U.S. Judge on Judging

New York Times columnist David French interviews Jeffrey Sutton, chief judge of the Sixth Cercuit Court of Appeals, asking Judge Sutton to explain what it is that a judge does, what his judicial philosophy is. 26 min., transcript available.

Two Important U.S. Supreme Court Cases

On December 5th and 7th, the U.S. Supreme Court heard two cases that received widespread attention. NPR's Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg presents them both. The first case concerned a web designer who didn't want to follow a Colorado anti-discrimination statute that would not allow her to refuse to create same-sex wedding sites under the theory that her designs were a form of speech and she shouldn't be forced to present a message with which she disagreed. 4 min. 38 sec.

The second involved election law and the legal status of a novel theory that only state legislatures, not state courts or governors, have the last say about elections. Former President Trump's supporters tried to use a form of this theory to overturn the 2020 election results. 4 min. 45 sec.

There is no transcript for either recording but available with both is a text which is almost a transcript.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dies

NPR's Nina Totenberg, on All Things Considered, provides a history of Antonin Scalia's role on the Supreme Court in a report with many clips of Scalia's voice. 11 min 23 sec, transcript available. A video of President Obama's remarks can be found here.
Justice Scalia was known not only for his views on the Constitution but also for his remarkable prose style. Slate has posted an article "What Made Antonin Scalia a Great Writer". The subtitle says it all: "The novelty of this language, his use of metaphor, and his wicked sense of humor".

Is Ted Cruz Eligible to Become U.S. President?

The Harvard Law School Federalist Society organized a debate between two of the most prominent American constitutional law professors - Lawrence Tribe and Jack Balkin - concerning the possible presidency of Ted Cruz. Can Cruz, born in Canada to a Cuban father and an American mother, be considered a « natural-born citizen » a requirement of article II of the constitution for American presidents? 55 min, no transcript. A very interesting debate about how the U.S. constitution should be interpreted. A report of the debate can be found here.