Touro University, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center professor Rodger D. Citron discusses the civil rights history of New York Times v. Sullivan with legal historian Samantha Barbas in a podcast conversation regarding her book, Actual Malice. Professor Citron highlights Barbas’s findings that Alabama officials weaponized libel law to suppress coverage of the civil rights movement and emphasizes that this racial context remains essential to understanding the case’s legal legacy.
UNLV Boyd School of Law professor Leslie C. Griffin discusses the case of Gisèle Pelicot, who was drugged and raped by her husband and dozens of other men over a decade, as chronicled in Pelicot’s memoir Shame Has to Change Sides. Professor Griffin argues that Pelicot’s demand for an open trial serves as a vital challenge to patriarchal structures and underscores the necessity of shifting the burden of shame from victims to the perpetrators of sexual violence.
Cornell professor Joseph Margulies discusses the Cornell University Board of Trustees’ investigation into a 2026 confrontation between President Michael Kotlikoff and student protesters. Professor Margulies contends that the inquiry was a fraudulent “Potemkin process” that lacked true independence by tasking campus police with investigating their own superior, thereby eroding institutional legitimacy through a preordained exoneration.
University of Pennsylvania professor Marci A. Hamilton discusses Donald Trump’s dual strategy for institutionalizing White Christian Nationalism by installing a conservative Supreme Court majority and empowering the religious right’s political agenda. Professor Hamilton argues that these efforts subvert the separation of church and state by promoting a false historical narrative and prioritizing the specific theological demands of a minority over the rule of law and civil liberties.
Cornell Law professor Michael C. Dorf discusses the settlement of a lawsuit between Donald Trump and the Department of Justice, which established a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and granted the Trump family permanent immunity from various tax claims. Professor Dorf argues that this arrangement constitutes a corrupt exploitation of the Federal Judgment Fund and urges Congress to implement structural reforms to prevent future presidents from bypassing the constitutional power of the purse through collusive litigation.
Amherst professor Austin Sarat discusses the Department of Justice’s decision to seek the death penalty for Elias Rodriguez following his 2025 antisemitic murders at the Capital Jewish Museum. Professor Sarat argues that American Jews should oppose the execution because capital punishment contradicts the Jewish values of “repairing the world,” violates long-standing rabbinical skepticism toward state-sanctioned killing, and denies the fundamental human right to make moral amends.
UC Davis Law professor Vikram David Amar discusses the Virginia Attorney General’s emergency application for the U.S. Supreme Court to stay a state supreme court ruling that invalidated a redistricting-related constitutional amendment. Professor Amar argues that the challenge will fail because the state court’s decision rests on an independent interpretation of the Virginia Constitution and constitutes a routine exercise of judicial review that warrants deference under Moore v. Harper.
Cornell Law professor Michael C. Dorf discusses the Supreme Court’s role in enabling racial gerrymandering under the guise of partisan strategy and the resulting limitations of current legislative remedies like the Voting Rights Act. Professor Dorf argues that Congress should use its constitutional authority to mandate independent redistricting commissions or, more effectively, adopt a system of statewide proportional representation to ensure fair minority voice without using the specific racial classifications the current Court finds objectionable.
University of Pennsylvania professor Marci A. Hamilton discusses the systemic barriers child sex abuse survivors face when seeking justice and highlights three individuals who use their professional expertise to force institutional transparency and reform. Professor Hamilton argues that while these survivors courageously drive progress, society must stop placing the burden of child protection on the victims and instead proactively hold institutions accountable.
Amherst professor Austin Sarat discusses the historical prominence and systemic flaws of capital punishment in Texas as the state nears its 600th execution since 1977. Professor Sarat argues that Texas’s continued practice of executing intellectually disabled and mentally ill individuals defies constitutional standards and highlights an urgent need for political leaders to abolish the death penalty.
Amherst professor Austin Sarat discusses a Justice Department motion to lift an injunction against the construction of Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, noting that the filing adopts the inflammatory and legally irrelevant rhetoric of President Trump’s social media posts. Professor Sarat argues that the lawyers involved violated their ethical obligations and federal procedural rules by submitting such a frivolous document and urges the court to impose sanctions to protect the rule of law.
Amherst professor Austin Sarat examines the case of Tony Carruthers, a Tennessee death row inmate scheduled for execution despite significant evidence of innocence and severe procedural failures at trial. Professor Sarat argues that Governor Bill Lee should exercise his clemency power to spare Carruthers’ life, contending that the case exemplifies the systemic failings that make executive clemency a critical but underused safeguard against miscarriages of justice.
