Jacob Rowbottom
Professor of Law
Biography
Jacob Rowbottom is a Fellow of University College, Oxford, and Professor of Law in the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford. He holds a BA in Jurisprudence from Oxford and an LLM from New York University School of Law. He was previously a University Lecturer in Law and Fellow of King's College at the University of Cambridge. He is a qualified barrister and previously worked on the staff of an election campaign for the US Senate. His research interests include media law, freedom of expression and the legal regulation of the democratic process. He is the author of Democracy Distorted (2010) and Media Law.
Publications
Rowbottom J, ‘Private conversations and standards of propriety: DPP v Cobban’ (2025) ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print) Journal of Media Law 1
Rowbottom J, ‘Introduction’ (2022) 14(2) Journal of Media Law 218
ROWBOTTOM J, ‘A thumb on the scale: measures short of a prohibition to combat hate speech’ [2022] The Journal of Media Law
ROWBOTTOM J, ‘Political Purposes, Anti-entrenchment and Judicial Protection of the Democratic Process’ [2021] Oxford Journal of Legal Studies
ROWBOTTOM J, ‘The regulation of third party campaigning in UK elections’ [2020] Political Quarterly
Rowbottom J, ‘The Law of Politics: Elections, Parties and Money in Australia, Second Edition’ (2020) 31(1) King’s Law Journal 164
Rowbottom J, ‘Introduction’ (2019) 11(1) Journal of Media Law 1
Rowbottom J, ‘The Transformation of Obscenity Law’ [2017] Information & Communications Technology Law
Rowbottom J, ‘Government Speech and Public Opinion: Democracy by the Bootstraps’ [2016] Journal of Political Philosophy
Rowbottom J, ‘Corruption, Transparency and Reputation: The Role of Publicity in Regulating Political Donations’ (2016) 75(July) Cambridge Law Journal
Rowbottom J, ‘A Landmark at a Turning Point: Campbell and the use of privacy law to constrain media power’ [2015] Journal of Media Law 170
Rowbottom J, ‘Politicians, the Press and Lobbying’ (2013) 5(2) Journal of Media Law
Rowbottom J, ‘Deliberation and Mass Media Communication in Election Campaigns’ (2013) 12(4) Election Law Journal 435
Rowbottom J, ‘Leveson, press freedom and the watchdogs’ (2013) 21(1) Renewal 57
Rowbottom J, ‘Lies, Manipulation and Elections—Controlling False Campaign Statements’ (2012) 32(3) Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 507
Rowbottom J, ‘TO RANT, VENT AND CONVERSE: PROTECTING LOW LEVEL DIGITAL SPEECH’ (2012) 71(2) The Cambridge Law Journal 355
Rowbottom J, ‘Financing Political Parties in the United Kingdom’ (2010) 6(3) Policy Quarterly (New Zealand)
Rowbottom J, ‘Obscenity Laws and the Internet: Targeting the Supply and Demand’ [2006] Criminal Law Review 97
Rowbottom J, ‘Media Freedom and Political Debate in the Digital Era’ [2006] Modern Law Review 489
Rowbottom J, ‘The Electoral Commission’s proposals on the funding of political parties’ [2005] Public Law 468
Rowbottom J, ‘Property and Participation: A Right of Access for Expressive Activities’ [2005] (2) European Human Rights Law Review
Rowbottom J, ‘Shielding Children: The European Way’ (2003) 79 Chicago-Kent L. Rev. 175
Rowbottom J, ‘Political Donations and the Democratic Process: Rationales for Reform’ [2002] Public Law 758
ROWBOTTOM J, ‘Power and the public eye: why the limits of acceptable criticism are wider for public figures’ Public Law
ROWBOTTOM J, ‘In the Shadow of the Big Media: Freedom of Expression, Participation and the Production of Knowledge Online’ Oxford Legal Studies Research Paper No. 10 2014
Rowbottom J, ‘Campaign finance and electoral speech in the media’, Comparative Election Law (Edward Elgar Publishing 2022)
Rowbottom J, ‘Transposing Public Service Media Obligations to Dominant Platforms’ in M Moore and D Tambini (eds.), Regulating Big Tech : policy responses to digital dominance (OUP 2021)
ROWBOTTOM J, ‘Positive Protection for Speech and Substantive Political Equality’ in AT Keynon and A Scott (eds.), Positive Free Speech: Rationales, Methods and Implications (Hart Publishing 2020)
ROWBOTTOM J, ‘Freedom of Expression and the Right to Vote: Political Rights and the Common Law Constitution’ in M Elliott and K Hughes (eds.), Common Law Constitutional Rights (Hart Publishing 2020)
Rowbottom J, ‘Political Finance and the Constitution of Social Democracy’ in A Bogg, J Rowbottom and A L Young (eds.), The Constitution of Social Democracy (Hart 2020)
Rowbottom J, ‘Careful what you wish for Press criticism of the legal protection of human rights’, HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE MEDIA: FEAR AND FETISH (2019)
Rowbottom J, ‘Crime and communication: do legal controls leave enough space for freedom of expression’ in L Gillies and D Mangan (eds.), The Legal Challenges of Social Media (Edward Elgar 2017)
Rowbottom J, ‘The protection of expression in the UK: Old principles in a digital world’, The Internet and Constitutional Law: The protection of Fundamental Rights and Constitutional Adjudication in Europe (2016)
Rowbottom J, ‘A Trump Card Which Sometimes Wins’ in P Davies and J Pila (eds.), The Jurisprudence of Lord Hoffmann (Hart 2015)
Rowbottom J, ‘Entick and Carrington, the Propaganda Wars and Liberty of the Press’ in A Tomkins and P Scott (eds.), Entick v Carrington: 250 Years of the Rule of Law (Hart 2015)
Rowbottom J, ‘To Punish, Inform, and Criticise: The Goals of Naming and Shaming’ in J Petley (ed.), Media and Public Shaming (2013)
Rowbottom J, ‘An Ocean Apart: Money, Free Speech and Politics in Britain and the USA (in Spanish)’, Colección de Sentencias Extranjeras (Tribunal Electoral del Poder Judicial de la Federación 2012)
Rowbottom J, ‘Cash for Amendments, Homes and Moats: Standards of Conduct in Westminster’ in J Tham, B Costar and G Orr (eds.), Electoral Regulation and Prospects for Australian Democracy (Melbourne University Press 2011)
Rowbottom J, ‘Institutional Donations to Political Parties’ in K Ewing, J Rowbottom and J Tham (eds.), The Funding of Political Parties: Where Now? (Routledge 2011)
D. Ewing K and Rowbottom J, ‘Spending Controls: New Campaign Actors and New Regulatory Techniques’ in K Ewing, J Rowbottom and J Tham (eds.), The Funding of Political Parties: Where Now? (Routledge 2011)
Rowbottom J, ‘Extreme Speech and the Democratic Functions of the Mass Media’ in I Hare and J Weinstein (eds.), Extreme Speech and Democracy (Oxford University Press 2009)
Rowbottom J, ‘Access to the Airwaves and Equality: The Case Against Political Advertising on the Broadcast Media’ in K Ewing and S Issacharoff (eds.), Party Funding and Campaign Financing in International Perspective (Hart 2006)
Rowbottom J, ‘Campaign Finance Law in the UK’ in T Grant (ed.), Lobbying, Government Relations, and Campaign Finance Worldwide (Oceana/OUP 2005)
Rowbottom J, The Funding of Political Parties: Where Now? (Routledge 2011)
Rowbottom J, ‘Terrorism law and the erosion of free speech in the UK’ (Verfassungsblog, 1 January 2022)
Rowbottom J, ‘Review of K. Ewing, The Cost of Democracy’ [2008] Public Law 617 (review)
Rowbottom J, ‘Review of Building the UK’s New Supreme Court’ (2005) 64 Cambridge Law Journal 253 (review)
Rowbottom J, ‘Review of Parker, Scott, Lacey and Braithewaite, Regulating Law’ [2005] (676) Public Law (review)
Rowbottom J, ‘Holding back the tide: privacy injunctions and the digital media’ (2017) 133(Apr) Law Quarterly Review 177 (case-note)
Rowbottom J, ‘Animal Defenders International: speech, spending, and a change of direction in Strasbourg’ (2013) 5 Journal of Media Law 1 (case-note)
Rowbottom J, ‘Political advertising and the broadcast media’ (2008) 67 Cambridge Law Journal 450 (case-note)
Rowbottom J, ‘Libel and the Public Interest’ (2007) 66 Cambridge Law Journal 8 (case-note)
Rowbottom J, ‘The Ban on Political Advertising and Article 10’ (2007) 18 Entertainment Law Review 91 (case-note)
Rowbottom J, ‘Article 10 and Election Broadcasts’ (2003) 119 Law Quarterly Review 553 (case-note)
Rowbottom J, ‘Homes for Votes, Bias and Political Purposes’ (2002) 118 Law Quarterly Review 364 (case-note)
Rowbottom J, ‘Freedom of Speech in Election Broadcasts’ (2002) 152 New Law Journal 679 (case-note)
Rowbottom J, ‘Written evidence on freedom of expression online to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’ (2021) HL
Rowbottom J, ‘Written Evidence on Democracy, Free Speech and Freedom of Association to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ (2019) London
Rowbottom J, ‘Written Evidence on Internet Regulation to the House of Lords Communications Committee’ (2018) London
Rowbottom J, ‘Written evidence on Fake News to the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’ (2017) London
Rowbottom J, ‘Written Evidence to the House of Lords Trade Union and Party Funding Committee’ (2016)
Rowbottom J, ‘Written evidence on the funding of political parties to the Committee on Standards in Public Life’ (2010)
Rowbottom J, ‘Written evidence on media ownership (House of Lords Communications Committee, Jun 2008), The ownership of the news, HL Paper 122’ (2008)
Rowbottom J, ‘Written evidence on the funding of political parties\"" (House of Commons Constitutional Affairs Committee, Party Funding, Aug 2006) HC 163-II, Ev.69-73.’ (2006)