expects students to think critically about the intersection of technology and civil liberties.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Come prepared with strong opinions about digital privacy and surveillance — Moglen thrives on intellectual debate and disagreement
- 2Read widely about the history of free software, the internet, and constitutional privacy protections
- 3Be ready to connect historical developments in law and technology to current controversies over platform power and data collection
- 4Do not be afraid to challenge his positions — he respects well-reasoned pushback more than passive agreement
Areas of Expertise
Education
- J.D., Yale Law School
- M.Phil., Yale University (History)
- B.A., Swarthmore College
Notable Publications
- The dotCommunist Manifesto (2003)
- Freedom in the Cloud (lecture series)
Research Interests
More Professors at Columbia Law School
Constitutional Law, Comparative Constitutional Law, Federal Courts, First Amendment
Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Federal Courts
Antitrust Law, Intellectual Property, Internet Law, Media Law
Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Political Theory, Punishment and Society
Property Law, Land Use, Real Estate Transactions
Financial Regulation, Corporations, Banking Law, Securities Regulation