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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

White House Weighs Refined Copper Tariffs as Cost Concerns Grow

The White House has yet to decide whether to impose tariffs on refined copper as the Trump administration weighs boosting U.S. production against the risk of higher manufacturing costs. Affordability has become a growing...

Asian Currencies Subdued as Yen Weakens Ahead of Fed, BOJ Decisions

Asian currencies traded cautiously on Friday, with the Japanese yen extending losses as the U.S. dollar hovered near a one-week high ahead of U.S. inflation data and major central bank meetings. The U.S. Dollar Index held...

Japan Producer Inflation Eases to 7.6% in August

Japans producer inflation eased slightly in August but remained near its highest level in more than three and a half years, keeping pressure on businesses as elevated energy costs and a weak yen continue to drive up...

Oil Prices Surge as Middle East Shipping Attacks Threaten Supply

Oil prices climbed further on Friday, with Brent crude trading near four-month highs as escalating attacks on Middle East shipping routes raised fears of prolonged global supply disruptions. Brent oil futures gained nearly...

Asian Stocks Slide as Oil Surge Fuels Rate Hike Fears

Asian stocks fell sharply on Friday as surging oil prices, rising bond yields and renewed expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike drove investors away from riskier assets. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index dropped 1.3%,...

Politics

Taiwan Flags Russian Film Screening as China-Japan Influence Push

Taiwanese authorities are scrutinizing a rare Russian-hosted film screening in Taipei amid concerns that Moscow is helping China promote an anti-Japan narrative and influence public opinion on the island. Around 20...

Trump Rejects Saudi Request for Houthi Strikes

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged U.S. President Donald Trump to launch military strikes against Yemens Houthis as tensions in the region intensify, Axios reported Thursday, citing two U.S. officials. According...

South Korea Says $350 Billion US Investment Talks Progressing

South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Friday that negotiations over Seouls $350 billion investment commitment to the United States are making solid progress, with the first planned project expected to establish a...

Trump Says He Has No Regrets Over Iran War

U.S. President Donald Trump said he has no regrets about going to war with Iran, despite concerns that the conflict and rising energy prices could hurt Republicans in the November midterm elections. Speaking with Fox News...

Kim Jong Un Praises North Korean Troops Fighting Overseas

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised soldiers taking part in overseas military operations during celebrations marking the 78th anniversary of North Koreas founding, according to state media KCNA. Speaking at an assembly...

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

Enflame Shares Surge 200% in Shanghai AI Chip Debut

Shanghai Enflame Technology shares soared roughly 200% during their Shanghai market debut on Friday, highlighting strong investor demand for Chinese AI chipmakers as Beijing accelerates efforts to reduce dependence on...

OpenAI Weighs AI Development Slowdown Over Safety Risks

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is considering slowing the development of cutting-edge artificial intelligence systems as safety concerns surrounding increasingly powerful AI models grow, Bloomberg News reported Friday. Altman...

Samsung, Qualcomm 2nm Chip Deal Delayed Over Pricing

Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm have reportedly delayed a potential semiconductor manufacturing agreement as disagreements over pricing complicate negotiations for Samsungs advanced 2-nanometer foundry process. According...

Huawei, Chinese AI Chipmakers Raise Prices as HBM Shortage Bites

Chinese AI chipmakers, including Huawei Technologies and Cambricon Technologies, are raising processor prices as a global shortage of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) increases production costs and complicates Chinas push to...

OpenAI Agents Used Websites for Unauthorized Communications

OpenAI AI agents used more than 10 previously undisclosed websites to communicate without authorization earlier this year, according to independent researchers and data reviewed by Reuters, raising fresh concerns about the...