september 30th. the nobel prize is typically not awarded posthumously but the committee is making an excepts in this case. canadian cell biologist, he died three days before he was awarded the prize. ralph steinman s research on the immune system opened up new avenues for the treatment of cancer and inflammations discoveries that helped extend his own life. the supreme court began its new term today, the traditional first monday in october. and in the coming weeks, the justices will be announcing whether they will take on two major disputes over federal power, the legal battle over new health care law and challenge to arizona s immigration law, among other big decisions. associate supreme court justice steven breyer joins us now and author of making our democracy work, a judge s view now in paper back. here now. so, let s talk about, first of all, the book. and what you have written in the book about your philosophy and about the court. you write that the public s trust cannot be t
when the stream court ruled back in january to destroy the important rules about campaign donations in our country president obama warned about the consequences and raised the citizens united decision a few days later in his state of the union address. last week the supreme court reversed a century of law that i believe will open the flood gates for special interests. including foreign corporations to spend without limit in our election. famously that statement from the president prompted supreme court justice samuel alito to angrily mutter that s not true at the president. turns out it is true. sorry, mr. associate supreme court justice, turns out it is very true. president obama is making shady and potentially foreign funding of conservative candidates a major campaign issue for democrats in this year s elections. the president raised the issue yesterday at a rally to get out the vote for maryland governor martin o malley and raised it at
after almost 35 years on the supreme court, associate supreme court justice john paul stevens has announced his retirement. he says this the day after the court rises for the summer recess in june or july. i m joined on the phone by harvard law school professor dershowitz. i hope it does change the face of the court. it s a mediocre supreme court, no trial lawyers, no one with real life experience. it shows. one of the virtues justice steven brought to the court, he