Columbia Global Freedom of Expression (CGFoE) continues to strengthen its decade-long partnership with Oxford University’s Price Media Law Moot Court Competition. From February 1–4, 2026, CGFoE Associate Director Dr. Hawley Johnson traveled to Cairo, Egypt, to join the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Rounds of the Oxford Price Media Law Moot Court, hosted by Ain Shams University, as a guest speaker, panelist, and judge.

CGFoE Associate Director Dr. Hawley Johnson delivering opening remarks at the MENA Rounds of Oxford Price Media Moot in Cairo, Egypt, on February 1, 2026.

Dr. Hawley Johnson delivered opening remarks highlighting the importance of the Price Moot as a forum for debating emerging challenges to freedom of expression and cultivating a new generation of media law scholars in the region. She took part in a session on digital rights and freedoms alongside CGFoE legal researchers Ibrahim Sabra, Lama Elias Achkar, and Mustafa Hammam. The panel addressed threats to academic freedom in the United States, including the targeting of universities and students for their pro-Palestinian political speech by the Trump administration, drawing from AAUP v. Rubio, Mahdawi v. Trump, and In the Matter of Mahmoud Khalil, as well as two Harvard cases involving the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security.

The visit also allowed CGFoE to engage directly with students and alumni of the Price Moot, many of whom now contribute to CGFoE’s Global Case Law Database and research initiatives. As part of the MENA Rounds, Dr. Johnson served as a judge in the oral pleadings and participated in discussions on the future of media law, digital governance, and legal education.

“In light of the emerging threats to freedom of expression globally, the need for this media law moot court could not be greater,” Dr. Johnson noted. “It provides a forum for debating emerging issues and fosters a community to advance international human rights law. Most importantly, it inspires the next generation of freedom of expression legal scholars in the region.”