March 21 - The "Charade" Before the Senate Judiciary Committee; Questions Gorsuch Did Not Answer; Will Threats From Trump and Warnings From Ryan Sway the "Freedom Caucus"?

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with today’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by the late Justice Scalia. Eric Segall, a Professor of Law at Georgia State University College of Law and author of “Supreme Court Myths: Why the Supreme Court is not a Court and its Justices are not Judges” joins us to discuss what he calls a charade in which Trump’s candidate for the Supreme Court is not required to answer any question that pertains to the broader political and social reality in which we all live, but rather is allowed to restrict himself to matters of legal precedent and procedure, wrapped in the majesty of the law inside a cocoon that insulates him from any real world impact that the Court’s decisions might have on the lives of everyday people.  

Part 2

Then Paul Collins, Director and Professor of Legal Studies in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst joins us with Lori Ringhand, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and a Professor of Law at the University of Georgia School of Law. They are the co-authors of “Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings and Constitutional Change” and we discuss the important questions that were not answered about “dark money” from unknown benefactors being spent on Gorsuch’s behalf and the fact that he will be sitting in a “stolen seat”.

Part 3

Then finally we look into whether threats from Donald Trump and warnings from Paul Ryan will sway the 26 House Republicans who so far are refusing to get onboard the repeal and replace Obamacare bill that is supposed to be voted on this Thursday. An expert on health insurance markets and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Dania Palanker, a Research Professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reform at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute joins us to discuss whether the bill will squeak through the House to face an even more uphill climb in the Senate.