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Austin Sarat

Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

Austin Sarat is interested broadly in the cultural and social life of American law. He is currently pursuing several lines of research, among are the American values and beliefs revealved by state killings. Sarat uses the death penalty as a lens through which to view ideas about responsibility and blame, pain and its proper uses, race and fairness, mercy and the possibilities of redemption. Sarat recently completed a book-length study of the decline of executive clemency in capital cases and a study of race and capital punishment in the United States.

Sarat's research also focuses on the cultural life of law or law in popular culture. He is now writing a book entitled Hollywood’s Law: What Movies Do for Democracy. This book examines movies about law from 1950 to 2000 in order to understand how these films contribute to the development of democratic citizenship.

At Amherst College, Sarat teaches an introduction to Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought and a first-year Seminar, Secrets and Lies, and a class about murder.

Harris and Pence dodge tough questions in VP debate – experts react

Oct 09, 2020 07:18 am UTC| Politics

Vice presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Mike Pence sat far apart and separated by Plexiglass for the only 2020 vice presidential debate, held in Utah on Oct. 7. Their exchanges were more civil than the presidential...

Could President Trump be impeached and convicted – but also reelected?

Oct 02, 2019 03:06 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The launching of an official impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trumps conduct has sailed America into largely uncharted waters. While there have been demands for the impeachment of many presidents, just three...

Is full transparency good for democracy?

Feb 08, 2018 13:03 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

With the approval of President Donald Trump, the House of Representatives released the so-called Nunes memo on Feb. 2. In it, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes describes alleged abuses of surveillance...

People keep voting in support of the death penalty. So how can we end it?

Jun 23, 2017 17:53 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

Ending the death penalty in the United States wont be easy. After death penalty abolitionists slowly pushed toward its elimination for years, supporters of state killing have mounted a fierce effort in the courts and at...

Economy

Goldman Sachs: US Dollar Likely to Stay Strong Despite Oil Price Retreat

The U.S. dollar is expected to remain well-supported in the near term despite the recent decline in oil prices, according to a new Goldman Sachs analysis. While lower crude prices have eased concerns about a severe global...

Russia Stocks End at Six-Month Low as MOEX Index Stalls, Gold Surges and Oil Retreats

Russian stocks closed mixed on Saturday, with the MOEX Russia Index finishing flat at 0.00% and touching its lowest level in six months. Investor sentiment remained cautious as gains in select stocks were offset by...

Carney and Macron Strengthen Canada-France Defense Ties Amid US Trade Uncertainty

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to expand defense and industrial cooperation, reinforcing Canadas growing partnership with Europe as trade tensions with the United...

IMF Advances Ukraine Loan Program, Clears $690M Disbursement

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached a staff-level agreement with Ukraine following the latest review of the countrys $8.1 billion loan program, paving the way for a new disbursement of approximately $690...

Oil Prices Fall as U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Hopes Ease Supply Concerns

Global oil prices dropped sharply on Friday and were set for significant weekly losses as growing optimism surrounding a potential U.S.-Iran peace agreement raised expectations that the Strait of Hormuz could soon reopen,...

Politics

Senior Haitian Security Official Kidnapped as Gang Violence Escalates in Port-au-Prince

A senior Haitian government and police official has been kidnapped in Port-au-Prince, marking one of the most significant abductions of a high-ranking figure in Haiti in recent years amid the countrys worsening security...

Taiwan Launches Intelligence Tip Website Targeting Chinese Informants

Taiwan has launched a new website aimed at encouraging Chinese citizens to share intelligence-related information, marking a significant development in cross-strait tensions between Taiwan and China. The initiative,...

U.S.-Iran Peace Framework Nears as Strait of Hormuz Reopening Takes Center Stage

The United States and Iran appear to be moving closer to a long-awaited framework agreement aimed at ending months of conflict, although uncertainty remains over the timing of a formal signing. U.S. President Donald Trump...

Trump Says U.S.-Iran Deal Could Be Signed Sunday as Tehran Signals More Talks Needed

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a peace agreement with Iran is expected to be signed on Sunday, potentially leading to the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping...

Trump Names James McDonald as New SDNY U.S. Attorney

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he intends to appoint James McDonald as the next U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), replacing Jay Clayton in one of the nations most influential...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

SpaceX IPO Sparks Market Optimism as Shares Surge 19% on Trading Debut

SpaceX delivered one of the most significant stock market debuts in recent years, boosting investor confidence and signaling strong demand for high-growth companies despite recent market volatility. The aerospace giant,...

AI Memory Boom Sparks Global Chip Supply Crunch

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is creating a structural shortage in the global memory chip market, according to a recent Morgan Stanley report. The investment bank warns that soaring...

Anthropic Restricts Global Access to AI Models After U.S. Security Review

Anthropic has suspended access to its advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for users outside the United States following new U.S. export restrictions, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The decision highlights...

SpaceX IPO Set for Explosive Debut as Valuation Tops $2.2 Trillion

SpaceX is poised for one of the most historic stock market debuts ever, with shares expected to open nearly 30% above their initial public offering (IPO) price. According to preliminary Nasdaq data, SpaceX stock (NASDAQ:...

Meta AI Strategy Faces Challenges as Zuckerberg Admits Mistakes in Internal Memo

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged that the company has made mistakes during its ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters. In the memo, Zuckerberg...