Chairman, Third Branch Conference
Former aide to Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee and counsel to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; chair of the Third Branch Conference, a coalition working to influence nominations to the federal courts
The US Supreme Court and Partisan Politics The first morning of Judge Sonia Sotomayor 's confirmation hearings for the US Supreme Court began and ended without her uttering a single word. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee held forth at length, starting with Democratic Chairman Patrick Leahy.
The US Supreme Court and Partisan Politics The first morning of Judge Sonia Sotomayor 's confirmation hearings for the US Supreme Court began and ended without her uttering a single word. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee held forth at length, in a debate they conceded was more about politics than the law. Democrats called her a "moderate" with a classic American story. Republicans said her "empathy" for one side means prejudice against the other. They raised hot-button issues including women's rights, the death penalty and affirmative action. We hear about the first day of hearings on a nominee who's widely expected to be confirmed. Are both parties in the business of setting agendas?
Following three tragedies: two fires and a mass shooting in Ventura On the heels of a deadly mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, two blazes in the area are forcing more than 100,000 residents in Ventura and L.A. Counties to evacuate their homes.
Interview with LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner A teacher strike is looking increasingly likely in Los Angeles, because mediation talks between the school district and the teachers' union have failed. KCRW's Saul Gonzalez sat down with Austin Beutner is the former investment banker selected to lead LA Unified, America's second largest public school system.
Too rich for our own good Affluent communities put their futures as risk when they become unaffordable for everyone but the wealthy.
Proposition 6 fuels debate among Central Coast commuters California and the Trump Administration finally found something to agree upon: offshore wind farms, which could be coming to the Central Coast. In the wealthy enclave of Montecito, an expensive race is shaping up for the local water district. Also, we’ll explain two local measures in Santa Barbara County that appear almost identical and run through the pros and cons of the state gas tax repeal.