What is Short Circuit?
Short Circuit is your concise (and sometimes irreverent) source for important and interesting cases and legal stories you might otherwise have missed.
Launched by the Institute for Justice (IJ) in 2015, Short Circuit started off as a short weekly newsletter rounding up the most interesting developments in the federal circuit courts of appeal as well as a weekly podcast digging into a couple recent particularly noteworthy cases.
Today, as part of IJ’s Center for Judicial Engagement, and with the newsletter and flagship podcast still going strong, Short Circuit also includes our legal history documentary podcast Bound By Oath, now in its third season, and our monthly roundtable podcast Unpublished Opinions. We also hold live shows (contact us if you’re interested in hosting one) and other events. Wherever and whoever you are there’s plenty of options to get engaged.
Receive the Newsletter
Keep current on the federal circuit courts with a weekly email round-up in your inbox.
Bound By Oath
Special Weapons and Tactics | Season 3, Ep. 10
In 2020, a police SWAT team blew up Vicki Baker’s house after a fugitive barricaded himself inside. On this episode, we ask: who pays the […]
Listen Now
Short Circuit
Short Circuit 359 | Net Neutrality Flip Flops
A lot going on this week, including a lot of Short Circuit news. On the law side we talk about two recent opinions, one from […]
Listen NowUnpublished Opinions
Unpublished Opinions 11 | Bush v. Gore Energy
In our first episode of 2025 we “livecast” a Supreme Court opinion whose release happened to cross into our pre-scheduled recording slot—the ruling in the […]
Listen NowRecent Newsletters
Crypto rules, false statements, and regulatory habitats.
Friends, 2025 marks ten years of Short Circuit. That’s right, our first newsletter went out February 13, 2015, and our first podcast two weeks later. To celebrate, we’re putting on a show—and hosting a party.
