Donald Trump

Recounts almost never lead to election reversals. Here’s why they matter.

Electoral recounts were pursued in Florida and Georgia, with little chance of changing the outcome in the short term. Of far greater importance is the long-term health of American elections overall, says Northeastern law professor Daniel Medwed.

by Lia Petronio and Ian Thomsen November 16, 2018

What’s next for the Mueller investigation?

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation could play out in three plausible ways now that President Donald Trump has fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions, said two Northeastern law professors.

by Molly Callahan November 8, 2018

If ‘truth isn’t truth,’ then what is it?

We live in a time where the truth is being called into question almost daily. There’s “fake news,” and the idea that seeing isn’t believing, and the assertion that “truth isn’t truth.” So, when we’re presented with so many reasons to doubt the truth (or for that matter, doubt the very existence of truth), the question becomes, what is the nature of truth? Northeastern professor Patricia Illingworth, who has expertise in philosophy and law, has some answers.

by Molly Callahan September 26, 2018

Four things to watch for during Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings

Tuesday is the first day of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation hearings. “A particularly disastrous or a particularly strong” performance by Kavanaugh could sway the senators who are still on the fence about which way they’ll vote, said Dan Urman, who teaches a Northeastern course on the Supreme Court.

by Molly Callahan September 3, 2018

Before Trump’s angry tweet, he should have searched Google for Northeastern’s research

Could Google’s search engine influence the news that you receive? A team of Northeastern researchers found the answer.

by Ian Thomsen August 29, 2018

Cohen implicated the president in a federal crime. Does that mean we’ll see Trump in court?

Can a sitting president be charged with a crime? It’s a tricky question, says Northeastern law professor Michael Meltsner. “The question of whether you can or cannot indict a sitting president is a matter of law that’s never been decided.”

by Molly Callahan August 22, 2018

#FreePress editorial campaign unites newspapers against ‘Trump’s anti-First Amendment rhetoric’

On Thursday, hundreds of newspapers across the United States and abroad published editorials emphasizing the importance of a free press for a healthy democracy. Dan Kennedy, a nationally-known media commentator at Northeastern, says the outcry from media outlets is “an exercise in standing up for our values and defending the First Amendment at a moment when we are under attack.”

by Molly Callahan August 16, 2018

What Michael Cohen’s Playboy model tape could mean for President Trump

A tape seized by the FBI that contains a secret recording by President Donald J. Trump’s longtime lawyer of the two discussing payments to a former model just months before the 2016 election is “pretty clearly evidence” of federal campaign finance law violations, said Costas Panagopoulos, a Northeastern professor of political science and expert in campaign finance.

by Molly Callahan July 20, 2018

Family separation doesn’t end at the border. The child human rights crisis is everywhere.

With the eyes of the nation riveted on terrified immigrant children along the Mexican border, another child welfare crisis lurks in a town near you—one that plagues hundreds of thousands of youth across America.

by Bill Ibelle June 29, 2018

What Justice Kennedy’s retirement means for the country

Justice Anthony Kennedy on Wednesday announced he will retire from the nation’s highest court at the end of July. Supreme Court experts Dan Urman and Michael Meltsner weigh in on what it means for the future of the court and whether political conflict is inevitable in the nomination process.

by Greg St. Martin June 27, 2018