Former US Attorney
Former US Attorney in Los Angeles and author of Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court; former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun (1988-89); columnist at FindLaw.com
PROFILE
Edward Lazarus
Guest
FROM Edward Lazarus
To the Point
Supreme Court Divided Again on a Major Decision In 1954, US Supreme Court ruled --without a dissenting vote--that racial segregation in public schools violated the Constitution. The Court's unanimity was considered a great achievement by the new Chief Justice, Earl Warren --and a major factor in driving the subsequent integration of schools. Today, the US Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that schools cannot consider race in trying to maintain racial diversity. School districts nationwide could be affected by a split decision with Bush appointees Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts on the winning side. In dissent, Stephen Breyer said, "This is a decision the nation and the court will come to regret." We consider the first term of the Roberts Court, and whether its record of 5-to-4 decisions will make history or leave major issues more muddled than ever.
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It’s RICO season It’s a special week because it’s the week where Ken finally concedes it might actually be RICO.
The 805
A Santa Barbara doctor learns to treat his own pain At the peak of his career as a palliative care doctor in Santa Barbara, Michael Kearney found himself burned out and in a state of personal suffering. Even though he had become an expert in treating the pain of others, he couldn’t treat his own. That changed when he had a revelatory experience that provided him with a path forward. Meanwhile, the November election is just days away, a look at what could happen to the Central Coast if California voters pass Proposition 10.