What Would Brandeis Do?

Much of the legal world’s attention was focused this week on Donald Trump’s attacks on Gonzalo Curiel, the federal judge presiding over the Trump University fraud cases in California. The outrage centered on Trump’s insistence that the fact of Curiel’s Mexican ancestry should disqualify him from the case, considering Trump’s declared intent to build a border wall. We discuss Trump’s stance – and its historical antecedents – with Deborah Rhode, founding director of Stanford University’s Center on Ethics. And we sit down with Jeffrey Rosen to talk about the far-reaching legal mind of Justice Louis Brandeis, confirmed to the Supreme Court 100 years ago this month. Rosen is the author of the new book Louis D. Brandeis: An American Prophet.  Transcripts of Amicus are available to Slate Plus members. Sign up for a free Slate Plus trial here.  Amicus is sponsored by The Great Courses Plus, a new video service with thousands of lectures on dozens of topics. Right now, Amicus listeners can stream Influence: Mastering Life’s Most Powerful Skill—and hundreds of other courses—for free. Just visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/amicus. And by Casper, an online retailer of premium mattresses for a fraction of the price. All Casper mattresses come with free delivery and returns within a 100-day period. Right now, get 50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by visiting Casper.com/amicus and using the promo code AMICUS. Please let us know what you think of Amicus. Our email is [email protected].  Podcast production by Tony Field. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices