1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:03,440 Speaker 1: A federal judge has ruled that the University of North 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:07,960 Speaker 1: Carolina did not discriminate against white and Asian American applicants 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,159 Speaker 1: and that the university can continue to consider race as 4 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: a factor in its undergraduate admissions. Federal Judge Laretta Biggs 5 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,119 Speaker 1: ruled late Monday that the university has shown that it 6 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: has a compelling reason to pursue a diverse student body 7 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: and has demonstrated that measurable benefits come from that goal. 8 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: It was the second trial lass in as many years 9 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: for the conservative groups Students for Fair Admissions, which also 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 1: sued Harvard. Joining me is Audrey Anderson, who heads the 11 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: higher education practice at Bassbarian SIMS. It took about eleven 12 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,480 Speaker 1: months after the trial for the judge to reach her decision. 13 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: Why so long? I'm actually not surprised at all by that, 14 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: First of all, even though that she stopped taking evidence 15 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: in November, the parties did not hand in their post 16 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: trial briefs until February. Maybe so she didn't have the 17 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: whole case before her until February, and has her opinion 18 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: actually pointed out the evidence in the case was really voluminous. 19 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: Her trial lasted eight days long, but the parties had 20 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 1: come to agreement on lots and lots of other evidence 21 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 1: that they stipulated should be part of the record. So 22 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: in addition to the eight days of trial testimony, there 23 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 1: was lots and lots of other expert reports and other 24 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: materials that the parties agreed they did not need live 25 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: evidence about, but that were nonetheless in the record. So 26 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 1: she had a really voluminous amount of information to go through, 27 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: and she wrote a one hundred sixty one page long decision. 28 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: So I'm not at all surprised that it took her 29 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: this amount of time in order to put out this. 30 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: It's the same group Students for Fair Admissions. Are their 31 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: claims here similar to the claims they brought in the 32 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: Harvard suit, Yes, jun they're very similar. They alleged that 33 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: the University of North Carolina put too much weight on 34 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: race in admitting students to its programs, and also that 35 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: it did not adequately consider race neutral alternatives before using 36 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: race as a factor. The difference between this case and 37 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: the Harvard case factually is that in Harvard, there was 38 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: evidence that one factor in the Harvard admissions program, the 39 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: personal rating, had been analyzed by Harvard itself to show 40 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: that it disadvantaged Asian American students. Now, Harvard said that 41 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: that analysis their own researchers had done was incomplete and 42 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: wasn't really accurate, but nonetheless it was part of the record, 43 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: and so a lot of what the experts were talking 44 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: about in the Harvard case was, does this one piece 45 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: of evidence, the differences in the personal rating, which is 46 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: a very subjective rating between Asian American students and other students, 47 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: show that Harvard is really discriminating against Asian American students. 48 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 1: And so that was a lens that was used a 49 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: lot in the Harvard case. There was nothing like that 50 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: in the North Carolina case. So there was no smoking 51 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 1: gun evidence to show that u n C was discriminating 52 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: against any racial group. So Students for Fair Admissions s 53 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: f f A had even more of a kind of sterile, 54 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: statistical kind of case that they put forward to say 55 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: that based on this statistical analysis which shows that the 56 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: test scores and g p a's of Black students and 57 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: Latin X students tend to be lower than the test 58 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: scores and g p as of white and Asian students, 59 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: that means there must be discrimination or there must be 60 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: too much weight being put on race by the admissions 61 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: people at the University of North Carolina. So tell us 62 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: what Judge Loretta Biggs ruled and why. So she ruled 63 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: that the University of North Carolina's use of race is 64 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: completely consistent with what the Supreme Court has held is 65 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:36,040 Speaker 1: appropriate under the Constitution. So she found that the University 66 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:40,479 Speaker 1: of North Carolina had proved that it was using race 67 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: for the educational benefits of diversity, that it had looked 68 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: at its own school and said, this is why we 69 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: want to use race, or this is what we're trying 70 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 1: to get out of diversity. We think that there are 71 00:04:55,640 --> 00:05:00,160 Speaker 1: educational benefits and that our students will have more in 72 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: depth discussions. We think that diverse groups of people come 73 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: up with more innovative and creative solutions to problems. We 74 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: think that having a diverse group of students teaches our 75 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: students empathy and understanding. They have five different things that 76 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: they had identified that a diverse student body would bring 77 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: to the University of North Carolina student body would bring 78 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:32,719 Speaker 1: to the University of North Carolina. So Judge Biggs found 79 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: that they had proved that, and she also found that 80 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:41,159 Speaker 1: they needed to use race in order to meet those goals, 81 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:44,279 Speaker 1: so the use of race was necessary, and they didn't 82 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: use it anymore than they needed to in order to 83 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 1: hit those goals, so their use of race was narrowly tailored. 84 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: According to the u n C website, this year's incoming 85 00:05:55,480 --> 00:06:00,480 Speaker 1: class of five thousand, six hundred students included six five 86 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: percent to identify as white or Caucasian, twenty one percent 87 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: as Asian or Asian American, twelve percent as Black or 88 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: African American, and ten percent who said they were Hispanic, 89 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:16,159 Speaker 1: Latino or Latino. But yet, the judge criticized the school 90 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:21,559 Speaker 1: for not making enough strides in recent years and said 91 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:25,159 Speaker 1: it's been defined by most of its existence by discriminatory 92 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: and obstructionist policies, not ones that hurt white and Asian 93 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 1: American students, but that disadvantaged students of color. Well, that 94 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 1: was another interesting difference between this case and Harvard. In 95 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 1: this case, the judge allowed a group of students to 96 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: intervene as parties on the same side as the university, 97 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 1: so they were also defending the university's affirmative action policy. 98 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: These were students of color, so once these students were parties, 99 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: they were able to put in a dents like the 100 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 1: other parties did, and they put in an expert report 101 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: that UM put out all the history of the University 102 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: of North Carolina when it comes to race, and that 103 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: history isn't very good when it comes to black students. 104 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: Those students also testified at the trial. Black students, Hispanic 105 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: students testified about how what their experience was at the 106 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: University of North Carolina. Some of them were recent alums, 107 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 1: some of them, I think we're current students at the time. 108 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: They testified and about how they were still often the 109 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: only student of color in their classes, how they were 110 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: sometimes called racial epithets at the University of North Carolina, 111 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: how they felt tokenized, and that everyone in the classroom 112 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: would look at them to speak for their race when 113 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: any topic came up in class that might have some 114 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: kind of an aspect of racial difference in it. So 115 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: Judge Big wrote a long footnote about the historical expert 116 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: evidence that they had put in and also talked about 117 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: the testimony from those students interveners, and it clearly had 118 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: an effect on her. But that helped the university because 119 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: that shows that they still need to use race in 120 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: order to hit those goals that they have of getting 121 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: the educational benefits of diversity, So did she want them 122 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: to do more? In some way? Did she suggest what 123 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 1: they should be doing. Here's the point I think it 124 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 1: goes to. You may remember June that in the Michigan 125 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: cases Grutter and Grat, the cases that you know, almost 126 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 1: twenty years ago, the court held that colleges and universities 127 00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: could use race and admission. Justice soca Onnor in that 128 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: case wrote that she thought that colleges universities would no 129 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 1: longer have to take race into account in twenty five 130 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: years because it would no longer be necessary. And I 131 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: think that what Judge Biggs is doing. He is though 132 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:18,719 Speaker 1: I don't think she ever mentions that part of the 133 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 1: Grutter opinion. I think she's putting down a little bit 134 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 1: of a marker to say we're not close to that. 135 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:27,960 Speaker 1: We might be close in time to that twenty five years, 136 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: but in terms of our country's evolution, we are nowhere 137 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 1: near close to the time, at least not at the 138 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:38,080 Speaker 1: University of North Carolina, where race is no longer necessary 139 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 1: because we have some kind of a color blind society. 140 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:45,439 Speaker 1: That's what I think Judge Biggs was doing. So the 141 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: Students for Fair Admission said they'll appeal and if necessary, 142 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: up to the Supreme Court. And that's the point, isn't it. 143 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:54,600 Speaker 1: They want to appeal this case up to the Supreme 144 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: Court exactly. They always expected that this was only the 145 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 1: first stop on their journey for this case. So they 146 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 1: will appeal it to the United States Court of Appeals 147 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:09,320 Speaker 1: for the Fourth Circuit. And whatever outcome the Fourth Circuit has, 148 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: I would expect that the losing party would then seek 149 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: review from the United States Supreme Court. The Students for 150 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: Fair Admissions lost the case against Harvard and appealed it 151 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 1: to the Supreme Court. The Court postponed action on that case. 152 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: Tell us what happened. Well, the Court has asked for 153 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:34,440 Speaker 1: the views of the Solicitor General in that case, which 154 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 1: is a common move that the Supreme Court makes when 155 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:41,560 Speaker 1: it is thinking about a case that has some kind 156 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: of federal constitutional question or federal implication. It wants to 157 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: know what the views of the United States government are 158 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,680 Speaker 1: when the Court considers whether or not to take the case. 159 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 1: So the Supreme Court has asked for the views of 160 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: the Solicitor General's office, and I think it we expect 161 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,320 Speaker 1: that the Solicitor General will deliver that brief to the 162 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: Court sometime before the end of the calendar year. There's 163 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 1: no deadline for the Solicitor General to file that brief. 164 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: They can file it whenever they want to, but we 165 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,040 Speaker 1: kind of expect them to do it before the end 166 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: of the calendar year, and that will allow the Court, 167 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: if it wants to, to make a decision as to 168 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:26,440 Speaker 1: whether or not reviews the Harvard case in time for 169 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: that case to be heard. This term advocates for affirmative action. 170 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: Are they afraid that the Supreme Court will take the case? 171 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 1: Here's the interesting thing, June. So s f f A 172 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 1: has put in its questions presented to the courts, should 173 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: the Court overrule Grutter and Grats. They've teed it right up. 174 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: They say that that's what they want the Court to 175 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:53,079 Speaker 1: review their case to do. That's their first question presented. 176 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 1: So it's not just proponents of affirmative action, you know, 177 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:00,840 Speaker 1: making something up. That's clearly what s f f A 178 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: is just right out asking the Court to do. You know, 179 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:08,440 Speaker 1: when you get away from a hot button topic like abortion, 180 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: like affirmative action, and you're just in the realm of 181 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:18,000 Speaker 1: regular cases. The Supreme Court doesn't usually take a case 182 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 1: to review unless there's some kind of a divide between 183 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: the lower court, and so Judge Biggs decisions would usually 184 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: caution away from the court taking a case to review. 185 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,040 Speaker 1: Here we have Judge Biggs decision being very much in 186 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:38,400 Speaker 1: line with Judge Burrow's decision from the District of Massachusetts, 187 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: which was affirmed by the First Circuit. So these two 188 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: courts seem to be looking at the U n C 189 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:50,000 Speaker 1: Applications process and the Harvard process very much the same way, 190 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: all in line with what the Supreme Court has helped. 191 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 1: That would all be something to say, Court, there's nothing 192 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: for you to weigh in on the courts. They are 193 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 1: all seeing this the same way. In line your President, 194 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 1: let it go, let the law further develop before you 195 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 1: take it on and rule on it. That would be 196 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:10,319 Speaker 1: how a Supreme Court advocate would look at this case 197 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: if it were not a hot button case. But with 198 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 1: the change in the court, with new members of the 199 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:21,440 Speaker 1: Court who probably disagree with the court precedent, everybody has 200 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:25,200 Speaker 1: this up for grabs. Thanks Audrey. That's Audrey Anderson of 201 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: Bassparian SIMS. President Joe Biden's bipartisan commission studying changes to 202 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 1: the U s Supreme Court released a draft of its 203 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 1: findings in which it wrote favorably of creating term limits 204 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: for judges and cautioned against the Court adding justices. It 205 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: lost two of its conservative members and several of its 206 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 1: liberal members were critical of the initial findings. In short, 207 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:55,080 Speaker 1: neither liberals nor conservatives seemed to be overly happy with 208 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 1: the commission. Joining me is Josh Blackman, Professor of Constitutional 209 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,600 Speaker 1: law at the Alt Texas College of Law. These initial 210 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: recommendations just give us an overview of what they will recommend. 211 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 1: It is not the right word, because they're not making recommendations. 212 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:15,199 Speaker 1: What did they say? The panel discussed a couple major areas, 213 00:14:15,559 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 1: One whether the Court to be expanded with new seats, 214 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 1: to whether term limits for the justice might be appropriate. Three, 215 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: whether the courts so called shadow or emergency doctors performed. 216 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: And fourth they discussed usual ethics and the ethics codes 217 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: that applies to the Supreme Court. The longest short of 218 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: it is the court where the panel made no recommendations. 219 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: In the Court, it isn't even clear they can make 220 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 1: recommendations of what's to do. And even the areas on 221 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 1: which there were some agreement, there was no majority opinion. 222 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 1: So to speak. Um, there was a pretty strong sentiment 223 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: against explaining the court. There were some agreement on whether 224 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,720 Speaker 1: there's be terminalments, but there was disagreement if the terminments 225 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 1: to be imposed through a simple Act of Congress the statute, 226 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:03,040 Speaker 1: whether it cons social amendment was necessary. So really, June, 227 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: at the end, this was much as you about nothing. Um. 228 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: There really wasn't much acame of this lengthy product of 229 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 1: the stuff. Several of your pages of report that frankly, 230 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 1: I didn't even read it. You didn't read it, but 231 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: you're doing an interview on it. I skimmed it, and 232 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: I got I got to highlight. Many people have said 233 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: that the President just appointed this panel to waste time 234 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 1: or to bide his time, because he wants to avoid 235 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: this issue which liberals are so incensed about. I think 236 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:36,040 Speaker 1: that's right. President Biden was never in favor of so 237 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 1: called court reform. He was always very transparent about that fact. Um, 238 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 1: so he I think he created his commission to sort 239 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: of deflex attention for a few months. UM. On Friday, 240 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 1: after the Commission had their meeting, a reporter asked Biden 241 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: what he thought about terminus with screame Court and President 242 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: Biden had one word answer, no, doesn't know. No. So 243 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 1: it's like, you know, you submit a paper to be 244 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: graded and in fine mincily your teacher says, never mind, 245 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 1: not interested. Right, It's it's immediate rejection of the only 246 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 1: area there was some agreement upon UM. So this was 247 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 1: really much to do about nothing. Biden didn't want to 248 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,760 Speaker 1: do anything. He created his egghead panel with fellow academic 249 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: to sort of stretch things out, and now it's going 250 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: to just vanish and disappear. There's actually some bipartisan support 251 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 1: for term limits, isn't there? There is? Um. The panel 252 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: said it was content in term limits, but they didn't 253 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: agree on whether it to be done through a simple 254 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: Act of Congress of statute, whether a new constitutional moment 255 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 1: was necessary UM for requires and amendments of the Constitution. 256 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: It's not gonna happen. We don't. We don't have that 257 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 1: much consensus in the country at all. Perhaps that happens 258 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 1: for a statute. And then Biden was asked to that 259 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: and said nope, no, not interested. So again I think 260 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,040 Speaker 1: we're basically back where it started from. I mean, he 261 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:57,000 Speaker 1: has said in the past that he did not in 262 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: favor of packing the Court, but to say no to 263 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: term limits. Why have the panel? I don't think Biden 264 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: ever wants to have his panel. I think he simply 265 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 1: needed a way to deflect the attention show he was 266 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,359 Speaker 1: doing something. During the campaign, he promised that he would 267 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 1: have created panel, and he did it, and now he 268 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: who will probably ignore their report? And when I think 269 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: it's significant this panel is not target than making a recommendation, 270 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 1: they would basically have their hands tied me up. The 271 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 1: two conservative members of the panel quit last week. Any 272 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 1: indication as to why they quit at this point after 273 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: six months, Well, these are respected people. One is Jack 274 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:37,720 Speaker 1: Goldsmith at Harvard who worked at the George to W. 275 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 1: Bush Justice Department, together as Caleb Nelson's a lot professor 276 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:44,560 Speaker 1: at Virginia CLOrk for Clarence Thomas and both them very well. 277 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 1: These a respected people. There must be something in the 278 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 1: report they didn't agree with, or there must be something 279 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: coming that they're going to disagree with. We don't We 280 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 1: don't quite know the different um. But I'll make this 281 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 1: point more clearly. Uh, there were no dissent right, the 282 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:01,680 Speaker 1: members were not required to join the report. They could 283 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 1: earn their own descent. But I think this sort of 284 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,280 Speaker 1: resignation was a quiet dissent to signal that this was 285 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: not unanimous, that there was there was disagreement over what 286 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: remedies to adopt. Also, the draft report will say some 287 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: commissioners believe, but other commissioners believe. So there's not even 288 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 1: a consensus about the report in the report right, and 289 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: and the group doesn't even agree with what their charge 290 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 1: was is what they were instructed to do. It's a 291 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: very weird, disjointed process. I mean imaging a different world 292 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:40,440 Speaker 1: June where the government said, okay, you have sixty days, 293 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: give us a list of five recommendations. They would know 294 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: exactly what to do. But Biden had a sort of 295 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 1: open ended report saying let's discuss the Supreme Court and 296 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:53,160 Speaker 1: and that's it. So it's kind of like a long 297 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: article that you've seen in academic journal that again no 298 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 1: one will read, including me, because it's more than true 299 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: tra pages material. I think you should be required to. 300 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: I think that would violence the ash amendmentist rule and 301 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:09,920 Speaker 1: the nusual punishment. I fell that joke from Justice Leave 302 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 1: by the way Justice Glee once it reading the entire 303 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: Affordable Care Act would be a violation the aph Amendment 304 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 1: so I can't take credit for that joke. Did they 305 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 1: come out firmly against court packing? Yes, for the most part, Um, 306 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 1: there was a very general consensus that expand the court 307 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:32,160 Speaker 1: would do significant damage to the institution in the long run. 308 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: A few members of the of the Commission actually spoke 309 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 1: up saying we need to be more open. Lawrence Tribe 310 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:39,880 Speaker 1: of Harvard said we're going to break the glass moment, 311 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: right in case the emergency, break the glass. Um, But 312 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: there's just no movement for it. I think that that 313 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,640 Speaker 1: approach is dead. Pauls have shown that the public has 314 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 1: lost respect for the court. The Court is more out 315 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: of favor than it's been in a while after the 316 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 1: last term. Is there a way to it's that without 317 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: tinkering with the court? Well, you know, I think it's 318 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: it depends which way you look at it. Right, there 319 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 1: are six conservative members now, and therefore you have more 320 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: conservative opinions. But even then you have justice who were moderate. 321 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,080 Speaker 1: Robert's Kavana and Barrett is sort of in the middle 322 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:21,600 Speaker 1: of this three three three courts. Um. So I don't 323 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: think sinkering it is necessary. And see, I think trying 324 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:28,320 Speaker 1: to tinker at the court would likely prove disastrous in 325 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: the long run. Um, it's just it's it's this sort 326 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:35,560 Speaker 1: of this freak of accident that Trump got to Ginsburg 327 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,480 Speaker 1: see right before the election, and this Belie seat theayed 328 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 1: open through the other elections. So there were two additional 329 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: justices that probably wouldn't have happened otherwise. Uh. The other 330 00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:46,640 Speaker 1: way to look at it is Republicans have had many 331 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: justice of the years that simply weren't Conservative John Paul Stevens, 332 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:54,479 Speaker 1: David Suitor, O'Connor, and Kennedy on most occasions. So you know, 333 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:57,160 Speaker 1: the Democrats got lucky in number of cases, but they've 334 00:20:57,359 --> 00:20:59,400 Speaker 1: they've not rolled the dice well last you know, six 335 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: years or so. It really wasn't a freak of nature. 336 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: It really was Mitch McConnell responsible for holding open and 337 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:12,280 Speaker 1: Justice Scalia seat and then using different reasoning to fill 338 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,960 Speaker 1: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat right before an election. That 339 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 1: politicizes the court, doesn't it more than it already is? Well, Look, 340 00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:27,840 Speaker 1: I think I think the short answer is that, Um, 341 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,600 Speaker 1: McConnell is a politician, UM, and he saw an opportunity 342 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:36,480 Speaker 1: and he was willing to um keep the seat open 343 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,879 Speaker 1: at great expense. Um, and so far the Democrats has 344 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,120 Speaker 1: not been able to retaliate with that sort of hard ball. 345 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 1: So I do. I do think the mccomposition when I 346 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 1: said to Creak of Nature that the vacancies of rose 347 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:49,400 Speaker 1: at just the right moment, because there's no guarantee either 348 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:51,639 Speaker 1: the Scalia seat or the Gainsky open up just when 349 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:55,440 Speaker 1: they did. How would the Democrats retaliate. Do you have 350 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: any advice for the Democrats? Well, look, the leader of 351 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 1: the Democratic Party, Joe Biden, said not interested. So I 352 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: think the short answers is no momentum. Perhaps, you know, 353 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:09,400 Speaker 1: progressive activists wish for it, but there's not much. We've 354 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:14,160 Speaker 1: heard several justices talk about how the court is not politicized. 355 00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 1: Do you think they've take into account how some of 356 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:24,639 Speaker 1: their more controversial decisions will affect the public. I hope not. 357 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: I think when the justices start thinking about the general 358 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:30,480 Speaker 1: public and more political right, because that means they can 359 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: be swayed by things are not law um. In my mind, 360 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: the least political justice, the justice puts his head in 361 00:22:36,119 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: the standard doesn't consider the sort of sentiment. But we 362 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaker 1: don't live in my sort of ideal world. I think 363 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 1: Robert that people think. I think Kavan does, Embarratt may 364 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:50,119 Speaker 1: as well. The other freedom the draft analysis said that 365 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 1: Congress would be authorized to write a code of conduct 366 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:58,080 Speaker 1: for the justices, and but Chief Justice Roberts has suggested 367 00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: he doesn't believe that Congress has congressional authority to impose 368 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,639 Speaker 1: conduct rules on the Supreme Court. He did say that 369 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: do you think the Court needs some conduct rules because 370 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:10,400 Speaker 1: we don't know when they're accusing themselves and when they're 371 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,880 Speaker 1: not well. So there's there's two questions. One can Congress 372 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:16,440 Speaker 1: fread a code of the justice is I used to 373 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: be persuaded by John Roberts that they couldn't, and now 374 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:21,240 Speaker 1: I think Roberts is wrong. Um. I think it's true 375 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 1: that the Constitution, you know, refers to the creation of 376 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 1: Supreme Court but not the judges, and Congress has to 377 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:30,400 Speaker 1: enact or created the seats midstream corpied statute. Right, even 378 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: the Chief Justice was created by statute, and Congress creates 379 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:35,119 Speaker 1: the seas by statute. They can regularly sets these. I 380 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:37,680 Speaker 1: think Roberts is arguing the separation powers is simply wrong, 381 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: but you'll probably stick to it. Um. I think the 382 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:43,680 Speaker 1: more important question is what would that code be and 383 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:47,119 Speaker 1: let's be frank, your recusal right if the justice steps 384 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,200 Speaker 1: down in the case. On most court, if a justice recused, 385 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:52,720 Speaker 1: the judge recuses, it's no big deal because the're a 386 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 1: bunch of other judges. But in the U. Spreme Corps 387 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:57,119 Speaker 1: of Justice recuses, there's no one to back up as 388 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:58,919 Speaker 1: an alternate. So I think you as a little more 389 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: thoughtful with the source of awards you have. UM. But 390 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: I I think Congress could do something for the the court. 391 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:11,199 Speaker 1: Do you think the Court itself, the justices should be 392 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:16,560 Speaker 1: doing that, should have outlined some rules and regulations for 393 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:21,159 Speaker 1: at least for recusal. I think the justice internally do. 394 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 1: There was a discussion in the early going back thirty 395 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:28,360 Speaker 1: years where Chief Justice Ranklist asked all the sitting justices 396 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:33,200 Speaker 1: to agree to the code that binds lower court judges. Um, 397 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:34,879 Speaker 1: we don't know if that's been updated. We don't. We 398 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,520 Speaker 1: just we don't know. UM. So I think it'll be meaningful. 399 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:40,160 Speaker 1: But you know, the justice they recused all the time, 400 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 1: and it happens in various cases. In fact, Justice the 401 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,200 Speaker 1: Leado is known to recuse when the case is granted 402 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: and then he excels the stopped and he goes back 403 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:49,439 Speaker 1: on the case. So it's sort of most silly. I 404 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:51,879 Speaker 1: think judges just not only stop they showing on mutual 405 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:54,720 Speaker 1: funds and index funds, and that that that's the dresses 406 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:57,680 Speaker 1: almost all these issues. But that that's my naive approached. 407 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 1: Didn't the Commission say something about that as well? There 408 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: was a report in the Wall Street Journal a couple 409 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:04,680 Speaker 1: of weeks ago that a lot of these lower court 410 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 1: judges are having um owning stock in cases. Weren't realize 411 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 1: that the justices are pretty good at the stock ownership. Uh, 412 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: there there might be some errors of stiff through, but 413 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: they're they're pretty diligent up on that. I understand that 414 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:23,639 Speaker 1: this report addressed the shadow docket and the problems with it. 415 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,880 Speaker 1: It does it seem as if the justices themselves are 416 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: starting to recognize the problems with the shadow docket or 417 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 1: not recognized. I think Plato is like, get over, it 418 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:37,439 Speaker 1: is not a big deal and does not have with 419 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:41,560 Speaker 1: the criticism. Um. I think Justice Brier sort of criticizing 420 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:43,639 Speaker 1: and Justice Cadence criticizing, and then again they're on the 421 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:47,639 Speaker 1: losing side these cases, so I don't think that there's 422 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:49,720 Speaker 1: much appetite. I mean, keep in mind. You when these 423 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:52,159 Speaker 1: cases come to the court, the parties are asking for 424 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: immediate ruling, right they want to ruling two or three days. 425 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,200 Speaker 1: The court can't move below when the parties want to 426 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:01,399 Speaker 1: move fast. Um. So I think a lot of it 427 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:03,919 Speaker 1: has to do with what relief the parties are asking for. 428 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,639 Speaker 1: I think that I think the shadow dots stuff is 429 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:11,320 Speaker 1: really really overblown. I really do. Um. It's a courtward 430 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:13,840 Speaker 1: of grant certain decide the case six months later, it 431 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:16,159 Speaker 1: will connect the exact same way. So people, I think 432 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,720 Speaker 1: are just upset at the result. It's not a sleary 433 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 1: the process. Thanks Josh. That's Professor Josh Blackman of the 434 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:25,199 Speaker 1: South Texas College of Law. And that's it for the 435 00:26:25,359 --> 00:26:28,119 Speaker 1: edition of the Bloomberg Law Show. Remember you can always 436 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 1: get the latest legal news on our Bloomberg Lawn podcast. 437 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,280 Speaker 1: You can find them on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and at 438 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:39,800 Speaker 1: www dot Bloomberg dot com, Slash Podcasts Last Law. I'm 439 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:42,119 Speaker 1: June Grosso and you're listening to Bloomberg