Dementia and Democracy
America’s Aging Judges and Politicians
Couldn’t join us for the event? Check out some of the panelists’ slide presentations below!
Description
Our judiciary and our elected officials are getting old. Five of the nine Supreme Court Justices are 67 or older, with two over age 80. The President is 71, the Senate Majority Leader is 75, and the House Minority Leader is 77. Does the public have a right to know whether these officials have been screened for dementia? If the individuals don’t self-report their dementia status, should experts continue to adhere to the “Goldwater Rule” and refrain from offering an armchair diagnosis? As the nation reflects on its midterm elections, and prepares for the 2020 election cycle, these questions are timely and challenging.
Panelists
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Slide Presentations
- Bruce Price, “Translating Neuroscience into Action”
- Francis X. Shen, “Dementia in Judges and Elected Officials: Challenges and Solutions”
Blog Posts
Part of the Project on Law and Applied Neuroscience, a collaboration between the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School.