Passing Judgment

It's playoff season for Supreme Court aficionados! This morning the Court issued three decisions, the first of which both retained the Affordable Care Act as the law of the land at the same time that it punted a bit, leaving the door open to future challenges. The second decision ruled that the First Amendment can be interpreted to mean that the City of Philadelphia cannot prevent a Catholic organization from discriminating against same-sex couples when it comes to fostering children. And as horrific as it sounds, the third decision states that Nestle and other cocoa bean producers are not culpable for child slavery practices in Africa's Ivory Coast. Jessica and Joe break down how the court voted and give some insight how these changes may affect American society.

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Jessica talks with Dan Epps of Washington University about the current state of the court and the pros and cons of proposed reforms.

This episode was recorded during a panel of Loyola Law School's Journalist Law School program.

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In this episode of Passing Judgment we speak with NBC and MSNBC legal analyst Glenn Kirshner. Glenn is a former federal prosecutor and he shares his insights into whether Trump will face prison or jail time. Glenn also touches on issues of potential civil liability.

Jessica's conversation with Glenn took part during Loyola Law School's Journalist Law School.

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It’s June! That means a bunch of big, controversial Supreme Court decisions are coming your way. Jessica and Joe preview the biggest cases pending on the Court's end-of-term docket. They also talk about a case that might be destined for the Supreme Court down the road - a federal judge’s recent decision to strike down California's ban on assault weapons. And they wrap up by talking about the Department of Justice’s decision to seek to defend former president Donald Trump in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.

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Hear from former white supremacist and the author of My Life After Hate, Arno Michaelis.

Arno talks to Jessica about how he moved from being a white supremacist to working with people to prevent radicalization, violence, and extremism.

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Colin Woodard stops by Passing Judgment to talk about American regionalism and what truly causes the fissures in our political ideology.

Colin is author of numerous books, including Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood.

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Journalist and author Tim Madigan stops by Passing Judgment to talk about the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre, an vitally important but somewhat forgotten tragedy in our nation's history. He wrote the critically acclaimed and best-selling book The Burning: The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.

Tim talks about the Jim Crow era and whether we are living through "Jim Crow 2.0."

His discussion is an important reminder of how much the past informs the present.

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How did the court come to its decision in Roe v. Wade? Is that decision now under attack?

We talk with Prof. Mary Zeigler author of_Abortion in America: A Legal History, Roe v. Wade to the Present, After Roe: The Lost History of the Abortion Debate, and  Beyond Abortion: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Privacy._

Note: This episode was recorded before the Supreme Court decided to weigh in on a Mississippi abortion law that could overturn Roe v. Wade. We have a special episode on that case which dropped on 5.18.21.

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The New York Attorney General’s office just announced that it’s investigation into the Trump organization is criminal as well as civil. We will tell you what that means. 

President Biden is about to sign a new anti-Asian hate crimes bill. We will talk about what it does. 

The Supreme Court clarifies that when it comes to the 4th Amendment, your home is your castle. 

And finally … Space junk. Who is responsible if it lands on you? 

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