ACS Law Talk
Summary: In this legal podcast series presented by the American Constitution Society for Law & Policy, scholars and legal experts discuss pressing constitutional and legal topics, cases, and debates. From voting rights to criminal justice, equality and liberty, each episode examines what having a progressive vision of the Constitution really means.
- Visit Website
- RSS
- Artist: American Constitution Society
- Copyright: © 2013 American Constitution Society
Podcasts:
This week the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in two cases – Hollingsworth v. Perry and U.S. Windsor – that may have a significant impact on LGBT equality. The podcast features a discussion with Nan Hunter, an associate dean and constitutional law scholar at Georgetown Law Center, and Nancy Polikoff, a professor of law and an expert on sexuality and the law.
The War on Christmas continues to be annual topic of debate, but is there any real legal questions surrounding the public celebration of the holidays? Boston University's Jay Wexler discusses the legal situation and explains why Christmas trees are somehow secular objects.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak discusses how gun violence is a public health issue. While bemoaning political paralysis on the issue at a national level, Mayor Rybak explains how gun violence impacts at-risk communities and the mentally ill and discusses efforts Minneapolis has taken to push back against violence, including the city's "Blueprint for Action" to combat youth violence.
Despite a year where gun violence was never far from the headlines, American gun culture received almost no discussion in the Presidential campaign. Politicians were quick to suggest any discussion about gun laws should wait until after the election. With a new year on the horizon, UCLA's Adam Winkler discusses America's gun culture and what the future of gun control in this country should look like.
On Sunday, November 25th, the Department of Homeland Security marked ten years since its creation. Former congressman and vice-chairman of the 9/11 Commission, Lee Hamilton, discusses the state of homeland security, what fixes are in order, and how we can better oversee our national security apparatus to ensure the protection of civil liberties.
Constitutional scholar Garrett Epps discusses his new book, Wrong and Dangerous: Ten Right-Wing Myths About Our Constitution, and explains how a coalition of talking heads, angry "patriot groups" and Tea Party politicians have substituted partisan myth for facts about our Constitution's history.
With the president election just one week away, Justin Levitt explains what is wrong with our election system and reveals that new voting regulations, including voter IDs, voter purges, and registration limitations, do nothing to improve the integrity of our election.
Affirmative action continues to be a volatile issue in American politics. This week the Supreme Court will face the issue head-on in Fisher v. University of Texas, a dispute over UT's consideration of race in undergraduate admissions. Ted Shaw, who spent twenty years with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, discusses the history of affirmative action, and MALDEF's Thomas Saenz explains why continuing discrimination in Texas is particularly important to understanding this case.
The Supreme Court opens its new term by hearing rearguments in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, a dispute involving torture, corporate malfeasance, and the ability of American courts to address international law violations outside U.S. borders. Stanford Law's Jenny Martinez discusses what's at stake and provides history into the Alien Tort Statute, a law dating back to the time of the country's founding.
Boston College's Kent Greenfield plays constitutional curmudgeon and explains why Constitution Day, or at least conditioning federal funds on the celebration of it, is unconstitutional.
In the first episode of ACS Law Talk, we celebrate the 225th anniversary of the Constitution by talking about the continuing vitality of our founding document with Stanford Law's Pamela Karlan. ACS President Caroline Fredrickson also discusses how ACS helps shape the debate.