Last week while Donald Trump was making an appearance in a DC courtroom after being indicted again, I was in California learning all about the law. Well, not all about the law - because as my spouse and other actual lawyers will remind me, you have to go to actual law school for that - but as much as you could reasonably hope to fit in during a four-day crash course called Journalist Law School at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.
I learned a lot, hung out with journalists from around the country, and was reminded yet again that our justice system was designed with checks and balances that ultimately only work if We The People make them work. I heard concerns from several speakers, all working in various aspects of our legal system, about over-stressed, under-staffed courts and declining trust in institutions, including the justice system.
Ironically, or perhaps totally unsurprisingly, I found myself writing a story during one of my lectures (shhh, don’t tell the prof!) after news broke from Texas that a judge had ruled in favor of a group of patients and doctors who’d sued the state, arguing that medical exceptions in Texas’ abortion bans are dangerously vague. That victory for the plaintiffs was quickly put on hold, however, after the Texas attorney general’s office filed an appeal. I was sitting in a lecture on the overturning of Roe v. Wade when I saw that update, and started writing again.
It wasn’t all work, though! Over the course of the week I was able to reconnect with several friends and colleagues and even some family members in California. My husband, oldest son and I made a week of it, heading out a few days early and making several stops along the way.
And now, it’s back to the East Coast and specifically to D.C., where I’m guest hosting Morning Edition this week. Among other things, I really enjoyed this interview today with a nurse practitioner from Rutgers University who explained what the first FDA-approved treatment specifically for postpartum depression could mean for new moms.
Does Dwayne Brown know of his fame from your Substack post? Being "The guy from NPR?"
Amazing enhancement to your credentials. Can’t hurt.🤑