Is there any justification for seemingly unjust laws like “qualified immunity,” which allows cops to get away with bad behavior? Law professor William Baude explores how these laws came to be and why they’re so hard to change. Also, Baude makes the case for originalism, the view that judges should base their rulings on the original meaning of the Constitution. And Baude explains how rationalist principles have influenced his teaching and legal scholarship. (March 19, 2020)
Additional works mentioned in the episode:
- Will Baude’s professional page at the University of Chicago
- Will’s personal blog, Summary, Judgment
- Will on Twitter: @williambaude
- Will’s op-ed in the Washington Post, “Can we handle ‘the truth about SCOTUS’?”
- Will’s op-ed in the New York Times, “Conservatives, don’t give up your principles or the Supreme Court“
- Will’s article on qualified immunity that was cited by Justice Thomas, “Is Qualified Immunity Unlawful?”