March 26, 2004 - Host Gary Eichten and Suzanna Sherry, law professor at Vanderbilt University, discuss "judicial activism," and how judges decide what is constitutional.
March 26, 2004 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on a committee vote in the DFL Senate defeating proposed amendment that would ban gay marriage. That measure would allow the voters to decide if the Minnesota Constitution should ban same sex marriage and any legal equivalent. The committee did approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would prevent the courts from forcing the Legislature to define gay marriage, as the Massachusetts Supreme Court has done.
March 26, 2004 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports on the debate over same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue. The civil rights argument has caused concern among some African American religious leaders in Minnesota, especially when they've heard it compared to the fight for racial equality. While they argue that the civil rights struggle is completely different than the gay marriage issue, others counter that one should look to history in considering discrimination.
April 1, 2004 - “The Few Who Stayed: Defying Genocide in Rwanda,” an American RadioWorks documentary produced in cooperation with the PBS program FRONTLINE, profiles individuals that resisted the forces of genocide by presents their haunting stories.
April 1, 2004 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki reports that members of minority bar associations, area law schools, and law firms will launch a website to dispel some of the myths about Minnesota that they say discourage people of color from moving here. The site will feature profiles of noted legal professionals of color and offer information about such things as where to live and shop.
April 7, 2004 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Republican Representative Marty Siefert about legislation that would require drivers license tests be given only in English. The change was proposed as an amendment to a larger transportation bill. Currently, the written portion of the Minnesota drivers license exam is given in several languages, including Hmong, Somali, and Spanish.
April 19, 2004 - As part of the series “Keeping Track of Sex Offenders,” Mainstreet Radio’s Dan Gunderson reports on the debate over effectiveness of the Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool.
April 20, 2004 - As part of the series “Keeping Track of Sex Offenders,” Mainstreet Radio’s Erin Galbally reports on the success of a probation program that monitors sex offenders, which includes lower caseloads for probation officers.
April 21, 2004 - Duluth resident Paul Ojanen gives an audio guide tour along First Street in downtown Duluth, also known as "Alcoholic Central."
April 21, 2004 - As part of the series “Keeping Track of Sex Offenders,” Mainstreet Radio’s Erin Galbally reports on sex offender ‘wound therapy’ programs in Minnesota.