Jack Weinstein has alerted us to what sounds like a really fascinating and important radio broadcast on his philosophy radio show, Why?
“Domestic Violence and the Law: China vs. the U.S.A”
Guest: Robin Runge.
August 8, 5 p.m. central:In March of 2010, Robin Runge traveled to Beijing to train Chinese judges to better deal with issues of domestic violence in the law; this was her second such visit. In comparing the Chinese and American systems, she has able to see those areas in which American law better responds to the needs of the community and those areas in which the Chinese system does. In this episode of Why? we will discuss her experiences and address central questions in the philosophy of law. What counts as evidence? How ought the court deal with a he said/she said situation? In what ways can judges work with the police to promote better investigations? How do cultural differences affect legal frameworks, and to what extent is domestic violence a violation of human rights?
Why‘s host Jack Russell Weinstein says, “trying to discuss domestic violence philosophically is a real challenge, as is comparing legality and morality. Having Robin on the show helps us take a fresh look at a complex and difficult subject – a subject that needs much more attention.”
Robin R. Runge is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of North Dakota School of Law where she teaches in the Employment and Housing Law Clinic. Professor Runge taught public interest lawyering and domestic violence law at The George Washington University Law School, and domestic violence law at The American University Washington College of Law. From 2003 to 2009, Professor Runge was Director of the Commission on Domestic Violence at the American Bar Association where she managed all aspects of Commission programming including developing training curricula for attorneys, writing articles and speaking domestically and internationally on various aspects of domestic violence and the legal response to domestic violence including the employment rights of domestic violence victims. Previously, Professor Runge was Deputy Director and Coordinator of the Program on Women’s Employment Rights (POWER) at the D.C. Employment Justice Center and the Coordinator of the Domestic
Violence and Employment Project at the Employment Law Center, Legal Aid Society of San Francisco.
The show will be streamed here.
People can (if they wish) RSVP via facebook.
Those interested in this topic might also look at Michelle Dempsey’s recent book, _Prosecuting Domestic Violence: A Philosophical Analysis_, from Oxford University Press. It is, unfortunately, only in hardback and at a high price right now, but looks very interesting. Dempsey is a very interesting legal philosopher who teaches at Villanova Law School now after having earned her DPhil in jurisprudence at Oxford.