Law Professor Says Trump's Comments About Judge Signal Rise Of Authoritarianism

A growing number of Republicans are publicly criticizing likely GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump for insisting that federal judge Gonzalo Curiel cannot objectively rule on two lawsuits against Trump University because the judge has Mexican heritage.

Legal expert David Post tells Here & Now‘s Robin Young that the First Amendment protects Trump’s right to say anything he wants about the judge or the court system, but voters must consider what it means for a presidential candidate to attack judicial independence and the rule of law.

Guest

• David Post, retired Temple University law professor, who writes for The Washington Post’s “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.