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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

Arctic Ambitions and Tariff Tremors: Trump’s Greenland Gambit Rattles Global Markets

Geopolitical Ambitions: The U.S. aims to establish a missile defense system (Golden Dome) in the Arctic, secure critical minerals and rare earths, and control Arctic shipping lanes, reflecting the increasing strategic...

WTI Crude Oil Prices Slide as Inventory Concerns and Geopolitical Risks Weigh on Market

West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices declined on Wednesday as traders focused on mounting geopolitical uncertainty and expectations of a build in U.S. crude inventories, which overshadowed supply disruptions from...

Asian Markets Slide as “Sell America” Fears Rattle Global Stocks, Bonds, and Currencies

Asian stock markets extended their losses for a third consecutive session on Wednesday as rising geopolitical tensions and renewed fears of a Sell America trade weighed heavily on investor sentiment. Markets were unsettled...

Dollar Slips Near Multi-Week Lows as Greenland Tensions and Japan Bond Turmoil Shake Markets

The U.S. dollar hovered near three-week lows against the euro and Swiss franc on Wednesday as renewed geopolitical tensions and fiscal concerns triggered a broad selloff across U.S. assets, including stocks, bonds, and the...

U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher After Wall Street Rout, Netflix Slumps on Outlook

U.S. stock index futures rose modestly on Tuesday evening following Wall Streets sharpest losses in three months, as investors continued to digest escalating geopolitical tensions linked to President Donald Trumps renewed...

Politics

Trump Signs Executive Order to Limit Wall Street Investment in Single-Family Homes

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening signed a new executive order designed to curb Wall Street investors from buying and speculating on single-family homes, a move aimed at improving housing affordability and...

Trump’s Greenland Ambition Sparks NATO Tensions, Trade War Fears, and Global Market Turmoil

U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited international controversy by declaring there is no going back on his ambition to control Greenland, a move that has unsettled NATO allies, strained U.S.-Europe relations, and...

Syria Announces Ceasefire With Kurdish Forces as U.S. Pushes Integration Deal

Syria has announced a four-day ceasefire with Kurdish-led forces in the northeast, marking one of the most significant shifts in territorial control since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad over a year ago. The...

U.S. Plans NATO Staff Reductions, Raising Fresh Concerns Over Alliance Commitment

The United States is planning to reduce the number of personnel stationed at several key NATO command centers, a move that is already heightening concerns across Europe about Washingtons long-term commitment to the...

Trump Says U.S. and NATO Will Reach Agreement on Greenland’s Future

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States and NATO will eventually come to an agreement regarding the future of Greenland, emphasizing that any deal would satisfy both Washington and the military...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

HKEX’s Permissive IPO Rules Could Open Opportunities for Korea to Strengthen Its Position in International Listings

In 2025, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) became the premier venue for initial public offerings (IPOs) globally, having raised nearly US$36 billion from new listings. This notable 200% year-on-year increase is directly...

Global DRAM Chip Shortage Puts Automakers Under New Cost and Supply Pressure

Automakers worldwide are bracing for renewed cost pressures and potential production disruptions as a deepening global shortage of memory chips, particularly DRAM, intensifies due to surging demand from data centres and...

OpenAI Launches Stargate Community Plan to Offset Energy Costs and Support Local Power Infrastructure

OpenAI has officially unveiled its Stargate Community plan, a new initiative designed to ensure that the massive energy demands of its AI data centers do not drive up electricity costs for local communities. Announced on...

Elon Musk Says Tesla Cybercab and Optimus Production Will Start Slowly Before Rapid Growth

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has cautioned investors and technology enthusiasts that the early production rate of the companys highly anticipated Cybercab robotaxi and Optimus humanoid robot will be agonizingly slow before...

Micron to Buy Powerchip Fab for $1.8 Billion, Shares Surge Nearly 10%

Shares of Taiwans Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp jumped nearly 10% on Monday following news that U.S. memory chip giant Micron Technology plans to acquire one of Powerchips fabrication facilities in Taiwan,...