The Gorsuch Gamble, Historic Lies and Leaks, Justice and Juries in America

Coming up on today’s show:

• On March 17th, a building collapsed in the highly-populated region of Mosul, Iraq. U.S. forces deployed airstrikes that day and confirmed this weekend that the strikes hit the building, and reports suggest that some 200 civilians were killed. It remains unclear if the U.S. military is responsible, but if confirmed, it would mark the largest loss of civilian life since the American fight against ISIS began. Sarhang Hamasaeed, director of Middle East Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, weighs in. 

• With Democrats opposing the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, the only way forward for the GOP may be to invoke the so-called “nuclear option.” Seung Min Kim, a Congressional reporter for POLITICO, joins The Takeaway to explain what to expect now that the nuclear option is in the GOP’s hands.

• On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Advocate Health Care Network V. Stapleton. The case will decide if church-exemption plans are allowed for any church-affiliated organization, like hospitals and daycare centers, which could cost millions of people to lose their pension plans. Norman Stein, a professor of Law at Drexel University, discusses the details of the case. 

• As hate crime reports continue to climb, Kami Chavis, a professor and director of the criminal justice program at Wake Forest University School of Law, joins The Takeaway to discuss the ins-and-outs of hate crime law, and how they might change under the Trump Administration. 

• Taking a page from President Richard Nixon, President Donald Trump is waging his own battle against leaks. Kit Roane, a producer with the Retro Report documentary team, looks back at the political consequences of lies and leaks. 

• In the age of social media, how does anyone — especially someone high-profile — get a fair trial? One expert says it’s time to tap into the vast world of big data to find out what prospective jurors read and listen to, and what beliefs they might bring into the courtroom. Andrew Ferguson, a law professor at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law and author of “Why Jury Duty Matters,” weighs in. 

• In the latest installment for The Takeaway’s series “Uncomfortable Truths: Exploring Racism in America,” we hear excerpts from a conversation moderated by Alaska Public Media Urban Affairs Reporter Anne Hillman and a number of “Community in Unity” panelists.