Jeffrey Toobin and John Cassidy on Ferguson

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

Washington, News, Politics, President, Wickenden, Wnyc, Barack, Obama, Lizza

4.3 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 1 December 2014

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“I think it would have been very difficult, maybe even impossible, to get a criminal conviction,” Jeffrey Toobin says of the grand-jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown. Toobin, who wrote this week about the prosecutor Robert McCulloch’s “document-dump” approach to the case, joins John Cassidy and host Dorothy Wickenden on this week’s Political Scene to discuss the investigation, and how the issue of race plays out in the criminal-justice system. Of Darren Wilson’s testimony, Cassidy says, “He wasn’t challenged at any point … we don’t know how he would have held up on a witness stand.” They also revisit Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,’s 1995 magazine piece “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man,” about the jurors in the O. J. Simpson trial. Toobin says, “The jury system does rely on different people having different perceptions. And that’s not a bad thing, that’s a good thing. The problem is when those perceptions are so clearly shaped by race.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Discover Earth's ultimate untamed places with wilderness. With access to 6 million acres of private land
0:07.7	in eight African countries, wilderness offers intimate wildlife encounters and experiences that will
0:13.0	leave you changed forever. The accommodations are luxurious and stay true to the vibrant soul
0:19.8	and spirit of each destination and the trips are
0:23.0	meticulously planned from arrival to departure, making them perfect for a group, family or
0:28.5	solo travellers. Wilderness is among the leaders of conservation hospitality, with more than 60
0:34.5	of the most highly awarded lodges in camps in Africa.
0:43.0	Wilderness is especially excited this year to focus on wellness, providing experiences that immerse you in beautiful places to restore your sense of self through nature.
0:48.1	To learn more and book your own wilderness adventure, go to wilderness destinations.com
0:52.9	slash women who travel.
0:55.7	eBay, it's a place to fall in love with new pre-loved vintage and rare fashion over and over
1:01.6	again. Your favorite designers, expertly authenticated. Yeah, eBay. Things people love.
1:11.7	This is the political scene, a weekly conversation with New Yorker writers and editors about
1:16.3	politics. It's Wednesday, November 26th. I'm Dorothy Wickendon, executive editor of
1:21.5	The New Yorker. On Monday night, a St. Louis grand jury reached a decision on whether to
1:26.8	charge Officer Darren Wilson
1:28.3	in the shooting of Michael Brown this past August in Ferguson, Missouri. After their exhaustive
1:33.5	review of the evidence, the grand jury deliberated over two days making their final decision. They
1:40.9	determined that no probable cause exists to file any charge against Officer Wilson.
1:46.2	That was St. Louis Prosecutor Robert McCullough.
1:48.7	Jeffrey Tubin and John Cassidy join me today to talk about the grand jury's decision
1:52.8	and how the issue of race plays out in the criminal justice system.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The New Yorker, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The New Yorker and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.