Two Calif. Law Profs with First Amendment Interests Have Died

Two law professors with an interest in media issues have died.

Stephen Barnett, who taught at the University of California at Berkeley, died of cardiac arrest on Oct. 13, the New York Times reports. He was 73. A specialist in intellectual property and the First Amendment, he campaigned against a federal law exempting media companies from antitrust regulations. He also criticized rules allowing the depublication of appellate opinions in California.

David Kohler, the former general counsel for CNN, has died at the age of 56 after a long battle with cancer, according to the Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Kohler was director of the entertainment and media law institute at Southwestern Law School.