From the bench to the hot seat
We put our questions (and some of your own) to two King County Judges. How long is this state of emergency likely to stand? How might compassion be harming the response to the city’s homelessness problem. And: what do you imagine about the Seattles that might have been?
Listen to the full show by clicking the play button above, or check out one of the show’s segments below. You can also subscribe to The Record on your favorite podcast app.
Ask a Judge on The Record
What have you always wanted to know about what it’s like to be a judge? Presiding Judge Jim Rogers and Chief Criminal Judge Sean O’Donnell are both on the bench in the King County Superior Court. They shared how they correct for their personal beliefs, unconscious biases – and simply when their favorite sports team has lost – in order to fairly adjudicate the law.
How sturdy is the state of emergency declaration?
We’re all now living through a national emergency – multiple national emergencies, to be precise. There’s one emergency that’s still in effect from 1979. But what kind of longevity will this one have? We spoke to Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice.
Chris Rufo, Ruinous Compassion
Documentary filmmaker Chris Rufo was briefly a contender for Seattle City Council in District 6, before dropping out of the race following threats that were lodged against his family. He’s back now, with a paper called “The Politics of Ruinous Compassion: How Seattle’s Homelessness Policy Perpetuates the Crisis—And How to Fix It.”
To all the Seattles we've ever loved
The Seattle that might have been includes a lengthier light rail, a functioning streetcar, a Central Park, a grand vision for European boulevards… it’s a grand vision, most of which has not come to pass. Eric Scigliano is a journalist and author who thinks a lot about the Seattles that might have been.
