Slate Magazine - Explainer

What happens to a judge who ignores binding precedent?

Brian Palmer — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:14:09 EST

Much of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's hearings for confirmation to the Supreme Court have focused on the role of legal precedent. She repeatedly used the P-word to justify her more controversial rulings, in the face of senators who excoriated her for failing to follow it. If Sotomayor really ignored precedent while serving as a federal judge, could she have gotten in trouble?

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Who came up with the idea of electroshock therapy?

Christopher Beam — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:10:26 EST

The Chinese government has banned electroshock therapy as a treatment for Internet addiction after one psychiatrist administered electric currents to nearly 3,000 teenagers. When did we realize that you could shock someone to make them less crazy?

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What are the rules for government-sponsored assassinations?

Juliet Lapidos — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:50:18 EST

Last month, the Central Intelligence Agency canceled a secret initiative, authorized by the president in 2001, to capture or kill senior al-Qaida operatives. Although the program was never operational, its existence raises the question: Can we assassinate anyone we want?

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Could stress really have made Sarah Palin's hair fall out?

Brian Palmer — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:23:05 EST

Nosy tabloids, an endless stream of ethics complaints, and opposition to her legislative agenda caused Sarah Palin so much stress that her hair thinned dramatically, according to an account published in the New York Times. Can stress really cause hair loss?

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Is Brüno really representative of Austria's gay community?

Christopher Beam — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:12:54 EST

In the new comedy Brüno, Sacha Baron Cohen plays an outlandish gay Austrian TV host and fashion reporter who wreaks havoc in the United States. Does Austria have an especially thriving gay community?

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