Podcast Episodes

Why does the government fund things, and what happens when it stops?

Congress appropriates funds, the executive branch ensures those funds are spent and spent wisely. That is how it works. It is not, however, how it is working right now. The Trump Administration has, …

Published on 11 hours ago

Civics Trivia: Taxes, terrifying birds, and The West Wing

It's another edition of Civics 101 Trivia! This time, it's also the swan song for one of our own.

Senior Producer Christina Phillips, our mastermind of minutiae and all things related to taxes, joins …

Published on 1 week ago

Is same-sex marriage in legal peril?

In 2015, the Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land. However, for the first time in over five years, Kim Davis (an opponent of same-sex marriage) petitioned for a writ of certiorari…

Published on 2 weeks ago

Obergefell v Hodges, 2015

This is the decision that said the fundamental right to marry is protected under the 14th Amendment. How did it come about? What was the status of marriage before June of 2015? And why is the governm…

Published on 2 weeks ago

What happens when enough states want to change the Constitution?

Our Constitution provides for its own changes -- the framers knew that, while they worked hard, the law of the land was neither perfect nor should it be entirely immutable. So they included Article V…

Published on 3 weeks ago

How can the president take over a city's police department?

On Monday, August 11th, Trump announced a takeover of Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan police. He also deployed National Guard troops and federal agents to the streets, all in the name of cracking dow…

Published on 3 weeks, 4 days ago

What's it like being a scientist facing federal funding cuts?

It’s a weird time to be an environmental scientist. The proposed cuts to federal science funding in the United States are profound, and if they come to pass, it’s not clear what American science will…

Published on 4 weeks ago

Cinema Civics: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

When Mr. Smith Goes to Washington came out in 1939, it infuriated politicians, the press, and fascist nations. At the same time, it delighted audiences and informed them on the legislative process de…

Published on 1 month ago

The Supreme Court rulings that aren't rulings

"The shadow docket," refers to orders from the Supreme Court that are (often) unsigned, inscrutable, and handed down in the middle of the night. Professor Stephen Vladeck takes us through this increa…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Is it possible for a president to serve a third term?

Is there a way President Trump (or any president) can serve a third (or fourth) term in office? Maybe there is. 

Most people assume the 22nd Amendment limits a president to two terms, period. What hap…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago