In the News: Keith J. Bybee

Keith Bybee, professor of political science, says 6-3 rulings such as the immunity decision make the court appear more partisan in its decision-making. “But also, this majority is quite emboldened,” he says, rendering decisions that are “quite sweeping and overturn decades-old precedents” such as in the case of abortion.

“With new lines being drawn, it injects a lot of uncertainty into the race,” Chris Faricy, associate professor of political science, tells WAER. “With Katko not being on the ballot, we have two new candidates who have to introduce themselves to the voters of Central New York.”

Keith Bybee, professor of political science, reviewed the released Dobbs decision on Legal Talk Network. 

Keith Bybee, professor of political science, was quoted in the USA Today article, "Bybee Quoted in USA Today Article on Code of Ethics for Supreme Court Justices."

Professors Keith Bybee and Shana Gadarian were featured in the WAER piece, "SU Professors weigh in on institutional, privacy implications of leaked Supreme Court draft opinion."

The 2022 One University Awards were held Friday, April 22, in Hendricks Chapel. The annual event honors members of the Syracuse University community who are making a difference through academics, scholarship, creative work and dedicated service.

"Most experts agree that there is no crisis at the southern border," William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, says about Trump's claim that a wall is needed because of a crisis at the border.

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, accept your temporary defeats and get involved in local or national affairs, encourages Keith Bybee, professor of political science. Studies indicate that volunteering—participating in a cause greater than yourself—is a surefire way to boost your well-being. 

"Any period of American history where there's been intense political conflict, you can find severe breaches of etiquette," says Keith Bybee, professor of political science.

 "He’s no Kennedy," Keith Bybee, professor of political science, says of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. "To the extent Kavanaugh disagrees with Kennedy...you’ll see the court change."

"Policing of tone, I don't think, is just atmospherics. It really is a way of conveying a different understanding of the respect that people are owed," says Keith Bybee, professor of political science.

"If I can just show that you drew this district to punish Republicans, then that’s a violation of the free speech rights and association rights of Republicans, and it shifts the burden onto the state to prove that they weren’t," says Keith Bybee, professor of political science and vice dean of the College of Law.

"In a static and homogenous society, one would expect homeschooling in civility to yield a consensus on the norms of appropriate public behavior," says Keith Bybee, professor of political science. "But the United States is not such a society."

Keith Bybee, professor of political science, talked about finding common ground in our public discourse, on PBS's public affairs program The Open Mind.

"I think a good working definition of civility is a baseline of respect that we owe one another in public life, and that has long been the definition of civility," says Keith Bybee, professor of political science.

Given how nasty and intractable the conflicts in our society can be, Keith Bybee, professor of political science, argues that it is naïve to imagine we can somehow transcend our clashing sets of values and miraculously agree on what counts as acceptable behavior and tolerable opinion.