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How Could We (the People) Speak Better and Be Better Heard?

Visioning a Better America Conference

10/07/21

The Visioning a Better America Conference asks: What is our vision of America’s ideal future? Ideas matter. Ideas have power. The ideas of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution inspired Americans to continually perfect our values-based democratic republic. The Declaration and the Constitution, our national charters, combined White male supremacy, slavery, and genicide and removal of native peoples with the vision of freedom and equal

#CCSummit2021 Keynote by Lawrence Lessig

Creative Commons Summit 2021

09/23/21

The 2021 CC Global Summit was our biggest yet—the week-long event welcomed 330 speakers from all over the world and 170+ sessions! This year, we hosted five keynotes from global leaders in the open movement, who shared their work in open data, science and health, software and law. This is a recording of our final keynote of the CC Global Summit by Lawrence Lessig, founder of

DECODING the Dems' Plan for HR1

06/18/21

Harvard Law Professor Larry Lessig speaks with Cenk Uygur on The Conversation about the current state of voting rights legislation.

Social Media and the First Amendment

06/16/21

Talk given to the American Bar Foundation, 2021 June 16

Seinfeld's Jason Alexander Asks: "What's The Deal With H.R. 1?"

06/04/21

Seinfeld's Jason Alexander speaks with Harvard Law School's Lawrence Lessig and the Brennan Center's Elizabeth Hira about the most important fair elections bill in generations (the For The People Act). This event, which took place on June 4th, was co-sponsored by Equal Citizens, The Brennan Center for Justice, RepresentUs, End Citizens United, Common Cause, the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition, and Open Democracy

Larry Lessig on the For the People Act

TYT The Conversation

05/28/21

Harvard Law Professor Larry Lessig speaks with David Shuster on The Conversation about why passing the For the People Act (H.R. 1) is so important.

The United States: Another Minoritarian Nation

TEDxWarwick

04/08/21

Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig powerfully makes the case that the United States is becoming a minoritarian nation. He argues that in order for the United States to truly be a majoritarian democracy, there are several legislative changes which need to take place. Only these changes will allow American society to flourish. After transforming intellectual-property law with his Creative Commons innovation, he has devoted his career to

Exciting Updates on Voting Rights & Money in Politics

TYT The Conversation

03/19/21

Law Professor Larry Lessig speaks with Cenk Uygur on The Conversation about the importance of the For the People Act.

A More Perfect Union: Ideas to Improve Our Democracy

The Aspen Institute

12/10/20

This SOF Digital Discussion features Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School; Michele Moody-Adams, Straus Professor of Political Philosophy and Legal Theory at Columbia University; and Yascha Mounk, Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University; in conversation with Lulu Garcia-Navarro, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday and co-host of NPR’s morning news podcast Up First. Guided by Garcia-Navarro, Lessig, Moody-Adams,

Trump's Final Play to Steal the Election

TYT The Conversation

12/09/20

Professor of Law at Harvard Larry Lessig speaks with Francesca Fiorentini on The Conversation about why he's worried about state legislatures attempting to hand the election to Trump.

Lessig on How Trump Could Try to Steal the Election

TYT The Conversation

11/06/20

Harvard Law Professor Larry Lessig speaks with Cenk Uygur on The Conversation about Trump's false accusations of voter fraud.

Regulating campaign spending would root out corruption in our electoral process

Business Casual

10/13/20

We know there’s an ungodly amount of money tied up in politics, much of it collected in the campaign finance stage. What we often don’t know is where it comes from and what its aims are. What if we could shift the way we interpret and regulate campaign spending? That kind of shift might just root out deep-seated corruption in our electoral process...according, at least, to

America's Corrupt Political System

Wolf-PAC

09/25/20

Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig Explains corruption in American politics. Why is American politics so dysfunctional? Lawrence Lessig, profound speaker, activist and law professor, details corporate money as the corrupt root obstructing progress on all issues in America’s political system and the importance of the strategy to call for a convention to introduce a constitutional amendment addressing campaign finance reform. Hosts: Lawrence Lessig Cast: Lawrence Lessig

The World After Coronavirus: The Future of Expertise

BU Pardee Center

09/23/20

Lessig on Getting Money out of Politics

TYT The Conversation

01/06/20

Law professor Lawrence Lessig joins Ana on The Conversation.

They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy

Politics & Prose

11/22/19

Lawrence Lessig discusses his book, "They Don't Represent Us", at Politics and Prose. In this non-partisan analysis of today’s political divisiveness, Lessig identifies unrepresentativeness as the one problem that underlies the others. He sees it both in institutions—such as the media’s response to narrow interests rather than to those of the wider citizenry—and in the people, who are uninformed about the issues. Lessig, host of

They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy

Brennan Center for Justice

11/21/19

In his new book, "They Don’t Represent Us," Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig charts the ways in which the fundamental institutions of our democracy respond to narrow interests rather than to the needs and wishes of the nation’s citizenry. At this event, Lessig explored the causes and consequences of “unrepresentativeness” and called for significant reforms including public campaign funding, a reformed Electoral College, and a

What's Next for American Democracy?

National Constitution Center

11/20/19

Lawrence Lessig, author of the new book They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy, Daniel Epps of Washington University in St. Louis Law School, and Howard Rich, chairman of U.S. Term Limits, discuss the future of elections, term limits, calls for a constitutional convention, and other reforms, including how to address gerrymandering after the Supreme Court’s decision in Rucho v. Common Cause last term—and what

Lessig on Why "They Don't Represent Us"

WGBH Greater Boston

11/19/19

In his new book, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig argues that American democracy is broken not only because of partisanship in Washington, but also because the American system of government does not properly ensure representation under the ideal of "one person, one vote." To discuss what ails us — and how to potentially fix it — Jim Braude was joined by Lessig to discuss 'They Don’t

The Electoral College

Harvard Law School

10/19/19

Keynote Luncheon with Professor Lawrence Lessig & Political Consultant Stuart Stevens.

Fidelity and Constraint: How the Supreme Court Has Read the American Constitution

HLS Library Book Talk

09/25/19

On September 25, Harvard Law School Professor discussed his book "Fidelity & Constraint: How the Supreme Court Has Read the American Constitution, as part of an ongoing series of talks sponsored by the Harvard Law School Library. In his talk, Lessig explains that one of the most basic approaches to interpreting the constitution is the process of translation. Indeed, some of the most significant shifts in

How Democracy Survives the Internet

Wikimedia Deutschland

09/12/19

Lawrence Lessig, Mitgründer Creative Commons und Professor der Rechtswissenschaften an der Harvard Law School, sprach am 12. September 2019 mit John Weitzmann, Leiter Politik & Recht und Syndikus bei Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. Wir fragten Lessig am Tag vor seiner Keynote "How Democracy survives the Internet: The lessons Wikipedia can teach" auf der Konferenz "Das ist Netzpolitik!" in der Berliner Volksbühne: - In a keynote

We Need Candidates Committed to Reforming the System

NowThis News

05/23/19

This expert says Obama and Trump failed to ‘clean up Washington’ the way they promised to—but there’s one woman on Capitol Hill he thinks is taking on the challenge.

On what we should know — and what we must inspire the politicians to do

Reclaim our Democracy Talk

04/29/19

Talk given to Reclaim our Democracy, Concord, MA, on April 29, 2019. The talk is about 30 minutes; there is a question and answer session at the end.

Democracy's Greatest Challenge: The Demos

04/27/19

EuropaCamp 2019 Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, beim EuropaCamp der ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius auf Kampnagel, Hamburg

I am not willing to accept the country we are leaving our children.

04/07/19

Andrew Yang teams up with Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig and campaign finance advocacy group, Equal Citizens, for a town hall to discuss the importance of fixing our broken political system. Andrew is running for president because he's an American and a parent and he can see the country we will leave to our children and it is not something he is willing to accept.

Restoring Democracy Town Hall with Andrew Yang

04/07/19

Andrew Yang teams up with Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig and Equal Citizens for a town hall to discuss their organization's mission of campaign finance reform, preventing voter suppression and gerrymandering, and re-examining our outdated winner-take-all Electoral College system.

2020 Elections First Quarter Fundraising

CBSN's Red and Blue

04/01/19

The 2020 fundraising battle reached a milestone this weekend. Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School and founder of the organization Equal Citizens, and CBSN political reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns, join CBSN's "Red and Blue" to discuss the first quarter fundraising deadline.

America, Compromised

HLS Library Book Talk

03/27/19

The Harvard Law School Library hosted Lawrence Lessig for a talk on his latest book, "America, Compromised," which the University of Chicago press calls a "sweeping indictment of contemporary American institutions and the corruption that besets them."

America, Compromised

Harvard Bookstore-WGBH Network Forum

02/01/19

In America, Compromised Lawrence Lessig captures a snapshot of contemporary America and forms an argument on how the institutions of the American government have come to be the way they are. Throughout the book, Lessig shows that the modern problems plaguing corrupt political institutions cannot simply be blamed upon the "bad people" of society. Rather, Lessig argues that it is compromise that has brought down the

Lessig: Anti-Trust Laws Can Fix Social Media Bias

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

Lessig on Bridging the Media Gap between Left and Right

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

Trump's Presidency Could Bring the Left and Right Together

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

Does the Electoral College Disenfranchize Voters?

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

Lessig Breaks Down Citizens United and Super PACs

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

Lessig Explains the Unique Evil of Mitch McConnell

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

How Newt Gingrich Helped to Destroy Congress for Regular People

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

Lessig: Lobbyists Aren't the Problem, the System Is

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

Lessig: Facebook Exploits Insecurity to Sell Ads

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

Make Congress Accountable with Publicly Funded Elections

The Joe Rogan Experience

12/13/18

Lessig on Why His Generation "Sucks"

NowThis

11/02/18

At least one Boomer — Lawrence Lessig — is being real about his generation. “Because of people like me — over 50, white, especially men — pretty much every awful thing that’s happened in the past 20 years, happened,” he stated. “We elected George Bush which got us the Iraq War. We didn’t elect Al Gore, which meant you didn’t get climate change legislation. Despite

An essentially unrepresentative representative democracy

Harvard Law School Fall Reunion 2018

10/26/18

Keynote address, Harvard Law School Fall Reunion 2018 Luncheon

Lessig on His Legal Fight to End "Winner-Take-All" Rules in Electoral College

WGBH Greater Boston

09/04/18

Is the Electoral College broken? So argues Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, a former presidential candidate and the founder of the non-profit group Equal Citizens, who along with people like former Mass. Governor Bill Weld, is leading a series of lawsuits to fix it. Lessig joined Jim Braude to discuss.

Lessig on Legal Challenges to the Electoral College

Washington Journal

08/17/18

Professor Lawrence Lessig talked about a lawsuit he joined to challenge the Electoral College system. He spoke via video link from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The program was pre-empted by a four-minute pro forma session of the House of Representatives. This “Washington Journal” program continues after the session.

What It REALLY Means to Call for an Article V Convention

08/12/18

Lawrence Lessig Speaks at Wolf PAC Warrior Workshop 2018. http://www.wolf-pac.com ​ Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig gives a lesson on what it really means to call for an Article V Convention and why it’s the logical path to address money’s corrupting influence in politics. In this powerful presentation, he dissects the history and language surrounding Article V and the arguments often used against the convention

Getting to the Root of the Problem: Lawrence Lessig

Mixed Mental Arts, ep. 346

01/23/18

During the presidential election of 2016, one man dared to stand up to speak the truths that needed to be spoken. He was (of course) denied a forum. Mixed Mental Arts aims to remedy that situation. That's right! Lawrence Lessig returns!

Unequal as Funders

TEDxBeaconStreet November 2017

11/18/17

At the core of our constitution is the ideal of equality. Two centuries of compromise has let us forget that. If we’re to recover a representative democracy, we must defend again its simple ideal — that all citizens are equal. Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. Prior to rejoining the Harvard faculty, Lessig was a professor

Equal We Are Not

TEDxDirigo

11/04/17

We have allowed a radical inequality to evolve within our political system; we don’t see it, but we must repair it if we’re to have a democracy that might count. Professor Lawrence Lessig explains that our democracy is failing, not because there are too many Republicans in Congress, or too many Democrats, but because the basic commitment of a representative democracy — political equality —

Is It Time to Reform the Electoral College?

WGBH Greater Boston

10/10/17

After the 2016 election, plenty of people called for the major changes to the electoral college. Among them was Harvard Law professor and former Democratic candidate for president, Lawrence Lessig. He joined Jim Braude to discuss how his non-profit, Equal Citizens, wants to change the way the United States votes.

Does your vote for president really count?

10/10/17

If you don't happen to live in one of the 14 battleground states in the U.S., your vote for president simply doesn't matter. And if you're a Democrat in Texas or a Republican in California, your vote doesn't even count. We can fix this. We have a solid strategy and the best legal team possible.

Here's how social media hurts democracy

CNBC Power Lunch

09/18/17

Lawrence Lessig, Harvard Law School, discusses whether Facebook and other social media giants need regulation following the revelation of Russian ad spending during the election.

EqualCitizens.us

TYT's The Conversation

09/13/17

Cenk Uygur (The Young Turks) interviews Larry Lessig, law professor and founder of Equal Citizens. Learn more about the Equal Votes project: https://EqualVotes.US ​

How digital destroyed democracy

TEDxBerlinSalon

07/02/17

Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. Prior to rejoining the Harvard faculty, Lessig was a professor at Stanford Law School, where he founded the school’s Center for Internet and Society, and at the University of Chicago. He clerked for Judge Richard Posner on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Antonin Scalia on the United

Lessig speaks to NationSwell about Mayday PAC

01/17/17

Harvard Law School Professor and campaign finance-reform activist Lawrence Lessig speaks to NationSwell about his crowd-funded non-partisan Mayday PAC and the inherent irony in the idea.

Political leadership in times of digital populism

TEDxBerlinSalon

01/11/17

Lawrence Lessig on "Political leadership in times of digital populism" at TEDxBerlinSalon "Leading in the Digital Age".

20 electors could flip

12/15/16

Lessig offering legal support to anti-Trump electors

MSNBC All In with Chris Hayes

12/06/16

Lawrence Lessig, creator of ‘The Electors Trust’ project, joins Chris Hayes to discuss the movement led by Democratic electors to try to persuade at least 37 Republicans to not vote for Trump.

The Electoral College is Constitutionally Allowed to Choose Clinton over Trump

PBS Democracy Now!

11/30/16

As we continue to talk about the U.S. election system, we turn now to Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig, who sparked debate over the issue of the Electoral College with his recent op-ed published in The Washington Post titled "The Constitution lets the electoral college choose the winner. They should choose Clinton." Lessig is a Harvard Law professor who briefly ran for the Democratic nomination for

Science and the Data Revolution

APB Speakers

11/02/16

One of the most inspiring and visionary thought leaders of the digital age, Lawrence Lessig occupies a unique place at the intersection of transformative ideals, citizen activism and the future of the law, digital technologies, and democracy itself. His signature rapid-fire presentation style, known as the “Lessig Method” uses dynamic typography and thought-provoking visuals to seize attention and deeply inform.

The Problem with Congress, and How to Fix It

The Atlantic, filmed at the Aspen Ideas Festival 2016

07/01/16

Lawrence Lessig is a Harvard Law professor and 2016 candidate for the Democratic nomination. In this interview filmed at the Aspen Ideas Festival , he explains how money’s influence in politics threatens American democracy. Congress has become deeply unrepresentative, he says, because politicians are focused on answering to their biggest campaign donors rather than the general population. This is why people are drawn to anti-establishment candidates

Remembering Justice Scalia

WGBH Greater Boston

02/16/16

Antonin Scalia , (born March 11, 1936, Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.—died February 13, 2016, Shafter, Texas), associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 to 2016, well known for his strong legal conservatism . He was the first Supreme Court justice of Italian ancestry. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

How Scalia Shaped Conservative Legal Theory

MSNBC News LIVE

02/14/16

Supreme Justice Antonin Scalia said that progress should be advanced by the political branches, and the court's job was more modest -- to interpret the law. Scalia's co-author and friend, Bryan Garner, MSNBC's Irin Carmon and Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig join to discuss.

Scalia's Legacy

MSNBC LIVE

02/14/16

Bryan Garner, Antonin Scalia's friend and co-author, and Lawrence Lessig, who clerked for Scalia, reflect on the Supreme Court Justice's death and legacy.

Déjà vu all over again: Thinking through law & code, again

Blockchain Workshops

12/11/15

Keynote given at the #BlockchainSYD workshop, December 11, 2015, Sydney, Australia

What I Learned Running for President: The Ethics of Citizenship

Harvard Law School Library Book Talk

11/23/15

Jonathan Zittrain interviews Lawrence Lessig to celebrate the release of the 2016 edition of Lawrence Lessig’s “Republic Lost: The Corruption of Equality and the Steps to End It”.

Where Are You?

Talk at Phillips Exeter Academy

11/20/15

Talk to the students at Phillips Exeter Academy, November 20, 2015

Campaign 2016 & Campaign Finance Reform

C-SPAN Washington Journal

11/13/15

Lawrence Lessig talked about lessons learned during his brief bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2016 election cycle. He also discussed campaign finance reform, which was a central issue in his campaign.

Lessig Exits Democratic Race

MSNBC Rachel Maddow

11/02/15

Rachel Maddow reports that Lawrence Lessig has announced he is quitting the race for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

Lessig on Critical Campaign Issue

MSNBC The Last Word

11/02/15

Former Democratic candidate Lawrence Lessig was known for running a campaign about one issue – campaign finance. But he explains to MSNBC’s Alex Wagner how the goal of his campaign was something bigger than that one issue.

Why Is the Democratic Party Afraid of Larry Lessig?

TYT The Conversation

10/20/15

Lawrence Lessig is running for president as a Democrat, but you wouldn’t know it from watching the first Democratic debate on CNN. Lessig’s solitary focus is on ending the corrosive, corrupting influence of money on the American political system, a position that may be too hot for the Democratic National Committee, which barred Lessig from the first Democratic debate on October 13th in Las Vegas. In

Real Time with Bill Maher: Overtime

HBO Real Time with Bill Maher

10/16/15

Bill Maher and his guests – Johann Hari, Katrina vanden Heuvel, John Feehery and Lawrence Lessig – answer viewer questions after the show.

Lessig absent from debate, takes questions

MSNBC The Last Word

10/13/15

Democratic presidential candidate Lawrence Lessig says ‘We have to win our democracy back.’ Lessig joins MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell to talk about what he would have said had he been on the debate stage in Las Vegas.

Lessig Wants to Debate

MSNBC All In with Chris Hayes

10/09/15

Chris Hayes talks to Democratic presidential candidate Lawrence Lessig about why he's being kept out of next week's debate.

Lessig, 2016 Presidential Candidate, Talks with AJ+

AJ+

10/09/15

Harvard professor, Creative Commons founder and legal genius Lawrence Lessig is running for president. Upon winning, he promises to fix the problem of money in politics and then resign. He sat down with AJ+, and we chose the top seven things that most American politicians aren’t discussing.

Lessig Raises $1 Million for Presidential Bid

MSNBC MTP Daily

10/06/15

Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig tells MTP Daily's Chuck Todd that he's raised $1 million in his insurgent bid for Democratic presidential nomination but still faces formidable obstacles.

Our democracy no longer represents the people. Here's how we fix it.

TEDxMidAtlantic

09/25/15

Lessig makes the case that our democracy has become corrupt with money, leading to inequality that means only 0.02% of the United States population actually determines who's in power. Lessig says that this fundamental breakdown of the democratic system must be fixed before we will ever be able to address major challenges like climate change, social security, and student debt. This is not the most important

Interview with Presidential Candidate Lawrence Lessig

C-SPAN Road to the White House 2016

09/21/15

Professor Lawrence Lessig , a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, was interviewed as part of a C-SPAN series of conversations with candidates. He talked about his life and work and reasons for running for president.

2015 New Hampshire Democratic Party State Convention

C-SPAN Road to the White House 2016

09/19/15

Candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , former Governor Martin O’Malley (D-MD), Senator Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ), former Governor Lincoln Chafee (D-RI), and Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig , spoke at the 2015 New Hampshire Democratic Party State Convention in the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester. Major speakers were introduced with videos. The program included the national

2016 candidate promises to resign if elected

MSNBC The Last Word

09/14/15

Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig announces his candidacy for the Democratic nomination with a surprising caveat: if elected, he'll resign after passing a new law on campaign finance reform. He joins Lawrence to make his case.

Lessig and the "Dilemma of Frodo"

MSNBC The Last Word

09/14/15

Lawrence Lessig likens his presidential bid to Frodo Baggins in 'Lord of the Rings'

Lessig to campaign on campaign issue only

MSNBC Rachel Maddow

09/08/15

Rachel Maddow reports that Lawrence Lessig has reached a fundraising milestone to allow him to enter the Democratic primary, in which he will run on the sole issue of campaign finance reform. Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray discusses how pollsters take campaigns like Lessig's into account in polls.

Lessig Announces He'll Run for President

TYT The Conversation

09/08/15

Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig, godfather of the campaign finance reform movement, threatened to run for president. He said getting money out of politics is the most important issue which all lesser issues hinge upon. He has now reached his goal and will be entering the Democratic primary. Cenk Uygur, host of the The Young Turks, breaks it down. Tell us what you think in the

Lessig: 2016 "referendum candidate"

MSNBC The Briefing

09/04/15

Harvard professor and activist Lawrence Lessig joins The Briefing to make the case for his ‘referendum’ candidacy for president. His three foundational goals are to create a voting holiday, end gerrymandering, and establish citizen-funded elections.

Lessig for President?

WGBH Greater Boston

09/01/15

Time stamp: Lessig 13:04

Can Lawrence Lessig Win the Presidency and Get Money out of Politics?

TYT The Conversation

08/20/15

Harvard Law Professor and longtime political activist Lawrence Lessig wants to win the presidency of the United States to accomplish one critical objective: ending the corrupting influence of money on politics. With that done, he says he’ll step down and let someone else take over the Oval Office. It’s a radical notion, the single-issue presidential candidacy, but as he points out, only a radical solution can

This man wants to be POTUS, pass reform, resign

MSNBC Morning Joe

08/12/15

Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig joins Morning Joe to discuss forming an exploratory committee for the 2016 Democratic nomination, why as president he would work to resolve one issue and then leave office.

Lawrence Lessig 2016?

MSNBC All In with Chris Hayes

08/11/15

Chris Hayes talks to Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard professor, who today announced an exploratory committee for the 2016 Democratic nomination.

One-on-one with Lawrence Lessig

WGBH Greater Boston

06/01/15

One-on-one with Lawrence Lessig (time stamp: 7:58)

Ending Institutional Corruption - What is Institutional Corruption?: Lessig in the Dock

Harvard Law School

05/13/15

Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School; Director, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics Dennis F. Thompson, Alfred North Whitehead Professor of Political Philosophy, Emeritus, Harvard University; Director Emeritus, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics

Equality

TEDxVilnius

04/23/15

At the core of the ideal of democracy is conception of equality, practiced today almost no where in any major modern democracy. In this talk, Professor Lessig shows how the American democracy has betrayed this ideal, and the costs to the world from this failure. Lawyer and activist Lawrence Lessig spent a decade arguing for sensible intellectual property law, updated for the digital age. He was

How Public Power Can Defeat Plutocrats

PBS Moyers & Company

11/21/14

This week, Lawrence Lessig and Zephyr Teachout return to talk about the corrupting influence of money in politics — a subject both have studied as scholars — and how they’re fighting to reform the system.

Who the MayDay PAC is supporting in midterms

MSNBC UP with Steve Kornacki

10/26/14

Lawrence Lessig, chief organizer behind the MayDay Super PAC, discusses how he intends to use his super PAC to reduce the influence of money in politics and which candidates he's supporting.

Lawrence Lessig Interviews Edward Snowden

Harvard Law School

10/20/14

HLS Professor Lawrence Lessig interviewed Edward Snowden at Harvard Law School on Oct. 20.

Lessig on Institutional Corruption—Congress: The Paradigm Case

UChicago Division of the Humanities

10/16/14

In this inaugural lecture of the the Randy L. and Melvin R. Berlin Family Lecture Series, Lawrence Lessig explores the concept of "institutional corruption" using the paradigm case: Congress. Few institutions better illustrate the concept of “institutional corruption.” Congressional campaigns are financed through private donations. If done openly, this process allows for influence that is both legal and ethical. But as Lawrence Lessig argues, how

Lessig at MIT: "Tweedism"

Citizens Rising Symposium

09/19/14

Lawrence Lessig at MIT, talking about "Tweedism" and corruption

Can We Reclaim Democracy?

Google Zeitgeist

09/15/14

Lawrence Lessig talks about the dysfunctional world of the US government, and how a state that cannot be guided is a state that will eventually crash. As a solution, he is using "big money" to end the influence of big money...and acknowledges the irony. Google Zeitgeist is a collection of talks by people who are changing the world. Hear entrepreneurs, CEOs, storytellers, scientists, and dreamers share

An unexpected twist from NH primary results

MSNBC Ronan Farrow Daily

09/10/14

MayDay PAC founder Lawrence Lessig explains why losing ‘badly’ against Scott Brown in yesterday’s New Hampshire primary is still a win for the anti-big-money-in-politics PAC.

Of course it matters

TEDxKC

08/28/14

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Lessig’s talk is a call to action — we must demand election funding reform or we are complicit in the corruption. “Of course it matters,” Lessig implores us. Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School, and director of the Edmond J. Safra

What can eradicate dark money from politics?

MSNBC Now with Alex Wagner

08/01/14

Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig discusses Mayday PAC, his Super PAC that aims to end all Super PACs.

Combating the power of Super PACs

MSNBC Ronan Farrow Daily

05/06/14

Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig joins Ronan Farrow to discuss the Super PAC he created and if they are bad for America.

The unstoppable walk to political reform

03/01/14

Seven years ago, Internet activist Aaron Swartz convinced Lawrence Lessig to take up the fight for political reform. A year after Swartz's tragic death, Lessig continues his campaign to free US politics from the stranglehold of corruption. In this fiery, deeply personal talk, he calls for all citizens to engage, and offers a heartfelt reminder to never give up hope.

Putting Political Corruption on Ice

PBS Moyers & Company

02/14/14

[Time stamp: 11:10] David Simon, creator of “The Wire” and “Treme,” is back to talk about how moneyed interests have purchased the American government and activist Lawrence Lessig leads a trek through frozen New Hampshire to raise awareness of political corruption.

Better campaign finance, better politics

MSNBC

12/19/13

Author and Harvard Law Prof. Lawrence Lessig on why a better political environment means needing to fundamentally change the way we fund elections.

Big Brother’s Prying Eyes

PBS Moyers & Company

06/13/13

Whatever your take on recent revelations about government spying on our phone calls and Internet activity, there’s no denying that Big Brother is bigger and less brotherly than we thought. What’s the resulting cost to our privacy -- and more so, our democracy? Lawrence Lessig joins Bill to discuss the implications of our government’s actions.

We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim

02/25/13

There is a corruption at the heart of American politics, caused by the dependence of Congressional candidates on funding from the tiniest percentage of citizens. That's the argument at the core of this blistering talk by legal scholar Lawrence Lessig. With rapid-fire visuals, he shows how the funding process weakens the Republic in the most fundamental way, and issues a rallying bipartisan cry that will

Aaron's Laws: Law and Justice in a Digital Age

Harvard Law School

02/20/13

Lawrence Lessig marked his appointment as Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School with a lecture titled "Aaron's Laws: Law and Justice in a Digital Age." The lecture honored the memory and work of Aaron Swartz, the programmer and activist who took his own life on Jan. 11, 2013 at the age of 26.

The legacy of Aaron Swartz

MSNBC UP with Chris Hayes

01/25/13

Author and professor Susan Crawford, Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig, and the Up with Chris Hayes panel reflect on Internet piracy, the difference between physical and intellectual property, and the causes that Aaron Swartz was committed to.

"An Incredible Soul" (Part 2)

Democracy Now!

01/14/13

DemocracyNow.org - Today we remember the pioneering computer programmer and cyberactivist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life Friday at the age of 26. As a teenager, Swartz helped develop RSS, revolutionizing how people use the internet, going on to co-own Reddit, now one of the world's most popular sites. He was also a key architect of Creative Commons and an organizer of the grassroots

"An Incredible Soul" (Part 1)

Democracy Now!

01/14/13

DemocracyNow.org - Today we remember the pioneering computer programmer and cyberactivist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life Friday at the age of 26. As a teenager, Swartz helped develop RSS, revolutionizing how people use the internet, going on to co-own Reddit, now one of the world's most popular sites. He was also a key architect of Creative Commons and an organizer of the grassroots

Jamie Dimon, smartest guy in the room?

MSNBC UP with Chris Hayes

06/15/12

Up host Chris Hayes and his panelists - including University of Minnesota professor Karen Ho, Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig, Enron whistleblower Sherron Watkins, and CNBC contributor Dan Dicker - break down JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon's Senate testimony this week.

Lessig Testimony in Hearing on Patents Innovations

C-SPAN

05/15/12

Hearing on Bernie Sanders patents innovations

How Money Corrupts Congress and a Plan to Stop It

Long Now Foundation Seminar Series

01/17/12

A dazzlingly incisive presenter, Lawrence Lessig specializes in identifying deep systemic problems in public process (such as copyright malfunction and Congressional dysfunction) and then showing how they can be cured. Currently he is bearing down on the corruption of Congress by the practice of private funding for public elections through campaign contributions. He writes: "The dependency of modern campaign finance is the single most important

Republic, Lost

PBS Charlie Rose

11/14/11

Harvard University professor Lawrence Lessig introduces his new book, "Republic Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress and a Plan to Stop it."

How to reform money's influence on elections

MSNBC Morning Joe

10/30/11

Lawrence Lessig, professor at Harvard Law School and director of the Center for Ethics at Harvard University, talks about his new book "Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress--and a Plan to Stop It."

Republic, Lost

Talks at Google

10/26/11

In an era when special interests funnel huge amounts of money into our government-driven by shifts in campaign-finance rules and brought to new levels by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission-trust in our government has reached an all-time low. More than ever before, Americans believe that money buys results in Congress, and that business interests wield control over our legislature. With heartfelt

Q&A: Lawrence Lessig

C-SPAN Q&A

10/18/11

This week on Q&A, Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig discussed his latest book about money and its influence on Congress. Lessig is the director of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics at Harvard University. In his book, he argues that large amounts of money, fueled by recent changes in campaign finance rules, can secure legislative influence in the United States government. He assails powerful

A way out of the darkness of America's broken campaign system

MSNBC Rachel Maddow

10/13/11

Lawrence Lessig, Harvard Law professor and author of the new book, "Republic, Lost," talks with Rachel Maddow about the way to rid American politics of the destructive influence of big money campaign contributions.

Conference on the Constitutional Convention: Lawrence Lessig Keynote

Harvard Law School

09/24/11

HLS Professor Lawrence Lessig, founder of Change Congress, delivered his "Keynote from the Left" at the Conference on the Constitutional Convention on Sept. 24, 2011.

OVERHEARD Lessig Q&A

PBS Overheard with Evan Smith

03/09/11

Lawrence Lessig takes questions from our audience.

OVERHEARD Lessig Pt 4

PBS Overheard with Evan Smith

03/09/11

Evan Smith interviews Lawrence Lessig, a celebrated academic, acclaimed author, and an energetic activist whose great cause is rights and freedoms in the digital sphere. He's also increasingly an advocate for accountability in institutions.

OVERHEARD Lessig Pt 3

PBS Overheard with Evan Smith

03/09/11

Evan Smith interviews Lawrence Lessig, a celebrated academic, acclaimed author, and an energetic activist whose great cause is rights and freedoms in the digital sphere. He's also increasingly an advocate for accountability in institutions.

OVERHEARD Lessig Pt 2

PBS Overheard with Evan Smith

03/09/11

Evan Smith interviews Lawrence Lessig, a celebrated academic, acclaimed author, and an energetic activist whose great cause is rights and freedoms in the digital sphere. He's also increasingly an advocate for accountability in institutions.

OVERHEARD Lessig Pt 1

PBS Overheard with Evan Smith

03/09/11

Evan Smith interviews Lawrence Lessig, a celebrated academic, acclaimed author, and an energetic activist whose great cause is rights and freedoms in the digital sphere. He's also increasingly an advocate for accountability in institutions.

Representative Jim Cooper Remarks on Congress

C-SPAN

01/27/11

Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN) spoke about partisan struggles and dysfunction over the course of several Congresses. Among the topics he addressed were redistricting, lobbying, congressional pay, and campaign fundraising. Following his remarks he answered questions from the audience.

Citizens: The Need and the Requirements

TEDxSanAntonio

12/27/10

About this talk: Starting with Thoreau and moving through the cost of sugar versus corn and diabetes, Lawrence Lessig gives a compelling — and visually breathtaking — presentation on the impact of campaign cash on the policies of our nation. His message: We need citizens to take back our democracy. About Lawrence Lessig: Professor Lessig is the director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for

Of by 4

TEDxBoston

08/16/10

Of the People, By the People, For the People: How Campaign Funding Should be Redefined so that Citizens, Not Corporations, Elect Leaders

The case for Kagan

MSNBC Rachel Maddow

05/10/10

Re-examining the remix

TEDxNYED

04/01/10

Former "young Republican" Larry Lessig talks about what Democrats can learn about copyright from their opposite party, considered more conservative. A surprising lens on remix culture. About the Speaker: Lawrence Lessig has already transformed intellectual-property law with his Creative Commons innovation. Now he's focused on an even bigger problem: the US' broken political system.

Washington has lost its sense of shame.

MSNBC News

02/12/10

How to Get Our Democracy Back

MSNBC Morning Joe

02/08/10

Interview with Lawrence Lessig Re HR 801

Michael McIntee

03/05/09

By Noah Kunin, Senior Political Correspondent: This the complete interview I conducted with Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig on the opposition to HR 801 - the ban "open access publishing" of tax payer funded government research.

Change Congress

Talks at Google

02/19/09

Professor Lawrence Lessig visits Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters to discuss his latest project: Change Congress, whose mission is to reform the campaign finance system and limit the influence of special interests in Washington. This event took place on February 19, 2009, as part of the Policy [email protected] series. Lawrence Lessig is the cofounder of Change Congress, and has long been a leading thinker on

Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy

PBS Charlie Rose

11/21/08

Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig presents his new book "Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy," and shares his experiences with President-elect Obama.

Laws that choke creativity

TED2007

03/01/07

Lawrence Lessig, the Net’s most celebrated lawyer, cites John Philip Sousa, celestial copyrights and the "ASCAP cartel" in his argument for reviving our creative culture. About the Author Lawrence Lessig has already transformed intellectual-property law with his Creative Commons innovation. Now he's focused on an event bigger problem: the US' broken political system.

Free Culture

Talks at Google

10/03/06

Lawrence Lessig, author of "Free Culture," visits Google's New York office as part of the [email protected] series. This event took place on October 3, 2006.

Internet Access Issues

C-SPAN

02/07/06

A hearing on Internet neutrality was held to consider overhauling sections of the Telecom Act of 1996. The net neutrality issue focused on common carriage responsibilities of broadband providers in light of larger IP services pushed to consumers. Two panels of witnesses testified on possible legislation requiring broadband services providers to reserve equal bandwidth for competing services. [Time Stamp: 1:31:35] Lawrence Lessig

Free Culture

PBS Charlie Rose

07/21/04

Author Lawrence Lessig explains lock down culture, copyright, and free culture in his new book.

2002 OSCON Speech

07/24/02

Talk given at July 24, 2002 OSCON conference and the beginning of the "Lessig Method." (At the start, I say that this is the "last talk." I meant before I turned all of my energy to preparing for the Supreme Court argument in the Copyright Term Extension Act case which happened three months later.)

The Future of Ideas

PBS Charlie Rose

01/04/02

Lawyer Lawrence Lessig discusses copyright law, AOL Time Warner, and the issue of open access.