#170 – Ronald Sullivan: The Ideal of Justice in the Face of Controversy and Evil

Lex Fridman Podcast

Lex Fridman

Philosophy, Society & Culture, Science, Technology

4.7 • 13K Ratings

🗓️ 22 March 2021

⏱️ 111 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ronald Sullivan is a law professor at Harvard and previously a lawyer for Harvey Weinstein and Aaron Hernandez. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Brooklinen: https://brooklinen.com and use code LEX to get $25 off + free shipping – Wine Access: https://wineaccess.com/lex to get 20% off first order – Munk Pack: https://munkpack.com and use code LEX to get 20% off – Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium EPISODE LINKS: Ronald’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/profronsullivan Ronald’s Website: https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/directory/10870/Sullivan Ronald’s Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_S._Sullivan_Jr. Ronald’s NY Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/24/opinion/harvard-ronald-sullivan.html PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify:

Transcript

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0:00.0	The following is a conversation with Ronald Sullivan, a professor at Harvard Law School,
0:04.6	known for taking on difficult and controversial cases.
0:08.5	He was on the head legal defense team for the Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez
0:14.1	in his double murder case.
0:16.0	He represented one of the Gina 6 defendants and never lost the case during his years
0:21.6	in Washington, D.C.'s Public Defender Services Office.
0:25.4	In 2019, Ronald joined the legal defense team of Harvey Weinstein, a film producer facing
0:32.6	multiple charges of rape and other sexual assault.
0:36.4	This decision met with criticism from Harvard University students, including an online
0:41.4	petition by students seeking his removal as faculty dean, a Winter Pous.
0:47.2	Then a letter supporting him signed by 52 Harvard Law School professors appeared in the Boston
0:52.7	Globe on March 8, 2019.
0:56.1	Following this, the Harvard administration succumbed to the pressure of a few Harvard students
1:00.4	and announced that they will not be renewing Ronald Sullivan's dean position.
1:05.7	This created a major backlash in the public discourse over the necessary role of universities
1:11.8	in upholding the principles of law and freedom at the very foundation of the United States.
1:19.2	This conversation is brought to you by Brooklyn and Sheets, Wine Access online wine store,
1:24.2	Monk Pack Low Carp Snacks, and Blinkist app that summarizes books, click their links to
1:29.3	support this podcast.
1:31.4	As a side note, let me say that the free exchange of difficult ideas is the only mechanism through
1:37.4	which we can make progress.
1:39.8	Truth is not a safe space.
	...

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