Professor of international law, presenting this program, please join me in welcoming them. [applause] thank you. Without further ado i thought i would plunge into a question for the judge and the biographer. Richard posner, when you were the age of some of the people in this room you were fabulous yates scholar interested in literature. What made you decide to go to law school . Law school was always the default graduate choice. I give some thought to graduate school, decided, not for me. I dont think i can stay. Harvard law school has a formative impression on you, i suppose . It launched your trajectory in many ways. Tell us about the academic experience. It is mixed, but they did something clever. They stacked their best teachers the first year in law school. Very nice. Got a good start. Second and third year, like all the professors i realized thinking about this, i skipped my last year of high school, only 16 when i went to yale college and only 20 when i went to law school, young
Thank you calling and without further ado i thought id pose a question first to the judge alternating between the joint and biographer. Mister posner, when you were the age of some of these people as an undergraduate at yale, but biography tells us you are a fabulous yates scholar, interested in literature. What made you decide to go to law school . Law school is always the default graduate choice for any college graduate. And my father was a lawyer and he gave some thought to going to graduate school in english but decided it was not for me so i dont think i consideredanything else. Harvard law school seemed to have a permanent impression on you isuppose, seemed to change and launch your trajectory in many ways. Can you tell us about the Academic Experience there . Well, it was mixed. But they did something clever. They did attrition in their first year of law school so that was very good. I got a good start. And second and third years were not as interesting. Like the professors, i r
Europe, germans biggest brought to to mes by american authorities either way we will be affected, welcome to the world of Systemic Risk its back. Opec a deal to get oil prices up will they stick to it jury out oil prize down a faction today. And, of course, Varney Company is all over the election the story this morning number one, media, more apoplectic attacks on donald trump number two, liberate barrierian gary johnson another aleppo moment, three trump goes into attack mode follow hillarys money that crooked woman he says. Just wait till you see what amazon is doing you are watching it now, i have been around a long time, you dont every see anything like that Varney Company is about to begin. Stuart get out of the way from getgo slightly other opening for stocks today, Economic Growth is still well below 2 , that was news this morning, oil consider this please. The saudis opec agreed to production cut, just as 9 11 victims get right to sue saudis a coincidence . We are on it oil dow
Learn from his understanding of the constitution and will senators learn from this testimony that there are proper and improper inquiries of judicial nominees . We are about to find out quite quickly. Toeady, the senate is ready take up the Harriet Miers nomination in just a few weeks. Already, some senators on both sides of the oil are ill are eager to determine her personal views. I would be satisfied to learn a wise approach to our democracy. I want to thank you for having me be with you today. Let the judges i have spoken sure ii have i am will be followed by many scholars more distinguished than somef and while i am sure of you have disagreed with what i have to say and im sure i will hear these in a few minutes, i do know to my many years of service as a senator. Thank you so much. Great to be with you. [applause] the next two speeches in our Supreme Court special include minority leader harry reid defending the use of the filibuster and saying the senator the senate has no oblig
Differently than the preceding ones. President , the pressure and tension on the existing process which exploded during the thomas nomination fight make a restoration of what came before judge thomas nomination, even it was desirable, a practical impossibility. That we face my immediate question, can our Supreme Court nomination and confirmation process so rectified discord and bitterness be repaired and it president ial Election Year . Mr. President , history teaches us that this is extremely unlikely. Bitter our nations most and heated confirmation fights have come in president ial Election Years. A confirmation fight over roger tommys tawnys confirmation in 1836, the senate refusal to confirm for nominations for president tyler in 1844, the single vote projections of rejection nominees badger and black by lameduck president s fillmore in the canon in the mid19th century. Approval ofow justices lamarr and fuller in 1888. These are just some examples of these fights in the 19th centur