Is Trump the huckster that Plato predicted would someday organize an angry mob into a proud army of anti-intellectual patriots inoculated to facts and reason? Why, yes! But don’t take my word for it. Consider instead the appraisal of UVA law professor Robert Sayler, who has co-written a book with Molly Bishop Shadel, “Tongue-Tied America,” as a template for would-be high school rhetoric teachers.
Barbara Perry, a UVA professor of ethics and institutions, said Mr. McDonnell’s behavior “is the very kind of thing that the American people hate about politicians” – and could be even more so if the justices ultimately approve it as perfectly legal.
Larry Sabato, director of UVA’s Center for Politics, said the U.S. presidential nominating system could probably be improved in several areas, but noted the control wielded by party leadership usually becomes an issue only during tight races. "The popular vote overwhelms the rules usually, but in these close elections, everyone pays attention to these arcane rules," he said.
Larry Sabato, director of UVA’s Center for Politics, said the U.S. presidential nominating system could probably be improved in several areas, but noted the control wielded by party leadership usually becomes an issue only during tight races. "The popular vote overwhelms the rules usually, but in these close elections, everyone pays attention to these arcane rules," he said.
“The key moment is probably coming next Tuesday in Indiana. If Trump wins it, this race may effectively be over. If not, Trump still has a path, but he’ll need to scrape together every delegate he can,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the UVA Center for Politics.
"The government's interpretation of the statute is so broad that almost any major politician could be prosecuted. And of course they're not," John Jeffries, a UVA law professor who is among legal experts who signed a brief backing McDonnell's legal arguments.
The governor has said he’s on solid legal ground. His reasoning is backed by A.E. Dick Howard, a professor at the UVA School of Law who is widely considered the top expert on the Virginia Constitution.
Tuesday, commissioners from the Human Rights Commission met with students and community members at UVA about human rights problems. One of those problems was issues facing the LGBT community.
"It is unmistakably sleazy," said John Jeffries, a UVA law professor who is among legal experts who signed a brief backing McDonnell's legal arguments. "I have not heard anyone who defends his conduct." What's at issue, Jeffries said, is whether federal corruption statutes are too broad, giving prosecutors too much discretion, and whether an "official act" by a politician can essentially mean any action taken by the politician.
"It is unmistakably sleazy," said John Jeffries, a UVA law professor who is among legal experts who signed a brief backing McDonnell's legal arguments. "I have not heard anyone who defends his conduct." What's at issue, Jeffries said, is whether federal corruption statutes are too broad, giving prosecutors too much discretion, and whether an "official act" by a politician can essentially mean any action taken by the politician.
“Trump is in his strongest position of the campaign. It's not just his huge wins. It's the pitiful totals for Cruz and Kasich,” UVA politics professor Larry Sabato said.
The University of Virginia is one step closer to building a new research center and a memorial for slave laborers following a Tuesday afternoon Board of Visitors meeting.
To help students and the public get a handle on how courts do business, two UVA professors, law professor Greg Mitchell and political scientist David Klein, have written a concise guide to our judicial system, and they took an unusual approach.
Billionaire Charles Koch, who has helped many conservative Republicans, says he’s not going to open his wallet to support or oppose this year’s GOP presidential nominee. UVA’s Larry Sabato says Charles Koch and his brother David are still conservatives. They just don’t like presidential hopeful Donald Trump.
In a brazen effort to thwart front-runner Donald Trump from winning the Republican presidential nomination, his two remaining rivals have agreed to a plan intended to force the party into a contested convention in July. Larry Sabato, director of UVA’s Center for Politics, suggested Cruz and Kasich were driven in desperation to the deal after Trump swept nearly all of New York State’s 95 delegates last week.
Radio chatter from Virginia on Monday revealed a Republican hope that McAuliffe’s order restoring the civil rights of felons might be scaled back via a lawsuit. Dick Howard, a professor at the UVA School of Law, said that while it appeared McAuliffe had “ample authority” to give the vote back to felons in the state, his action was most likely due for challenge in court, the New York Times reported.
The unprecedented alliance between Ted Cruz and John Kasich is a long shot not only to succeed, but to last. Larry Sabato, director of UVA’s Center for Politics, says the strategy may work for Cruz in Indiana. “The polls are close enough there so that it might have the desired effect for Cruz. If Trump wins Indiana, the fat lady will start warming up.”
There is already considerable talk in some quarters that the time is fast approaching when Sanders ought to stand down and allow Clinton and the party to concentrate on the general election and countering Donald Trump. “His only realistic goal for a long time has been to accumulate delegates to maximize his influence with the eventual nominee,” said Larry Sabato, UVA Professor of Politics.
Kasich agreed to stop campaigning for the Indiana primary next Tuesday in deference to Cruz, while Cruz agreed not to challenge Kasich in the Oregon primary next month and New Mexico’s vote in June. Larry Sabato, director of UVA’s Center for Politics, said the partnership “would’ve made a lot more sense if it happened two months ago.”
Trump’s path to 1,237 delegates is very narrow, but very real. He currently has 845 delegates, but is expected to have a big night in Tuesday’s primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, where he could walk away with around 100 more delegates, according to the projections of Kyle Kondik, an analyst at UVA’s Center for Politics.