Mid-life crises are embarrassing and all-too-common...but surely not among the prudent judges of nation's highest court? On today’s show, a former court clerk's new novel imagines a Supreme Court justice going off the rails.
Then, as millions vow to exercise in the new year, we'll hear about how today's gyms are building personal bathrooms and shower stalls for body shy millennials -- one writer thinks it's absurd for adults to fear getting undressed in front of others.
Listen to the full show.
Jay Wexler
Jay Wexler, is a Boston University law professor and mastermind behind the @SCOTUSHUMOR twitter handle. Tuttle in the Balance is Wexler's new novel about the unhinged justice who may just be the vote that decides cases on school prayer, the establishment clause, and in the central case of the book's fictional term: Texas vs Sexy Slut Magazine.
#SCOTUS [laughter] standings: AS 18, SB 14, CJ 13, AK 4, SA 4, EK 3, SS 2, RBG 0, CT 0. Oral arguments resume January 11th.
— Jay Wexler (@SCOTUSHUMOR) December 10, 2015
Life of the Law: Justices on the Move
In the early days of our nation's judiciary, being a justice on the highest bench in the land was a part-time job. When they weren't hearing Supreme Court cases in the capital, the justices worked as circuit court judges traveling thousands of miles all over the country to rule on lower court cases. Emily Gadek from the podcast Life of the Law explains the old and arduous days of circuit riding.
You can listen to this segment again at PRX.org.
Locker Room Nudity
A recent article from the New York Times reveals that modern gyms are catering to the whims of adult millennials – building personal bathroom and shower stalls for those who grew up with amenities and privacy and are uncomfortable un-dressing in front of others. Mark Joseph Stern is a writer for Slate. He thinks that body insecurity is something to be overcome, not accommodated. "Locker Room Nudity is Healthy and Normal. Fear of it is Irrational."
Pot Smoking Among Teens
Fifteen years after the big push to get teens to stop smoking cigarettes, a recent study found fewer high school students smoking cigarettes but more are smoking marijuana -- to explain the study and its results is Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic where she wrote the article, “Why Pot Has Overtaken Cigarettes among Teens.”
The Mary Jane Mindset
Marijuana use among teens is on the rise and while not everyone in high school is smoking pot, its prevalence is pervasive. In this piece from WNYC’s Radio RookiesTemitayo Fagbenle and Gemma Weiner spent months talking to dozens of teenagers who smoke marijuana and asked where they buy it, how much they spend on it, and how they think about risk.
Listen to this story again at PRX.org.