University of Texas Law School
Professor of Law at the University of Texas Law School and the Department of Government; author of Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong and How We the People Can Correct It and the recently published Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance
Justice Anthony Kennedy: Key Vote on the Supreme Court Before the end of this month, the US Supreme Court will decide if President Obama's healthcare reform violates the Constitution. Will liberals and conservatives split four-to-four and let Justice Anthony Kennedy make the call? Will public opinion, the court's role in politics and their own legacies influence how the justices make up their minds? Leaving issues like states' rights and the Commerce Clause until the decision comes down, we look at the justices themselves, their concerns about the law and their legacies and the Court's role in American politics.
The US Supreme Court, the Constitution and American Politics Before the end of this month, the US Supreme Court will decide whether President Obama's major achievement -- healthcare reform -- violates the Constitution. (We'll leave issues like states' rights and the Commerce Clause until the decision comes down.) Since the Court decided the presidential election of 2000 , more and more Americans think it's made up of political animals. We look at the justices themselves, their concerns about the law and their legacies and the court's role in American politics. Will conservatives and liberals divide four-to-four and leave it up to Anthony Kennedy ? Will Chief Justice John Roberts allow Kennedy to be " The Decider ?" Whatever its ruling might be, has "the third branch of government" ever been truly separate from politics?
Too rich for our own good Affluent communities put their futures as risk when they become unaffordable for everyone but the wealthy.
Regulars at Borderline Bar & Grill reflect on the shooting This year there has been a mass shooting in America on average almost once per day. As you know, the most recent was the mass shooting in Thousand Oaks where 12 people were killed when a gunman opened fire inside a local bar. It was called Borderline Bar & Grill. KCRW’s David Weinberg talked to some of the bar’s regulars about what made the place special.
Measure B and municipal banking After the 2008 financial crisis, an activist movement rose up in opposition to the big Wall Street banks that caused the subprime mortgage collapse. They camped out in a park at the base of Wall Street, called themselves Occupy Wall street and eventually the movement spread to other cities. And here in LA there is a measure on the ballot for this Tuesday that has its roots in the Occupy LA movement.
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.