Campbell Law Assistant Professor Nicole Ligon publishes article in Penn State Law Review

RALEIGH - Campbell Law School Assistant Professor Nicole Ligon has published a new article, "Due Process and Press Credentialing," in the Penn State Law Review, offering a timely examination of the constitutional questions surrounding government-issued press credentials.

The article is available at this link.

The article addresses a bipartisan issue that has surfaced across multiple presidential administrations: whether journalists have constitutionally protected interests in accessing government press briefings and other newsworthy events.

Ligon notes that across the past four presidential administrations and at the state and local level government officials have, at times, restricted journalists' access to press briefings and other newsworthy events. Despite these recurring disputes, the law remains unsettled as to whether due process is required before that access is denied or revoked.

In the article, Ligon examines whether press credentials should be understood as liberty or property interests protected by the Constitution. Drawing on analogies to professional licensing regimes and other administrative frameworks, she evaluates whether similar procedural safeguards should apply when press access is denied or revoked. The piece is the first law review article to examine government press credentialing through the lens of procedural due process and to evaluate whether the denial or revocation of such credentials should trigger constitutional protections.

Beyond diagnosing the doctrinal uncertainty, Ligon proposes structural reforms designed to bring greater fairness, transparency and consistency to press-credentialing systems nationwide.

Ligon expressed gratitude to the Penn State Law Review and to her research assistant Natalie J. Livingston '26, whose contributions Ligon said were instrumental in bringing the article to fruition. She also acknowledged the colleagues and mentors who supported the project.

Her publication contributes to a growing national conversation about press freedom, administrative discretion and the constitutional limits on government control of media access, Ligon said. "It also reflects Campbell Law's continued commitment to scholarship that engages with pressing legal and democratic challenges," she added.

ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL

Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation's top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation's best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2026, Campbell Law is celebrating 50 years of graduating legal leaders and 17 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina's Capital City.

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