US Capitol riot judges step up as the conscience of democracy while lawmakers squabble

Details

Publish Date:

August 13, 2021

Author(s):

Sneed, Tierney

Source:

CNN

Related Person(s):

Related Organization(s):

Stanford Constitutional Law Center

Summary

The willingness to opine on the broader circumstances varies from judge to judge, Michael McConnell, a professor at Stanford Law School and a former federal appellate judge, told CNN.

“The sentencing is a public event and when the underlying justice has been challenged, even indirectly, I think many judges consider it part of their civic responsibility to speak to the public,” he said. “They’re talking to the defendants nominally, but they’re really speaking to the public — to restore and protect the rule of law.”