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Drexel University
Associate professor of law at Drexel University
PROFILE
Lisa McElroy
Guest
FROM Lisa McElroy
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Should immigrants facing deportation be able to post bail? Today in the case Jennings v. Rodriguez, the Supreme Court pondered whether immigrants facing deportation should be in detention facilities indefinitely or whether they should be eligible for bond hearings that could lead to their release. The case concerns legal permanent residents who’ve been convicted of crimes and asylum seekers.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Can the Supreme Court work indefinitely without nine justices? The Supreme Court has been short a justice since Antonin Scalia died in February. While Senator John McCain walked back a statement that the Senate will block any Supreme Court nominee that Clinton might put forward, Senator Ted Cruz raised the prospect of Republicans fighting to keep the seat vacant. This week, Cruz said there is precedent for the court having fewer than nine justices.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Supreme Court Strikes Down Texas Abortion Restriction Laws The Supreme Court handed down a decision that could limit states’ rights to regulate abortion for years to come. In a 5-3 decision Monday, the justices struck down Texas’ strict anti-abortion laws. Now the door is open to challenge similar laws across the country. What will happen in other states? And what happens next in Texas, where nearly two dozen abortion clinics have closed in the past three years?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Supreme Court Divided in Police Seizure Decision The Supreme Court ruled Monday that police can seize evidence during unconstitutional traffic stops in some cases. If suspects have outstanding arrest warrants, the court says, cops can search their cars, even if they stopped them for no reason. The 5-3 decision revealed a sharp divide between the conservative and liberal justices. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a blistering dissent saying her colleagues in the majority weakened the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches, which would cause more discrimination against minorities. How might the decision affect everyday citizens?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
SCOTUS Non-Decision in Contraceptive Case Highlights Court’s Vacancy The Supreme Court issued a non-decision Monday in a case about contraception, the Affordable Care Act and religious freedom. At issue was whether Obamacare’s mandate to provide free birth control is a substantial burden on a religious organization. The eight justices asked the two sides to work out a compromise in the lower courts. The unanimous decision to send the case back to the appellate level is an attempt to avoid a 4-4 deadlock. And it highlights how the court’s empty ninth seat has become an issue as the term winds down and Congress continues to refuse to hold a hearing on the nomination of Merrick Garland.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
SCOTUS Rules on Pregnant Woman’s Workplace Case The U.S. Supreme Court decided yesterday in favor of a pregnant woman who sued her employer for putting her on unpaid leave. Peggy Young asked UPS if they would accommodate her because she couldn’t lift heavy boxes, and they said no. Her manager reportedly told her that "she was too much of a liability" to work as a driver or be given another job temporarily. The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision in her favor doesn’t rule on the merits of Young’s case, but ensures that she gets to argue her claim before a lower court. What could the ruling mean for Young and future cases?
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How do Trump supporters feel about the Paris Accord? Globally and around the U.S., there are strong opinions whether or not the Paris Climate Accord is a good idea. The American exit is either a horrifying abdication of American leadership or a forceful and long overdue statement about U.S. sovereignty.
Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
Bookworm
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."
Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”