Civil Rights and Wrongs for May 17, 2022

This week we hear from Stephen Vladeck, the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the UT Law School.  He is a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts, constitutional law, national security law, and military justice – and he is no stranger to this program. Professor Vladeck has argued numerous cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Texas Supreme Court, and other federal civilian and military courts.  He is CNN’s lead Supreme Court analyst, can often be heard on NPR and occasionally read in the New York Times.  Steve will share his perspective on the recent notorious leak of the preliminary opinion in the Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.  He also explains how the “shadow docket” is increasingly being used to circumvent normal judicial deliberations.  Finally, we’ll get a preview of other significant cases to watch during the next several weeks.   Jim Harrington, retired founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project, also weighs in on these and other matters.  And Michelle Manning-Scott, Associate Producer of the show, joins us as well.

Later in the show, Austin Sanders, Staff Writer for the Austin Chronicle, reports the results of the May 7th election.  He notes the citizen-led initiative to ban arrests and citations for possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana.  The ballot proposition also prohibits the use of no-knock warrants, which have too often led to property destruction and loss of life.

A quick editorial note: May 31st will be the final episode of Civil Rights and Wrongs.