Harvard Law School
Lawrence Lessig is Professor of law at Harvard Law School and former director of its Safra Foundation Center for Ethics. A founder of the nonprofit group Change Congress and former presidential candidate, he is a member of Elector’s Trust, a group offering free legal advice to GOP electors.
Last-ditch effort to rally Electoral College votes against Trump On Monday, 538 members of the Electoral College will meet to cast ballots for president and vice president and there's much debate about whether electors should — or legally could -- vote their conscience. Is there any chance of de-railing the President-elect? Martin Sheen, Debra Messing and other Hollywood performers have a message for the Electors: vote your conscience: Lawrence Lessig after delivering a lecture at Wesleyan University in 2010 Photo by Sage Ross Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig briefly ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. He's now part of a group called Electors Trust , offering legal advice to electors in states that voted for Donald Trump.
Lawrence Lessig Runs for Election Reform Presidential candidate Lawrence Lessig won’t be on stage at tonight’s debate. His poll numbers were too low to qualify. Lessig is running on a single-issue platform: campaign finance and election reform. He says once he accomplishes this, he would resign the presidency.
Will a 'Campaign Finance Reform' Candidate Rally Voters? In Donald Trump, Republicans have what could be called an "unorthodox" candidate for the White House. Now the Democrats have one, too… and it's not Bernie Sanders. If he could raise one million dollars to run for President, Lawrence Lessig said he would resign as a professor at Harvard Law School and begin his campaign. Now the fundraising goal has been met, and he's a candidate .
A Super PAC to End Super PACs? A Super PAC that’s designed to help end the influence of money in politics will contribute to both Democrats and Republicans in close races. Is it more likely to end the financial arms race… or escalate it?
Money and Influence on Capitol Hill Two court rulings mean that corporations, unions and other special interests can now spend unlimited amounts of money for and against candidates for the Senate and Congress. If they organize as non-profits, donors don’t have to reveal their names.
Money and Influence on Capitol Hill Supreme Court decisions have unleashed a tide of corporate and special-interest spending that is setting records for mid-term election campaigns. Conservatives and liberals are both using new rules to raise buckets of money, but Republicans are getting three times more than Democrats are. For the most part, it's perfectly legal, but what's the message about the integrity of the Senate and Congress? Are contributions directly related to votes on Capitol Hill? Has the dependence on money eroded public trust in the second branch of government?
The US Supreme Court: Free Speech and Money in Politics The US Supreme Court has taken the limits off campaign spending by corporations and unions. Has that liberated a major cause of corruption? Critics say public policy is for sale in Congress, and that unlimited special-interest spending will make things worse for both Liberals and Conservatives. Defenders say corporations and unions have rights of free speech, like people. Does that mean they can run for office? One corporation has already declared its candidacy . We talk about issues at the heart of Americans' declining confidence in their government.
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
