Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files|

Back to Which Way, L.A.?

Which Way, L.A.?

The Fight over the Federal Judiciary

When they refused to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said that federal judges would have to "answer for their behavior." Although he later apologized for being "inartful" in his comments, the campaign to limit the third branch of government is going strong. What some conservatives call a "war on faith" by federal judges has turned into a war against the judges themselves. There are moves in Congress to limit their jurisdiction, cut their budgets and make impeachment easier. Have "activist judges" gone too far? Are proposed restrictions constitutional? We examine the latest outbreak of a controversy as old as the constitution with evangelists, legal experts, advocates of judicial independence and a former spokesman for Attorney General Janet Reno. (An extended version of this discussion was originally broadcast earlier today on To the Point.) Making News: City Council President Padilla to Back Villaraigosa With less than three weeks left until election day, Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla has switched his support from Mayor Hahn to City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa. Rick Orlov, who covers City Hall for the Daily News, assesses the impact of the announcement in the Latino community.

  • rss
  • Share
By Warren Olney • Apr 28, 2005 • 30m Listen

When they refused to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said that federal judges would have to "answer for their behavior." Although he later apologized for being "inartful" in his comments, the campaign to limit the third branch of government is going strong. What some conservatives call a "war on faith" by federal judges has turned into a war against the judges themselves. There are moves in Congress to limit their jurisdiction, cut their budgets and make impeachment easier. Have "activist judges" gone too far? Are proposed restrictions constitutional? We examine the latest outbreak of a controversy as old as the constitution with evangelists, legal experts, advocates of judicial independence and a former spokesman for Attorney General Janet Reno. (An extended version of this discussion was originally broadcast earlier today on To the Point.)

  • Making News:

    City Council President Padilla to Back Villaraigosa

    With less than three weeks left until election day, Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla has switched his support from Mayor Hahn to City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa. Rick Orlov, who covers City Hall for the Daily News, assesses the impact of the announcement in the Latino community.

Hahn re-election campaign

Villaraigosa mayoral campaign

Orlov's article on the changing mayoral race

ACLU on religious liberty

CNN feature on removal of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore

TtP (Making News segment) on Supreme Court and Terri Schiavo case

NewsHour segment on the Supreme Court and Ten Commandments

Schiavo case, Senator DeLay on

Supreme Court on Van Orden v Perry

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Warren Olney

    former KCRW broadcaster

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Frances Anderton

    architecture critic and author

    News
Back to Which Way, L.A.?