The Faculty Podcast

James Q. Whitman, "The Verdict of Battle"

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:35:23 -0500

In its classic form, a “decisive” pitched battle was a beautifully contained event, lasting a single day, killing only combatants, and resolving legal questions of immense significance. Yet since the mid-nineteenth century, pitched battles no longer decide wars, which now routinely degenerate into general devastation. Why did pitched battle ever work as a conflict resolution device? Why has it ceased working since 1860? James Q. Whitman is Ford Foundation Professor of Comparative and Foreign Law at Yale Law School. This Maurice and Muriel Fulton Lecture in Legal History was recorded May 7, 2009.

Gary Haugen and Richard Posner, 2009 Hooding Ceremony Remarks

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:40:18 -0500

Gary Haugen is a 1991 graduate of the Law School and President and CEO of International Justice Mission, a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. He received the Law School's Distinguished Citizen Award. Richard Posner is Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School and Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. These remarks were recorded June 12, 2009.

Madhavi Sunder, "Reading the Qur'an in Kuala Lumpur"

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:08:05 -0500

The Enlightenment took us from a world of Empire to an Age of Reason and equality in the public sphere. But it left the private spheres of culture and religion in the Dark Ages of imposition and unreason. In the Enlightenment worldview, freedom in the public sphere is freedom itself. Human rights came to be defined as “rights guaranteed in the secular political world.” But today on the frontlines of women’s movements in the Muslim world we hear challenges to this view of freedom and equality. Significantly, Muslim women’s challenges do not reject Enlightenment values but seek to take them further. No longer content to accept freedom in the public sphere and tyranny in the private, individuals in the modern world increasingly demand change within their religious communities in order to bring their faith in line with democratic norms and practices. In this talk Professor Sunder tells of a rising, transnational grassroots movement led by Muslim women to read the Qur’an for themselves, thus taking the traditional Enlightenment values of critique and participation the next mile, to religion itself. Madhavi Sunder is Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded May 7, 2009, as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas series. Chicago’s Best Ideas, a lecture series begun in honor of the University of Chicago Law School’s Centennial, highlights the intellectual innovations of the School’s distinguished faculty.

"Law Enforcement and Fairness in Shakespeare" feat. Diane Wood, Frank Easterbrook, David Bevington, Richard McAdams, and Richard Strier

Thu, 21 May 2009 17:01:04 -0500

This panel was recorded on May 16, 2009 as part of the University of Chicago Law School's "Shakespeare and the Law" Conference. The papers presented included "Equity in Measure for Measure" (David Bevington), "Law, Disobedience, Justification and Mercy" (Diane Wood), "Criminal Responsibility in Shakespeare" (Richard McAdams) and “Shakespeare's Problems with Law” (Richard Strier).

Jeremy Epstein, "Problems of Litigating WWII Art Restitution Claims"

Thu, 07 May 2009 10:31:12 -0500

Jeremy Epstein is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago where he teaches a seminar about litigating title disputes in art law. He is a partner in the Litigation Group of Shearman & Sterling and, from 1995-2000, served as head of the Litigation Department. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions litigation, securities litigation, antitrust, criminal defense and litigation involving the fine arts. He received his JD from Yale University and his BA from Columbia University. This talk was recorded April 20, 2009 and was sponsored by the Jewish Law Students Association.

Geoffrey Stone, "Obama's Supreme Court"

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:08:24 -0500

What will the election of Barack Obama mean for the Supreme Court of the United States? To answer this question, it is necessary to understand the current make-up of the Court and its direction. What are the predispositions of the current Justices? What do we mean today by the terms "liberal" and "conservative"? What does it mean to say that a Justice believes in "strict construction," "original meaning," "judicial activism," or "judicial restraint"? How should we assess the competing perspectives on judicial interpretation? And, when the dust settles, what can we expect of the Obama Supreme Court? Geoffrey Stone is Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded April 14, 2009 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas lecture series.

Adam Cox and Rosalind Dixon: "Immigration and Human Rights: Prospects and Perils"

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:24:11 -0500

This discussion, the inaugural event of the International Human Rights Society, explored the role rights discourse can and should play in advocacy for renewed efforts towards immigration reform under the Obama administration. Adam Cox and Rosalind Dixon are Assistant Professors of Law at the University of Chicago Law School.

"The First Fifty Years are the Hardest: Defining Future Models of Clinical Legal Education"

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:33:22 -0500

This panel, which discussed new clinical strategies and methods, featured Craig Futterman (Clinical Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School), Stephen Wizner (William O. Douglas Clinical Professor, Yale Law School), Marc Kadish (Director of Pro Bono Activities, Mayer Brown), and Michael Pinard (Professor of Law, University of Maryland Law School). It was recorded February 23, 2008, as part of the Mandel Clinic's 50th Anniversary Symposium.

Conference Panel: "Reputation and Cyberspace"

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:23:45 -0500

This conference panel, recorded November 22, 2008 at the Law School's "Speech, Privacy, and the Internet: The University and Beyond" conference, features Visting Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School Anupam Chander (“Youthful Indiscretion in an Internet Age”), Professor of Law and Walter Mander Teaching Scholar at the University of Chicago Law School Lior Strahilevitz, ("Rehabilitating Online Reputation"), and Loftus Professor of Law at Seton Hall Law School Frank Pasquale (“Reputation Regulation: Rationalizing Internet Intermediary Responsibility").

Omri Ben-Shahar, "Myths of Consumer Protection: Information, Litigation, and Access"

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:02:34 -0600

Omri Ben-Shahar is Frank and Bernice J. Greenberg Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded February 17, 2009 as the annual Ronald H. Coase Lecture in Law and Economics.

Martha Nussbaum and Diane Wood, "Constitutions and Capabilities"

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:26:27 -0600

In this talk, subtitled "A Dialogue about Political Philosophy and the Judge's Role," Professor Nussbaum discussed her "capabilities approach," a normative approach to basic political principles that has implications for how constitutions should be both written and interpreted. Judge Wood approached the topic pragmatically, asking to what extent a judge could really use such a normative approach of this sort, and what the consequences might be. Martha Nussbaum is Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago Law School. Diane P. Wood is a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Chicago’s Best Ideas, a lecture series begun in honor of the University of Chicago Law School’s Centennial, highlights the intellectual innovations of the School’s distinguished faculty.

Richard Epstein, "The Coming Meltdown in Labor Relations"

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:21:31 -0600

Labor relations consists of two broad areas—unions and employment discrimination. Both areas have been stable for some time. The last major labor law reform was in 1959. The employment discrimination law dates back to 1991. The new Obama administration is, however, ramping up tough legislation in both these areas. Professor Epstein will examine three prominent proposals—the Employee Free Choice Act, The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and the Paycheck Fairness Act. His somber conclusion is that, their noble titles notwithstanding, these legislative reforms make little sense in either good or bad economic times. The new legal uncertainties, and the high administrative costs, and the misaligned legal incentives associated with these proposals will reduce the gains from trade in labor markets, and resulting higher unemployment will only deepen the current downturn. Richard Epstein is James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded on Januray 27, 2009 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas lecture series.

Posner Answers the Feminists: A Debate on Sex Discrimination

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:28:43 -0600

This debate between Richard Posner (Senior Lecturer in Law and Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit) and Martha Nussbaum (Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics) and Mary Anne Case (Arnold I. Shure Professor of Law) was moderated by Geoffrey Stone (Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor). It was recorded January 26, 2009 and was co-sponsored by Outlaw, the American Constitution Society, the Federalist Society, and Law Women's Caucus.

Richard Posner: "Let Us Never Blame a Contract Breaker"

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:57:07 -0600

Richard Posner is Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School and Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. This talk, in which he argues that concepts of fault or blame are not useful addenda to the doctrines of contract law, was recorded September 27, 2008 as part of a conference at the University of Chicago Law School entitled, "Fault in Contract Law." The conference was organized by Frank and Bernice Greenberg Professor of Law Omri Ben-Shahar and Fischel-Neil Visiting Professor of Law Ariel Porat.

Richard McAdams, "The Fourth Amendment in Transition?"

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:07:50 -0600

Richard McAdams is Bernard D. Meltzer Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded October 6, 2008 as part of the Law School's annual First Monday series of lectures.

Lee Fennell, "Risk Reversals"

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:37:59 -0600

Law often allocates risk, as through tort doctrines. Should people be able to undo or "reverse" such risk allocations by, for example, selling their rights to any claims that may later develop? Scholars have interestingly examined this question, as well as many other innovative ideas for rearranging risk outside of traditional insurance markets. This talk focuses attention on some related but underexplored questions surrounding risk reversibility itself—such as the optimal amount of stickiness in society's default risk allocations, the effects of heterogeneity in risk arrangements, and the implications (cognitive and otherwise) of starting from one risk baseline rather than another. Lee Fennell is Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded October 22, 2008, as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas series. Chicago’s Best Ideas, a lecture series begun in honor of the University of Chicago Law School’s Centennial, highlights the intellectual innovations of the School’s distinguished faculty.

Saul Levmore, "The Internet's Anonymity Problem"

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:13:35 -0600

There is the well known problem, or reality, of juvenile and destructive communication on the Internet, normally engaged in behind the protective cover of anonymity. Is this somehow a different problem on the Internet than it is elsewhere and, if so, are there solutions that are effective and justifiable? This CBI affords an opportunity to think about the subject, if it is that, of “Internet Law.” It introduces the idea of a hypothetical bargain among citizens or communicants, as a means of thinking about likely, or perhaps desirable, regulation and practice. It then grapples with the question of whether the interest in, or legal rule protecting, free speech trumps this bargain, or democratic solution. Saul Levmore is William B. Graham Professor of Law and Dean of the University of Chicago Law School. This lecture was recorded November 11, 2008 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas series. Chicago’s Best Ideas, a lecture series begun in honor of the University of Chicago Law School’s Centennial, highlights the intellectual innovations of the School’s distinguished faculty.

Martha Nussbaum, "From Disgust to Humanity: Sexual Orientation and Constitutional Law"

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:02:08 -0600

Martha Nussbaum is Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded October 30, 2008 as part of the Law School's Diversity Week, and sponsored by Outlaw.

Karl Llewellyn: "Marriage and Family" Classroom Lecture

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:53:04 -0500

Karl Llewellyn taught at the University of Chicago Law School from 1951 until his death in 1962. In this undated classroom recording, he takes an often light-hearted look at the implicit legal structures within what was at the time considered the "typical" American family.

Adam Samaha: "Muskets and Glocks: The Second Amendment Reborn?"

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:51:04 -0500

Adam Samaha is Assistant Professor of Law and Herbert and Marjorie Fried Teaching Scholar at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded as part of the Law School's annual Loop Luncheon series on May 5, 2008.

Gerhard Casper: "Forswearing Allegiance"

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:22:15 -0500

Gerhard Casper is President Emeritus, Stanford University, and former Dean of the University of Chicago Law School. This lecture, the 2008 Maurice and Muriel Fulton Lecture in Legal History, was recorded May 1, 2008. Prof. Casper was introduced by Dean Saul Levmore.

M. Todd Henderson: "Predicting Crime (without the Pre-Cogs)"

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:20:02 -0500

In the absence of pre-cognitive superbeings and Tom Cruise, how are police and policy makers supposed to allocate scarce crime-fighting resources? There is a vibrant academic literature on predicting crime, with models of various types offered as the best way of estimating future crime rates. Many of these involve mapping software, which plots the past in the hopes of extrapolating to the future. Police use some of these techniques, but most are very crude, using things like weather or the location of liquor stores as "hot spots" to estimate crime rates. Police also use experience and gut instinct. All of the various methods, whether formal models or inside the head of the commissioner of police, are deployed in haphazard and isolated ways. In this lecture, Professor Henderson presents an alternative. M. Todd Henderson is Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School.This talk was recorded May 13, 2008 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas lecture series.

Geoffrey Stone: "The World of the Framers: A Christian Nation?"

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:23:26 -0500

It has become commonplace in American political discourse for Christian evangelicals to assert that the United States was founded as a "Christian nation" and that in recent decades secularists have gained control and distorted our nation's founding traditions and values. In this lecture, Professor Geoffrey Stone examines the beliefs of the Framers on this question. What did they think about Christianity, about the role of Christianity in the American nation, and about the relationship between religion generally and self-governance? The answers to these questions are important not only to constitutional interpretation, but even more fundamentally to an understanding of who we are – and who we are supposed to be – as a nation. Geoffrey Stone is Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded April 21, 2008 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas lecture series.

Tom Ginsburg: “Why China Allows its Citizens to Sue the Government: Administrative Litigation in China”

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:21:05 -0500

Tom Ginsburg is Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded on May 6, 2008 and was sponsored by the China Law Society.

Richard Epstein: "Is the Administrative State Consistent with the Rule of Law?"

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:38:18 -0500

Without question, the most distinctive feature of the modern social democratic state is the rise of administrative agencies, which at the federal level function as a shadowy Fourth Branch of government that fits uneasily into our constitutional scheme of separation of powers, and which at the state level oversee vast swaths of economic activity. Defenders of the current administrative setup claim the elaborate procedural safeguards built into today’s administrative law effectively blunt the risk of arbitrary power, whose exercise has always been in tension with the rule of law. In this talk, Professor Epstein will explain why he thinks the massive discretion routinely confided in administrative agencies is in fact inconsistent with the rule of law on a wide range of matters dealing with economic liberties, tort liability, private property, and the institutional autonomy of voluntary associations. Richard Epstein is James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Director of the Law and Economics Program at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded on January 29, 2008 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas series.

Martha Nussbaum: "Equal Respect for Conscience: The Roots of a Moral and Legal Tradition"

Fri, 30 May 2008 11:43:58 -0500

This talk was presented as the University of Chicago's 2008 Nora and Edward Ryerson Lecture. The Ryerson Lectures grew out of a 1972 bequest to the University by Nora and Edward L. Ryerson, a former Chairman of the Board. The University's faculty selects each Ryerson Lecturer based on a consensus that a particular scholar has made research contributions of lasting significance. It was recorded on May 14, 2008. Martha Nussbaum is Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago Law School.

Abner Mikva and Jason Huber: "Against All Odds: Litigating Federal Criminal Appeals in the Seventh Circuit"

Fri, 09 May 2008 14:21:58 -0500

Judge Abner Mikva and Jason Huber of the Appellate Advocacy Clinic at the University of Chicago's Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic discuss the work and history of the Appellate Advocacy project. This talk was recorded on April 14, 2008 as part of the Goodwin and Procter Clinics in Action Lunch Series.

Mary Anne Case: "Feminist Fundamentalism"

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:30:18 -0500

At a time when so many different religious fundamentalisms are coming to the fore and demanding legal recognition, this talk will seek to vindicate feminist fundamentalism, defined as an uncompromising commitment to the equality of the sexes as intense and at least as worthy of respect as, for example, a religiously or culturally based commitment to female subordination or fixed sex roles. Both individuals and nation states can have feminist fundamentalist commitments, as the talk will illustrate. Mary Anne Case is Arnold I. Shure Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded April 9, 2008 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas lecture series.

Saul Levmore: "Climate Change and the Battle of the Generations"

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:42:18 -0500

Why have we taken so few precautions in the face of threatening climate change? This CBI talk focuses, first, on the difficulty of dealing with a long-off threat in our political system. The question is how voters and their politicians can be encouraged to care about problems that can be deferred for consideration by a different electorate or set of taxpayers – but at much higher cost. We know that we should solve most long term problems sooner rather than later, but there are pressures that put off painful solutions. Professor Levmore draws on what we know about “median voters” and median citizens, for that matter, in order to hazard guesses about the coming battle among generations. In this “battle,” young voters will grow increasingly concerned about what is likely to occur as they age – but these voters do not yet have sufficient political power. In turn, arrangements among countries will be seen to depend in part on the disparate age profiles of countries. The topic, in other words, is global warming and the public choice problem of intergenerational bargaining. Saul Levmore is Dean of the Law School and William B. Graham Professor of Law. This talk was recorded February 12. 2008, as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas series.

Eric Posner and Cass Sunstein: "Climate Change Justice"

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:04:49 -0500

Greenhouse gas reductions would cost some nations much more than others, and benefit some nations far less than others. Significant reductions would impose especially large costs on the United States, and recent projections suggest that the U.S. has relatively less to lose from climate change. In these circumstances, what does justice require the U.S. to do? This talk by Eric Posner and Cass Sunstein on April 1, 2008 was presented by the University of Chicago Environmental Law Society and the International Law Society.

Richard Posner and David Lat: "Judges as Public Figures"

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:43:08 -0600

Richard Posner is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School and ajudge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. David Lat is the author of two popular legal blogs, "Above the Law" and "Underneath Their Robes." This Federalist Society discussion was recorded February 21, 2008, and was moderated by Professor of Law and Walter Mander Teaching Scholar Lior Strahilevitz.

Richard Epstein on Two Recent SCOTUS Decisions

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:08:28 -0600

Richard Epstein is James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago. This talk, which discusses Riegel v. Medtronic and Rowe v. New Hampshire, was recorded February 21, 2008 at the request of the Federalist Society.

Robert Goodin: "An Epistemic Case for Legal Moralism"

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:33:33 -0600

Robert E. Goodin is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and of Social & Political Theory in the Research School of Social Sciences at Australian National University. This talk was recorded January 16, 2008 as the 2007-2008 John Dewey Lecture on Jurisprudence. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, or so we are told. But why on earth not? The statute books run to hundreds of volumes. How can an ordinary citizen know what all is in them? The best way might be for law (at least in its wide-scope duty-conferring aspects) to track broad moral principles that ordinary citizens can know and apply for themselves. In contrast to more high-minded and deeply principled arguments, this epistemic argument for legal moralism is purely pragmatic – but importantly so. For law to do what law is supposed to do, which is to be action-guiding, people need to be able to intuit without detailed investigation what the law is for most common and most important cases of their conduct, and to intuit when their intuitions are likely to be unreliable and hence that they need to investigate further what the law actually is.

Anup Malani: "Understanding Corporate Philanthropy"

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:27:57 -0600

Anup Malani is Professor of Law and Aaron Director Research Scholar at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded January 16, 2008 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas Lecture Series. Much of current scholarship views corporate philanthropy managerial waste or profiteering. In this talk, Professor Malani argues that both views are correct, and incomplete. Corporate philanthropy is the corporation’s entry into the market for private financing of public goods, also called the production of “warm glow.” This market was previously dominated by non-profit charities and the government. The feature that distinguishes corporate production of warm glow from other goods is that the corporation’s shareholders and workers are also its consumers. (Would you rather own or work for Google or Altria?) The key choices for the consumers of warm glow are whether to purchase from corporations or their competitors, and whether to do this via ownership, employment or product purchase. The talk will discuss the competitive advantage of corporations over charities and the government, and the importance of tax law in determining how consumers purchase warm glow from corporations. © 2008 The University of Chicago.

Ela Bhatt: "Organizing Working Poor Women: The Sewa Experience"

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:48:23 -0600

Dr. Ela Bhatt, recipient of the University of Chicago's 2007 William Benton Medal for Distinguished Public Service, presented a public lecture on Novermber 27th in the Weymouth Kirkland Courtroom. Ela R. Bhatt is widely recognized as one of the world’s most remarkable pioneers and entrepreneurial forces in grassroots development. Known as the “gentle revolutionary” she has dedicated her life to improving the lives of India’s poorest and most oppressed women workers, with Gandhian thinking as her source of guidance. In 1972, Dr. Bhatt founded the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) – a trade union which now has more than 1,000,000 members. Founder Chair of the Cooperative Bank of SEWA, she is also founder and chair of Sa-Dhan (the All India Association of Micro Finance Institutions in India) and founder-chair of the Indian School of Micro-finance for Women. Dr. Bhatt was a Member of the Indian Parliament from 1986 to 1989, and subsequently a Member of the Indian Planning Commission. She founded and served as chair for Women’s World Banking, the International Alliance of Home-based Workers (HomeNet), and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing, Organizing (WIEGO). She also served as a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation for a decade. Dr. Bhatt has received several awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Right Livelihood Award, the George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award, and the Légion d’honneur from France. She has also received honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale, the University of Natal and other academic institutions. In 2007, Dr. Bhatt was named a member of The Elders, an international group of leaders whose goals include catalyzing peaceful resolutions to long-standing conflicts, articulating new approaches to global issues that are causing or may cause immense human suffering, and sharing wisdom by helping to connect voices all over the world. The Benton Medal The William Benton Medal for Distinguished Public Service is given to individuals who have rendered distinguished public service in the field of education. This field includes “not only teachers but also . . . everyone who contributes in a systematic way to shaping minds and disseminating knowledge.” Previous Benton Medal recipients include John Callaway, Katharine Graham, and Senator Paul Simon.

Mark Heyrman: "Why the Legal Standard for Involuntary Commitment to Mental Hospitals Doesn't Matter (Much)"

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:08:28 -0600

Mark Heyrman is Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded on November 6, 2007 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas Series. © 2007 The University of Chicago Law School. "In the 1970's most states tightened their standards for involuntary commitment. During the past fifteen years the movement has been in the opposite direction--relaxing those standards. This talk will apply ideas developed by former Law School Dean Norval Morris to explore the effects (if any) these changes have had and will have on the number of persons involuntarily confined in psychiatric hospitals and why other institutional arrangements are substantially more important in explaining past and future fluctuations in the number of such commitments."

Cass Sunstein: "The Second Amendment: The Constitution's Most Mysterious Right"

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:43:47 -0500

Cass Sunstein is Karl N. Llewellyn Dist. Service Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded on October 23, 2007 as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas Series. © 2007 The University of Chicago Law School. "What does the Second Amendment mean? The Supreme Court has not told us, and the history seems shrouded in mist. Professor Sunstein will argue that as a matter of history, the Second Amendment probably does not create an individual right, because it was designed to protect state militias. Modern readers have immense difficulty in recovering the original meaning, because our circumstances are radically different from those of the founding. He will also argue, however, that the Court should not reject an individual right, in part because the nation is so polarized. The discussion will have many implications for constitutional interpretation and the role of the Court in political life."

David Currie Reads the U.S. Constitution

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:03:31 -0500

David Currie, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago Law School, passed away on October 15, 2007. In honor of his life and work, we present this unique recording of his reading of the United States Constitution. The recording was made on April 26 and May 5, 2006 at the studios of WHPK at the University of Chicago and post-production was done at the Digital Media Lab at the University of Chicago in May of 2006. The studio engineer was Patrick Reisinger and the post-production engineer was Luis-Manuel Garcia.

Geoffrey Stone: "The Roberts Court: STARE WHAT?"

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:14:12 -0500

Geoffrey Stone is Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded October 1, 2007 at the University Club in Chicago, as the annual "First Monday" lecture. © 2007 The University of Chicago.

Emily Buss: "Aging Out of Foster Care: An Update on the Chicago Foster Care Project"

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:15:22 -0500

Emily Buss is the Mark and Barbara Fried Professor of Law and Kanter Director of Chicago Policy Initiatives at the University of Chicago Law School. Recorded May, 2007. © 2007 The University of Chicago.

Richard Epstein: "The Blink of an Eye: Intuition, Custom and Protocol"

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:15:02 -0500

Richard Epstein is James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Recorded April 10, 2007 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" series. © 2007 The University of Chicago.

Curtis Bradley: "Military Detention in the War on Terrorism"

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:13:07 -0500

Curtis Bradley is Richard and Marcy Horvitz Professor of Law at Duke University Law School, and at the time of the talk was Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago Law School. Recorded May 1, 2007. © 2007 The University of Chicago Law School.

Todd Henderson: "CEOs are Underpaid"

Fri, 25 May 2007 12:11:03 -0500

Richard Epstein: "Why Should the U.S. Subsidize the World With Our High Prescription Drug Prices?"

Fri, 18 May 2007 12:10:23 -0500

Christine Desan: "From the Mercantilist World to Market-Based Liberalism: Money as a Constitutional Medium"

Fri, 11 May 2007 12:09:31 -0500

Christine Desan is Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. This Maurice and Muriel Fulton Lecture in Legal History was recorded May 10, 2007.

Anup Malani: "Valuing Laws as Local Amenities"

Tue, 01 May 2007 12:08:56 -0500

Anup Malani is Professor of Law and Aaron Director Research Scholar at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded April 25, 2007 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" series. © 2007 The University of Chicago.

Lior Strahilevitz: "How's My Driving? For Everything and Everyone"

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:06:22 -0600

Lior Strahilevitz is Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded January 24, 2007, as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2007 The University of Chicago.

Anup Malani: "Culling Chickens"

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:05:19 -0600

Anup Malani is Professor of Law and Aaron Director Research Scholar at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded January 23, 2007 as the annual Ronald H. Coase Lecture in Law and Economics. © 2007 The University of Chicago.

Geoffrey Stone: "Government Secrecy v. Freedom of the Press"

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 12:04:34 -0600

Geoffrey Stone is Harry Kalven, Jr., Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded January 10, 2007 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2007 The University of Chicago.

Bernard Harcourt: "Against Prediction: Punishing in an Actuarial Age"

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:03:30 -0600

Bernard Harcourt is Julius Kreeger Professor of Law and Criminology, Faculty Director of Academic Affairs, and Director of the Center for Studies in Criminal Justice at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded November 13, 2006 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

"US Involvement in the Darfur Conflict"

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 11:57:20 -0600

On Wednesday, November 15, 2006, the Earl B. Dickerson Chapter of the Black Law Student Association at the University of Chicago Law School hosted a discussion on the merits of US involvement in the Darfur conflict. Eric Posner, Kirkland and Ellis Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School, Jide Nzelibe, Assistant Professor of Law at Northwestern University School of Law, and Matthew Lippman, Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, discussed US involvement in Darfur within the legal framework governing international humanitarian intervention.. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Richard Posner and Brian Leiter: "What Do and What Should Judges Do?"

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:56:28 -0600

Richard Posner is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Brian Leiter holds the Joseph D. Jamail Centennial Chair in Law and is Professor of Philosophy and Founder and Director of the Law & Philosophy Program at the University of Texas at Austin, and was Visiting Professor of Law when this discussion was recorded. This talk was recorded November 16, 2006. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Cass Sunstein on Thurgood Marshall's Conception of Equality

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:55:41 -0600

Cass Sunstein is Karl N. Llewellyn Dist. Service Prof. of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School. He clerked for Justice Marshall in the 1979-80 term. This talk was recorded in November, 2006, as part of a series of talks hosted by the Black Law Students Association in honor of the 40th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall's appointment to the Supreme Court. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Adam Samaha: "Meet the New Boss"

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 11:52:24 -0500

Adam Samaha is Assistant Professor of Law and Herbert and Marjorie Fried Teaching Scholar at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded October 4, 2006, as part of the Law School's "First Monday" lecture series. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Cass Sunstein: "Nudge: The Gentle Power of Libertarian Paternalism"

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 11:51:33 -0500

Cass Sunstein is Karl N. Llewellyn Dist. Service Prof. of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded October 3, 2006, as part of the "Chciago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Al Alschuler on the George Ryan trial

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 11:50:37 -0500

Al Alschuler is Julius Kreeger Professor of Law and Criminology Emeritus at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded June 5, 2006, as part of the Law School's annual Emeritus Luncheon. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Richard Painter: "Ethics and Corruption in Business and Government"

Sun, 04 Jun 2006 11:49:05 -0500

Richard Painter was Special Assistant to the President and Associate White House Counsel from 2005-2007, as well as S. Walter Richey Professorship in Corporate Law at the University of Minnesota Law School. This Maurice and Muriel Fulton Lecture in Legal History was recorded on May 11, 2006. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Tracey Meares: "Attention Felons: Reducing Gun Crime in Chicago"

Fri, 26 May 2006 11:48:06 -0500

Tracey Meares was Max Pam Professor of Law and Director, Center for Studies in Criminal Justice at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded on May 10, 2006, as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Geoffrey Stone: "The Commander in Chief"

Mon, 08 May 2006 11:46:50 -0500

Geoffrey Stone is Harry Kalven, Jr., Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded May 5, 2006 as part of the Law School's annual Reunion Weekend. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Richard Rorty: "Dewey and Posner on Pragmatism and Moral Progress"

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 11:45:33 -0500

Richard Rorty (1931-2007) was Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature and Philosophy at Stanford University. This talk was recorded April 10, 2006 as the annual Dewey Lecture in Law and Philosophy. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Bernard Harcourt: "Language of the Gun: A Semiotic for Law & Social Science"

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 11:39:28 -0500

Bernard Harcourt is Julius Kreeger Professor of Law and Criminology, Faculty Director of Academic Affairs, and Director of the Center for Studies in Criminal Justice at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded April 5, 2006 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Richard Posner and Geoffrey Stone: "Presidential Power in an Age of Terror: A Debate on NSA Wiretapping"

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 11:38:29 -0600

Richard Posner is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Geoffrey Stone is Harry Kalven, Jr., Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This debate was recorded January 31, 2006, and was moderated by Joseph Margulies, trial attorney and Lecturer at the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Chicago Law School. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Douglas Baird: "Coase's Journey"

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 11:37:03 -0600

Douglas Baird is Harry A. Bigelow Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk, which examines the ideas on the nature of the firm that win Ronald Coase a Nobel Prize, was recorded February 7, 2006 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Justice Stephen Breyer: "A Day In the Life of a Supreme Court Justice"

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 11:36:16 -0600

Stephen Breyer is Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. This talk was recorded at an informal lunchtime gathering with University of Chicago Law School students on February 8, 2006. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Justice Stephen Breyer; "Judicial Activism: Power Without Responsibility?"

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 11:34:41 -0600

Stephen Breyer is Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. This talk was recorded on February 7, 2006, as the Ulysses and Marguerite Schwartz Memorial Lectureship at the University of Chicago Law School. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Martha Nussbaum: "The Roots of Respect: Roger Williams and Religious Fairness"

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 11:33:35 -0600

Martha Nussbaum is Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded January 31, 2006 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Lior Strahilevitz: "Information Asymmetries and the Rights to Exclude"

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 11:33:01 -0600

Lior Strahilevitz is Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded January 24, 2006, as the annual Ronald Coase Lecture in Law and Economics. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Geoffrey Stone: "Sexing the Constitution"

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 16:31:00 -0600

Geoffrey Stone is Harry Kalven, Jr., Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded January 12, 2006 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2007 The University of Chicago.

Cass Sunstein on the Chicago Judges Project

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 16:32:04 -0600

Cass Sunstein is Karl N. Llewellyn Dist. Service Prof. of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School. This interview was recorded as part of the Research at Chicago series. © 2006 The University of Chicago.

Cass Sunstein: "The Greatest Speech of the Century"

Sun, 04 Dec 2005 16:32:04 -0600

Geoffrey Stone: "Perilous Times"

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 16:32:04 -0600

Geoffrey Stone is Harry Kalven, Jr., Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This interview was recorded as part of the "Research at Chicago" series. © 2005 The University of Chicago.

Saul Levmore: "The Future of Obesity Regulation"

Wed, 23 Nov 2005 16:24:53 -0600

Saul Levmore is Dean of the Law Shool and William B. Graham Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded November 18, 2005 as the annual Wilber Katz lecture. © 2005 The University of Chicago

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: "Foreign Law and Constitutional Interpretation"

Sat, 19 Nov 2005 16:24:10 -0600

Emily Buss: "Turning Best Ideas into Practice, Chicago’s Policy Initiative on Foster Care"

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 16:20:54 -0600

Emily Buss is the Mark and Barbara Fried Professor of Law and Kanter Director of Chicago Policy Initiatives at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded Novermber 10, 2005 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2005 The University of Chicago.

Saul Levmore: "The Wisdom of Groups and the Use of Experts"

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 16:20:10 -0600

Saul Levmore is Dean of the Law Shool and William B. Graham Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This talk was recorded September 29, 2005 as part of the "Chicago's Best Ideas" lecture series. © 2005 The University of Chicago

Douglas Lichtman and Randy Picker: "After Grokster"

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 16:17:58 -0600

Randal Picker is Paul H. and Theo Leffmann Professor of Commercial Law and Senior Fellow at The Computation Institute of the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory; Douglas Lichtman was Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. This discussion was presented by the Law School's Intellectual Property Law Society October 21, 2005. © 2005 The University of Chicago

Peter Singer: Q & A

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 16:16:35 -0600

Peter Singer is Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, University Center for Human Values, Princeton University. This talk was the 2004 Dewey Lecture.

Peter Singer: "America's Responsibilities as A Global Citizen"

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 16:16:34 -0600

Peter Singer is Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, University Center for Human Values, Princeton University. This talk was the 2004 Dewey Lecture. Prof. Singer was introduced by Martha Nussbaum.

Ronald H. Coase: The 17th Annual Coase Lecture

Tue, 01 Apr 2003 15:33:50 -0600

Ronald H. Coase is Clifton R. Musser Professor Emeritus of Economics. This talk was recorded as the 17th Annual Coase Lecture in honor of the Centennial of the Law School on April 1, 2003. © 2003 The University of Chicago.