Podcasts by What Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law
Professor Elizabeth Joh teaches Intro to Constitutional Law and most of the time this is a pretty straight forward job. But when Trump came into office, everything changed. During the four years of the Trump presidency, Professor Joh would check Twitter five minutes before each class to find out what the 45th President had said and how it jibes with 200 years of the judicial branch interpreting and ruling on the Constitution. Acclaimed podcaster Roman Mars (99% Invisible) was so anxious about all the norms and laws being tested in the Trump era that he asked his neighbor, Elizabeth, to explain what was going on in the world from a Constitutional law perspective. Even after Trump left office, there is still so much for Roman to learn. What Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law is a weekly, fun, casual Con Law 101 class that uses the tumultuous activities of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to teach us all about the US Constitution.
All music for the show comes from Doomtree, an independent hip-hop collective and record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Further podcasts by Roman Mars
Podcast on the topic Regierung
All episodes
0- Intro to What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.457203
Welcome to “What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law"! Every week Roman Mars (99% Invisible) will host a fun, casual Con Law 101 class that uses the tumultuous and erratic activities of the executive ...
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1- Judicial Legitimacy from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.456295
Back in February 2017, Trump tweeted a criticism of the “so-called judge” who blocked the enforcement of his travel ban. Why does the president have to listen to what the courts say? We’re going to...
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7- Recess Appointment Power from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.450270
The Constitution says that the president can appoint important executive positions with the advice and consent of the Senate. But what if the Senate is out on recess? Does the president have to wai...
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10- Impeachment from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.447665
Impeachment is talked about a lot, but it is extremely rare. Impeachment is the constitutional emergency measure written into the constitution itself. We talk about the procedure impeachment and wh...
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12- Right to Dissent from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.445697
From "taking a knee" to refusing to salute the flag, the US has a rich history of public dissent, a right guaranteed by the Constitution. But you’d be surprised to learn that the Supreme Court has ...
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18- The Tenth Amendment from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.437456
The Tenth Amendment limits the federal government’s control over the states, but the interpretation of that limit is always shifting.
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23- President Twitter and the First Amendment from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.432782
Can Trump block people on Twitter? It turns out, the First Amendment has something to say about that.
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25- Justice Kennedy from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.431098
Justice Kennedy decided to retire at the end of this Supreme Court term. Kennedy has been the swing vote on a lot of important cases. He’s mostly considered a conservative, but he has voted with th...
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28- Kavanaugh Special Episode from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.428564
Some of the Constitutional considerations of the Kavanaugh confirmation process. Recorded October 2, 2018.
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29- Birthright Citizenship and the 14th Amendment from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.427638
Trump has threatened to revoke Birthright Citizenship with an executive order. This proposed order contradicts the Fourteenth Amendment, but Trump’s tweets contend otherwise.
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43- The Trump SCOTUS Term from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.348289
We review some of the big cases that were decided during the SCOTUS term and assess the constitutionality of the federal policing of the Portland protests
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52- Pattern and Practice from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.338713
What can a President do when it comes to reforming the approximately 18,000 locally governed police departments around the US?
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54- Bong Hits for Jesus from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.337110
A quick roundup of three Supreme Court decisions that came down at the end of June
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55- Double Dose of Jacobson from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.336265
As people argue over public policy regarding the COVID vaccine, Jacobson V. Massachusetts (1905) is invoked a lot. Plus, Trump is in court and the first Capitol riot conviction.
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56- Shadow Docket from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.335522
The Shadow Docket, Texas's SB 8, and the state of abortion rights in the US
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57- The Eastman Memo from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.334522
John Eastman, a mainstream conservative lawyer working for Trump, outlined a plan for VP Pence to declare Trump the winner of the 2020 election regardless of the votes. It didn't happen, but should...
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58- Executive Privilege, SB 8 update, and Rust from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.333735
An update on SB 8, Executive Privilege of presidential records, and a short digression into criminal law with the tragic death on a movie set
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60- The Administrative State from 2022-02-21T17:44:00.331589
What two SCOTUS rulings about COVID vaccine mandates tell us about the future of the Administrative State
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59- A Jurisprudence of Doubt from 2021-12-17T17:51
What are the current precedents when it comes to abortion rights and how solid do they feel right now?
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53- Hate Crimes from 2021-05-31T21:22:24
On May 20, 2021, President Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. What exactly is a hate crime and what does the Constitution say about them?
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51- The Capitol Mob and their cell phones from 2021-03-27T01:51:58
On January 6th, a mob stormed the US Capitol to try to stop the certification of the presidential election results. Many of the insurrectionists will be tracked down and charged with crimes, in par...
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50- Deplatforming and Section 230 from 2021-02-27T19:32:25
Following the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill, the major social media platforms banned former President Donald Trump, and many accounts related to far-right conspiracy theories. In response, conse...
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49- Incitement from 2021-01-30T20:42:48
On January 13th, former President Donald Trump became the first person ever to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives. But with Trump out of office, it’s unclear if there will be enough...
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48- The Final Days from 2020-12-26T05:31:51
How Trump is failing to overturn the election and how he might use his pardon power in his final days. This episode was recorded on December 21, 2020.
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47- Lame Duck from 2020-11-26T20:42:21
In late November, most states have certified the Presidential election for Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris. But Donald Trump continues to deny the results of the election and insist (...
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46- Counting Votes from 2020-10-31T07:16:01
During the 2000 Presidential Election, it wasn’t immediately certain who had won the electoral college votes in Florida, throwing the entire process into chaos. Eventually, the SCOTUS had to step i...
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45- SCOTUS without RBG from 2020-09-26T00:50:53
On September 18th, Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87. She was a trailblazing jurist who fought for the equality of women before the law. But her legacy is in peril, as Donald Trump and Sena...
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44- The Hatch Act and The Election from 2020-08-29T04:46:48
With only two months before the election, the Republican Party got a lot of attention - and scorn - for using the White House as a backdrop during their nominating convention. The convention appear...
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42- Police, Race, and Federalism from 2020-06-27T05:40:11
As people around the world continue to protest police brutality, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have proposed bills that would reform policing across the U.S. But in the American system, sta...
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41- The Socially Distanced SCOTUS from 2020-05-30T04:30:35
The Supreme Court may not be able to meet in person, but they are still doing business over conference call. This month, they've considered three cases about Donald Trump's finances, and whether th...
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40- Jacobson and COVID from 2020-04-24T22:45:35
In mid-April, 2020, states are beginning to explore ways to re-open their economies amid the global coronavirus pandemic. But with states devising their own paths forward, many are wondering what p...
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39- Quarantine Powers from 2020-03-17T22:52:48
During a health crisis, what is the government allowed to do? As the novel coronavirus spreads across America, there have been closures and lockdowns across the country. In this episode, we look to...
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38- Prosecutorial Discretion from 2020-02-22T18:43:25
Prosecutors recommended that Roger Stone, an associate of Donald Trump, be given a heavy penalty after being convicted of seven felony counts, including lying to authorities. But after intervention...
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37- War Powers and Impeachment Update from 2020-01-25T19:04:04
After Donald Trump ordered the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, many wondered if the two countries were on the brink of a major conflict. This incident is only the latest in the long-sta...
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36- Bribery from 2019-12-23T06:11:36
Bribery is one of the three offenses listed in the Constitution as grounds for impeachment. Even though that is attempting to bribe Ukraine is the act that precipitated to Trump’s impeachment, it’s...
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35- Confrontation Clause from 2019-11-15T22:28:32
Since the beginning of the impeachment proceedings against the President, Donald Trump has insisted he has a right to confront “the whistleblower,” the anonymous member of the intelligence communit...
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34- Foreign Affairs from 2019-10-18T15:02:30
Donald Trump says he should not be impeached as President, since there was ‘no quid pro quo’ on a phone call where he asked the Ukrainian president to investigate a political rival, former Vice Pre...
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33- Obstruction from 2019-09-21T18:34:02
Trump lawyers assert that all of Trump’s actions during the Mueller investigation were within his rights as President and can’t be classified as obstruction of justice, especially because there is ...
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32- Contempt Power from 2019-05-13T23:10:46
What is Congress’ contempt power and how can they use it to force people to cooperate with their investigations?
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31- Executive Privilege from 2019-04-18T06:21:45
It's likely that Trump will invoke executive privilege during the numerous investigations and inquiries into his actions. Presidents have insisted they need to keep secrets to do their job effectiv...
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30- The 25th Amendment from 2018-12-31T15:48:23
What does the 25th Amendment say about presidential fitness, disability, and Trump?
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27- Treason from 2018-09-13T16:26:38
When Trump tweets just the single word “Treason?”, probably in reference to the anonymous New York Times Op-Ed, is he using that word correctly? What does our federal Constitution say about treason...
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24- Taking the Fifth from 2018-06-29T20:50:18
Trump has said the taking the fifth makes "you look guilty as hell" but lot of Trump's associates are now taking the fifth in the Russia investigation. How should we interpret people taking the fifth?
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22- Posse Comitatus from 2018-05-22T16:48:20
The Posse Comitatus Act limits the federal government’s ability to use the military to enforce domestic policy within the United States. However, this act has so many allowable exceptions, it has r...
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21- Attorney Client Privilege from 2018-04-27T20:12:41
When the office of Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was raided by the FBI, Trump took twitter to express his concern. He wrote “Attorney-client privilege is dead!” Let’s see if it is.
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20- Deadly Force from 2018-03-15T23:27:37
The Fourth Amendment includes the right to be secure from “unreasonable searches and seizure.” We have some idea of how this applies to cops, but if teachers are allowed to carry guns in school, ar...
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19- The Poisonous Tree from 2018-02-23T17:48:39
The Russia investigation has been called a "witch hunt" by Trump and his supporters on Twitter. And they've invoked the legal concept "the fruit of the poisonous tree" to invalidate the investigati...
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17- The 4th Amendment and the Border from 2018-01-25T22:50:06
The Fourth Amendment says that “The right of the people to be secure in their person, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue,...
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16- Defamation from 2018-01-14T00:47:25
Trump likes to threaten the press with libel lawsuits. What does the Constitution have to say about defamation and the press?
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15- Challenge Coin from 2017-12-28T22:41:40
You might not remember December 22, 2017 as a particularly notable day, but I will always remember it as the day the world first saw Donald Trump’s redesigned Presidential Challenge Coin. Because 9...
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14- Prosecuting a President from 2017-12-14T22:19:09
Two Vice Presidents have been indicted with criminal charges while serving in office, but does the Constitution allow the prosecution of a President? Elizabeth Joh and Roman Mars explore this quest...
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13- Criminal Justice and the POTUS from 2017-11-18T21:04:18
Presidents don't usually weigh in on criminal cases. In fact, it’s critical to the integrity of the criminal justice system that the executive not try to influence the outcome of cases. But Trump c...
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11- War Powers from 2017-10-19T23:02:37
What does the Constitution say about the president’s ability to wage war and what is the role of Congress?
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9- Commerce Clause from 2017-08-17T22:46:14
The federal government can't pass any law it wants to. It's limited by Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution, but the executive branch can choose how to enforce those laws. Under Trump, there are...
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8- The Takings Clause from 2017-08-10T21:41:30
To build a wall, Trump is going to need to seize private land. The Constitution has something to say about that and it’s known as the Takings Clause.
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6- The Emoluments Clauses from 2017-07-20T20:30:36
The Constitution says that a “person holding any office of profit or trust” cannot accept gifts from any foreign state. In Article II, it also says the president specifically cannot accept gifts fr...
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5- Presidential Immunity from 2017-07-13T21:59:21
There have already been a few high profile lawsuits against President Trump and the first defense against such a lawsuit is to claim that the president cannot be sued in civil court. But it turns o...
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4- The Spending Clause from 2017-06-29T21:00:07
In an executive order, Trump threatened to withhold federal money from any place acting as a “sanctuary city.” Supreme Court rulings over the 20th century have ruled in different ways on how federa...
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3- Pardon Power from 2017-06-22T20:22:50
There are reports that the Trump administration is being investigated for obstruction of justice. This has led a lot of people to wonder if the Constitution’s presidential pardon power could be use...
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2- The Appointments Clause and Removal Power from 2017-06-15T21:40:09
The US Constitution has a clause that describes how the president can hire certain political appointees with the advice and consent of the Senate. It doesn’t say when the president can fire someone...
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