- Social:
Stanford University
Professor of law at Stanford University and director of its Criminal Justice Center
PROFILE
Robert Weisberg
Guest
FROM Robert Weisberg
Which Way, L.A.?
Long Delays in Death Penalty Not Unconstitutional California's system of capital punishment is dysfunctional, but long delays do not constitute "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Eighth Amendment. That's the conclusion of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today, overruling a decision by a lower federal court last year. Professor Robert Weisberg, Director of the Criminal Justice Center at Stanford, clarifies today's decision.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why Do We Have Grand Juries? In Ferguson, Missouri and New York, grand jurors have refused to indict police officers who killed unarmed suspects, leading to protests across the country. The situation has left many wondering about the role of the grand jury in the criminal justice system : Why does it exist, and why is it necessary on top of regular jury trials?
Which Way, L.A.?
Prison Realignment and the Early Release of Jail Inmates Three years ago, the US Supreme court ruled that overcrowding in California’s prisons violated prisoners constitutional rights. The Brown Administration then instituted “realignment,” which means sending convicts for lesser crimes to county jails instead of state prisons. But there is no system of oversight—or even data collection—to determine the impact. So the LA Times conducted its own investigation .
Which Way, L.A.?
Coffeehouse Showdown: Gun Owners Test the Limits of the Law When Barack Obama was elected President, the National Rifle Association predicted a massive effort at gun control, and gun sales shot up last year by 39%. But when Chicago's ban on handguns was challenged last week in the US Supreme Court, the Obama Administration was silent.
To the Point
Coffeehouse Showdown: Gun Owners Test the Limits of the Law When Barack Obama was elected President, the National Rifle Association predicted a massive effort at gun control, and gun sales shot up last year by 39%. But he US Supreme Court has thrown out the handgun ban in Washington, DC, and when Chicago's ban on handguns was challenged last week in the US Supreme Court, the Obama Administration was silent. The Gallup Poll says that support for gun control in the US has dropped in the past 20 years from 78% to 44%. We hear about the history and possible future of gun control.
Recommended
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
To the Point
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.