Author Image: Cass Sunstein

Cass Sunstein

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President Donald Trump comments on his Helsinki meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which raised accusations of treason, during a meeting with members of Congress in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, July 17, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

How to tell if a president’s words are treasonous

Several days ago, John Brennan, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, tweeted as follows: “Donald Trump's press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high...
Dar'o Pjevic, 9, is comforted by his mother, Josipa Pjevic, as he cries after Antoine Griezmann scored France's second goal during the 2018 World Cup final watch party at the Croatian Cultural Center-Chicago on July 15, 2018, in Chicago.

Is being a sports fan worth the agony of defeat?

Many people feel devastated after their favorite team loses. Sometimes they have trouble sleeping. (Yes, I speak from personal experience.) That raises some legitimate questions: Why suffer? Is it even...
The main quadrangle at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on March 20, 2017.

Law should tread lightly on college admissions

U.S. courts have long been reluctant to intervene in the admissions decisions of colleges and universities. In general, the law allows them to do whatever they want within this overarching...
Fans stand behind a large sign for equal pay for the women's soccer team during an international friendly soccer match between the United States and Colombia at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, Wednesday, April 6, 2016, in East Hartford, Conn.

The real reason women still get paid less

When it comes to discrimination, Americans pride ourselves on how far we've come. Racial segregation is history. Explicit sex discrimination is banned. Same-sex marriage is the law of the land....
Donald Trump arrives for a campaign event at Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on Dec. 5, 2015, in Davenport, Iowa.

Politicians talk nonsense because it works

Do you think that this is a profound statement? "Intention and attention are mystery's manifestation." What about this one? "Hidden meanings transform unseen beauty." Both statements are, of course, nonsense,...
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A treasure-trove beyond words

I joined the faculty of the University of Chicago Law School in 1981. On the day after I moved to Hyde Park, a young English professor told me, in hushed...