250 years later, is judicial independence crumbling?
From Connections Podcast by WXXI News
May 1, 2026 · 51 min
About this episode
Retired judges discuss the importance of protecting judicial independence as America approaches its 250th birthday.
A group of retired judges is emphasizing the importance of judicial independence as America approaches its 250th birthday. They say that criticism of judges is nothing new, but true judicial independence must be protected. They discuss how to do that. Our guests: Hon. John Ark, retired New York State Supreme Court justice Hon. Richard A. Dollinger, retired New York Court of Claims judge Hon. Patricia D. Marks, retired Monroe County Court judge Hon. Joseph Valentino, retired New York State Supreme Court justice --- Connections is supported by listeners like you. Head to our donation page to become a WXXI member today, support the show, and help us close the gap created by the rescission of federal funding. --- Connections airs every weekday from noon-2 p.m. Join the conversation with questions or comments by phone at 1-844-295-TALK (8255) or 585-263-9994, email , Facebook or Twitter . Connections is also livestreamed on the WXXI News YouTube channel each day. You can watch live or access previous episodes here . --- Do you have a story that needs to be shared? Pitch your story to Connections .
People in this episode
Guests: Hon. John Ark, Hon. Richard A. Dollinger, Hon. Patricia D. Marks, Hon. Joseph Valentino
Topics covered
- judicial independence
- retired judges
- American history
- legal criticism
- court system
Keywords
- judicial independence
- retired judges
- America's 250th birthday
- court criticism
- legal protection
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: WXXI News
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