January 27- Republican Judicial Activists Block Obama’s Way Around Republican Roadblocks; What Happened to Filibuster Reform?; Drones as Imperialism Lite

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Pat 1	We begin with the decision by the DC Court of Appeals that broke with 150 years of precedent striking down President Obama’s use of recess appointments. Aziz Huq, professor of Law at the University of Chicago joins us to discuss this radical decision in the context of the growing rightward tilt of our judiciary from successful efforts by Republicans to filibuster Democratic nominees to the federal bench. On top of using legislative trickery to hobble federal agencies Republicans don’t like, this latest display of conservative judicial activism now prevents a Democratic president from getting around these Republican roadblocks.
Part 2	Then we look into filibuster reform that appears to have fizzled in the Senate where a watered down version has been agreed to. We assess what kind of reform can be expected and what more could have been achieved, with a veteran of the Senate Ira Shapiro who was Counsel to the Majority Leader of the Senate. We discuss the enormous backlog of bills and appointments created by the unprecedented use of the filibuster by Republicans and how much these reforms will unblock the Senate.
Part 3	Then finally we examine the U.S.’s increased reliance of drones and recent efforts by the UN to launch an enquiry into the proliferation of drones, now used by 51 countries, and the lack of a legal framework of international law to deal with this new weapon. Richard Rubenstein, the University Professor of Conflict Resolution and Public Affairs at George Mason University joins us. He is the author of “Reasons To Kill: Why Americans Choose War”.