In 2002 the U.S. Supreme Court barred the execution of the intellectually disabled. But states have the ability to decide who is given the label of "mentally retarded." (This outdated term is used throughout this story since it’s the language in the court case.) The U.S. Supreme Court heard a case that questions what standards states may use in determining whether a defendant convicted of murder is mentally deficient. Listen to hear about this argument.
Story Length: 3:47
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September 1, 2016
2:25
Colleges and universities in the U.S. can consider a student’s race when they are deciding if they will admit that student or not. Selecting a racially balanced student body has been important to many colleges and now the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the affirmative-action program at the University of Texas at Austin is legal. The difficulty will be to consider race without discriminating against other students during the admissions process. Listen to hear more about the issue of promoting diversity in admissions policies of colleges and universities.
Read MoreJanuary 14, 2015
5:19
The highest level of punishment for committing crimes in the United States is death. Since 1976, lethal injection, or death by poison, has been the most common way the death penalty is enforced. In recent years it has become more difficult for prison systems to get access to these lethal poisons. States are trying new drug formulas that are not always successful. Listen to learn why pharmaceutical companies are refusing to sell drugs to prisons and how this is affecting the implementation of the death penalty.
NOTE: THERE IS A DISTURBING DESCRIPTION OF A LETHAL INJECTION EXECUTION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY
Read MoreJuly 29, 2014
8:50
When corporations were first created, they were given one right and that was to the right to make a contract. But as the country industrialized, they received more rights under the Bill of Rights, like individual people. Listen to this radio story to learn how rights for corporations have changed over time and how the most recent Supreme Court ruling about Hobby Lobby gives corporations more rights than ever before.
Read MoreFebruary 4, 2014
2:25
The 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing suspect could face the federal death penalty. Some victims of the bombings actively argue for capital punishment. The majority of residents in Massachusetts, where the bombing happened, do not support the penalty and it is not legal for state crimes. Listen to this story to learn what the bomber's fate might be. And then listen to this story about how a federal death penalty law trumps a state law that prevents it.
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