Mohsin Mirza joins Reporters Committee as Inasmuch Foundation Legal Fellow
Mohsin Mirza has joined the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press as the new Inasmuch Foundation Legal Fellow, a position in which he will focus on First Amendment issues, including libel, invasion of privacy and the protection of confidential sources.
During his year-long fellowship, which began in September, Mohsin will draft amicus briefs and help vet journalists’ stories before publication to assess legal risk.
“I think the information that journalists reveal, whether it’s through their reporting or long-term investigations, often brings to light many issues in our society that need to be confronted,” Mohsin said. “In an age of excessive government secrecy, that is more important now than ever.”
Originally from Fremont, California, Mohsin majored in sociology and Black studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He then worked as the Voting Rights Program coordinator at Asian Americans Advancing Justice: Asian Law Caucus, where he focused on improving voting access to non-English speaking voters.
Mohsin says he was drawn to law school because he was interested in helping solve civil liberties issues plaguing our society — and he noticed that lawyers were often at the front lines of those important battles.
“Some of the most important pushback to the injustice … was happening in the streets, but it was also happening in the courtrooms, it was happening through the work of journalists,” Mohsin said. “Through my own interest and skill set, I thought that law school was a good way I could contribute.”
Mohsin graduated from Berkeley Law in May. Before joining the Reporters Committee, he interned at the California Attorney General’s Office and the NAACP-Legal Defense Fund.
Mohsin Mirza is not admitted to practice law.
The Reporters Committee regularly files friend-of-the-court briefs and its attorneys represent journalists and news organizations pro bono in court cases that involve First Amendment freedoms, the newsgathering rights of journalists and access to public information. Stay up-to-date on our work by signing up for our monthly newsletter and following us on Twitter or Instagram.
Photo by Anna G. Bahn