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Mass. High Court On Parental Rights; SCOTUS On Racially Tainted Testimony

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On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court handed down a decision on parental rights that broadens the legal definition of a family. In the case, Partanen v. Gallagher, the state extended parental rights to people in same-sex relationships who never married, and who don't have a biological connection to a child, if they can show that they have been actively involved with the child's upbringing.

We'll also talk about the case of Duane Buck, a convicted Texas murderer whose case is now before the Supreme Court. The court is examining the role of race in sentencing after a psychologist testified that Buck was more likely to be a future danger to society because he was black.

Guest

Nancy Gertner, former Massachusetts federal judge, senior lecturer on law at Harvard Law School and WBUR legal analyst.

This segment aired on October 6, 2016.

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