Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium , 7 p.m.

The First Amendment and This Moment: Journalism and Law

Scott MacFarlane, chief Washington correspondent and anchor for the MeidasTouch Network

John E. Jones III ’77, P’11, president of Dickinson College

Join investigative journalist Scott MacFarlane and Dickinson President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11, a former federal judge, for a conversation about freedom of the press, freedom of speech and the challenges facing American democracy. MacFarlane is chief Washington correspondent and anchor for the MeidasTouch Network. Jones served as chief judge of the U.S. Middle District of Pennsylvania before leaving the bench to lead his alma mater in 2021. Their dialogue will touch on constitutional cases, press access, the pursuit of truth, engaged citizenship and public trust.

This program is presented by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.

Biographies (provided by the speakers)

Scott MacFarlane is anchor of Scott MacFarlane Reports and chief Washington correspondent for MeidasTouch Network. His independent journalism and investigative reporting can be found across YouTube, Substack, Instagram, X, TikTok and more.

Most recently, Scott departed CBS News where he covered the U.S. Congress and Justice Department. He served as the designated House chamber correspondent for Presidential State of the Union addresses and in-studio correspondent for election night coverage. He also covered Supreme Court confirmation hearings and was in the courtrooms for all of the legal cases involving President Donald Trump in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C.

In more than 20 years of reporting in Washington, MacFarlane has earned 20 Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. His reporting has led directly to the passage of five new state laws in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. to bolster protections for children in public schools, helping MacFarlane secure the Anna Quindlen Award for excellence in journalism from the Child Welfare League of America.

John E. Jones III ’77, P’11, was officially named Dickinson College’s 30th president on Feb. 28, 2022, after serving as interim president since the summer of 2021.

After taking the helm, Jones immediately launched the Dickinson Forward: Our Revolutionary Future initiative that included a strategic planning process and the college’s most ambitious scholarship fundraising campaign in its history. The college has advanced rapidly under Jones’ leadership, building an alumni and family center, improving athletics facilities, witnessing record philanthropic investments in the academic program and renovating the student center on campus. He also led the college in taking a bold step forward in its commitment to affordability by launching the Dickinson Promise, which offers tuition-free education to eligible domestic students from families earning $125,000 or less, while eliminating student loans from financial aid packages for families earning $75,000 or less.

Jones previously served as chair of Dickinson’s board of trustees and retired as chief judge of the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania. He was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate in 2002.

Jones presided over a number of high-profile cases, including the landmark case of Kitzmiller v. Dover School District, after which he held that it was unconstitutional to teach intelligent design within a public school science curriculum. He also resolved the matter of Whitewood v. Wolf by striking down as unconstitutional Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriage. Jones co-chaired Pennsylvania Governor-elect Tom Ridge’s transition team and served as chair of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Jones has received numerous accolades during his career. In 2006, Time Magazine named him as one of its Time 100 most influential people in the world. He was the recipient of the first John Marshall Judicial Independence Award given by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He also received the Geological Society of America’s President’s Medal and was inducted into the George Washington Spirit Society. An engaged alumnus and champion of the liberal arts, Jones was presented with an honorary doctorate in law and public policy from Dickinson College, where he also was recognized as one of the 25 most influential graduates in the college’s history.

Born and raised in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, he is a graduate of Mercersburg Academy, Dickinson College and Penn State Dickinson Law. He and his wife Beth have two children, Meghan and John ’11, and four grandchildren.