The Round Table: A YVote Podcast

Laura Wolk shared a glowing assessment of Justice Barrett’s skills as an educator, addressing pros and cons of every legal question and taking the opposite side to whatever a student is arguing about a case in order to push their thinking

“It’s disappointing to see the media going along with that (character assassinations).” This week’s guest on the Roundtable Podcast, Laura Wolk, senior associate at Kirkland & Ellis, who was most recently a clerk for Clarence Thomas in the U.S. Supreme Court and mentored by Amy Coney Barret at the University of Notre Dame Law School, addressed the undeniable influence the media has on the way people generate their positions on certain political matters and how it consequently distracts from the relevant information needed to make an accurate conclusion on the issue at hand. Most recently shown in the media’s interpretation and selective coverage of ACB’s confirmation hearings, Laura stressed the value of having the ability to see clearly past the narratives crafted by the media that seem to be simply for the purpose of gaining widespread attention. As we attempt to navigate the sometimes complicated landscape of American politics, we encourage you to dive deeper whenever you can.

With the Senate’s recent confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, it is particularly important to understand the different philosophies of these two women. Justice Barrett, like her mentor Antonin Scalia, is an Originalist in how she interprets the Constitution and the law that governs the nation’s entirety. Originalism was explained to us by our recent podcast guest Laura Wolk, senior associate at Kirkland & Ellis, who clerked last year for Clarence Thomas in the U.S. Supreme Court--where she was only the second blind clerk in the Court’s history. Laura was mentored at the University of Notre Dame Law School by now Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, for whom Laura testified at her recent hearings. While many consider Originalism exclusive, leaving out people who were not originally included in the Constitution, or as so narrow as to be useless, because there are so many questions that are not explicitly addressed in the text of the Constitution. Laura, who considers herself an Originalist, notes that Originalism is not ideal and doesn’t give us the best and most just solutions to all questions. But she feels Originalism “is the philosophy that is most faithful to the structure of the government that we set up.”

The pandemic has fundamentally altered the way we do things and the election is no different. As a beacon for democracy and unity (these UNITED States) foreign powers have long looked at America as an example for what to do in adverse situations. In 2020, however, we currently have an incumbent president who refuses to officially acknowledge the election’s results in the midst of a nation who is eager to move forward and address the devastating pandemic and the lives that have been lost as a result. In our most recent podcast, Olivia and Inica gained an entirely different perspective as they spoke with Yasmeen Serhan, a staff writer from The Atlantic, and someone who has been covering the election and other political matters from the U.K.

We will always be a country that other democracies look to as an example. In one of our most recent conversations, Olivia and Inica had the opportunity to speak with Yasmeen Serhan, a staff writer from The Atlantic, and someone who has been covering the election and political matters from the UK. As we now find ourselves in a post-election world, it is particularly crucial for us as young people to help bridge the gap in our nation and come together as one as we move forward in taking on the issues at hand. As Yasmeen duly noted, the whole world is watching us.

As we all attempt to collectively move forward with the 2020 election and look towards combating the nation’s pressing issues at hand, it is nearly impossible to do so without taking into account what Donald Trump will do now that he has effectively lost the election. Steve Friess, a reporter from Michigan who is the News & Features Editor at Hour Detroit and writes about the election for @newsweek, paints our podcast listeners a picture of what the nation and the status of the presidency could potentially look like knowing that Trump will attempt to do anything in his power to stay in the White House and spare himself and his administration from suffering the legal consequences of his actions over the past four years.

“I just hope you folks do a much better job than we have.” With a palpable touch of optimism in his closing words, Steve Friess addressed our podcast team and young people as a whole in hopes of encouraging collective change now that we find ourselves heading into a new era with a new leader.

The 2020 election has undoubtedly embodied the lack of precedence in every regard imaginable. With the COVID-19 pandemic enabling a monumental surge of mail-in ballots in almost every state in the nation, a wide array of questions and concerns as to how to handle them have inevitably arised. In our recent conversation with Steve Friess, a reporter from Michigan who is the News & Features Editor at Hour Detroit and writes about the election for Newsweek and other national publications, our podcaster Eliza asked him how he believes mail-in ballots will affect the voting count and the election as a whole as we move forward from November third. “The sheer volume of absentee or mail-in ballots this year is extraordinary and there are only so many people that work in the elections department in a given place.” In the midst of all of the surrounding uncertainty looming over the election’s aftermath right now, we invite you to tune in.

As we find ourselves in midst of post-election uncertainty, we had the opportunity of analyzing the various outcomes that could arise with the current political situation through an engaging conversation with Yasmeen Serhan from the Atlantic -and now a UK resident. Yasmeen articulated that at this point, we as voters and citizens must wait patiently and see where the numbers actually land in order to move forward accordingly. If you are like most people throughout the country right now and are wondering what can arise from this uncertainty, we invite you to listen!

We’re all a bit Election obsessed, and on this week’s podcast, we were fortunate to broaden our perspective through conversation with Yasmeen Serhan from the Atlantic, who is living in the UK. Yasmeen noted that she was in DC for the last election, which she described as a “seismic moment.” She described this election as feeling similar, and noted that there is a lot of apprehension abroad as well. Yasmeen made us aware that as Americans, we sometimes fail to appreciate the degree to which this is a global moment, with truly global consequences. As a world leader, the world looks to the U.S. to see what path it’s going to take. Yasmeen shared that people stayed up all night in the U.K. to track election results. She reminded us that the world is watching and will continue to watch as things play out.