Life, Death, and the Supreme Court: A Half-Century of Change
Austin Sarat is William Nelson Cromwell professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He has written, co-written, or edited more than ninety books in the fields of law and political science. Professor Sarat has received the Stan Wheeler Award for his excellence as a teacher and mentor, awarded by the Law and Society Association.
Overview
The Supreme Court is America’s preeminent legal institution, but is it really equipped to make decisions about life and death? Alexander Hamilton and other Founders would have been surprised by the role the court has played on matters of life and death over the last half-century. This lecture will focus on three areas where the Court has decided who lives and who dies, and when life begins and how it ends: the death penalty, abortion, and death with dignity. Are these really legal questions? Or are they profoundly difficult moral questions? We will consider the impact of the Court’s life and death decisions on American society and the Court itself.