Booktv continues down the former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell. He talks about prosecutorial misconduct and what can be done about it. This is about 90 minutes. Good afternoon. Welcome to the Cato Institute. My name is tim weich. Today we want to examine some distressing legal trends that are at work in the criminal law area. Our guest speaker today Sidney Powell is just written a new book entitled licensed to lie exposing corruption in the department of justice. And the book recounts several cases in which ambitious prosecutors used illegal and unethical tactics to win their cases. Before we get to our panel of experts i want to take a minute or two to lay something of a foundation for the discussion thats going to follow but before he do that let me ask those of you who came with cell phones if you would just take a moment now to quickly doublecheck and make sure that they are turned off as a courtesy to our speakers. It includes our panelists. [laughter] okay, thank you. The firs
Thats the second part of my answer to you. Thank you. [applause] did i go on too long . [laughter] finish [inaudible conversations] youre watching, booktv. Television for serious readers. You can watch any program you see here online at booktv. Org. And booktv continues now with former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell. She talks about prosecutorial misconduct and what can be done about it. This is about 90 minutes. [inaudible conversations] good afternoon and welcome to the Cato Institute. My name is tim lynch, im the director of catos project on criminal justice. And today we want to examine some distressing legal trends that are at work in the criminal law area. Our guest speaker today, Sidney Powell, has just written a new book entitled license to lie exposing corruption in the department of justice. And the book recounts several cases in which ambitious prosecutors used illegal and unethical tactics to win their cases. Now, before we get to our panel of experts, i want to take just
Making changes sub rosa. If the court is going to make a change that actually changes the meaning of what was initially announced it should have an obligation to make that clear with some kind of supplement. [inaudible question] thank you, professor, for your presentation and your work. I was struck most of all for the freedom of speech in a deposition of the court in Citizens United. And i believe that the criticism about the individual judges raised a more profound question, and that is the as american democracy turning into a plutocracy, is the court a reflection of that kind of change . Well, some think it is a partial cause of that kind of change. Others think it is a reflection. I think it is more complicated ultimately than that. The reason that the court rules as it does in Citizens United is not a belief in that Corporate Power and wealth should dominate our society but a belief that government cannot be trusted to decide whose voices should carry weight. It is an antigovernme
The Current Court is moving rather frightening way to some people in the direction of reviewing laws that affect the economy in a serious way. For example, laws that were passed in vermont to make it harder for pharmaceutical companies to jack up charged by giving information about drugs to certain doctors so that there were prescribed more costly. The court struck that down on the basis of the First Amendment. After four joined the conservatives and match. Breyer went almost apoplectic. This is a return of what was called the locker area, the time from the 1890s in 1937 when the court was striking down economic legislation rather loosely. If you strike down an economic legislation simply because it deals with speech in one way or another, it deals with information information is at the heart of almost everything. And using the First Amendment that way could give the court the kind of power that i think is presuppose in your question. Some people think that is exactly what was right be
Former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell on what can be done about prosecutorial misconduct. She was at the Cato Institute to discuss her book i sent to my exposing corruption in the department of justice. This is about an hour and a half. Good afternoon and welcome to the Cato Institute. Im the director of the project on criminal justice. And today we want to examine some distressing legal trends that are at work in the criminal law area. Our guest speaker today has just written a new book entitled license to my exposing corruption in the department of justice and the book recounts several cases in which ambitious prosecutors use illegal and unethical tactics to win their cases. Before we get to the panel of experts, i want to take a minute or two to lay out a discussion that is going to follow but before i do that let me ask those that came with cell phones if you take a moment to doublecheck and make sure that they are turned off as a courtesy to our speakers. Thank you. The first po