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.

Today, Short Circuit includes more than just our popular weekly newsletter: we host a weekly Short Circuit podcast, we regularly tweet out entertaining summaries of state constitutional history, and we produce a longform podcast series.

Receive the Newsletter

Keep current on the federal circuit courts with a weekly email round-up in your inbox.

Bound By Oath

Punishment Without Crime | Season 3, Ep. 9

Civil forfeiture is a civil rights nightmare, allowing police and prosecutors to seize billions of dollars’ worth of property annually—cash, cars, houses, bank accounts, and […]

Listen Now

All Episodes

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify

Short Circuit

Short Circuit 348 | Excessive Fines and the IRS

Is a “fine” a “fine”? No, not at all, and therefore it can’t be “excessive.” At least that’s the IRS’s position. Thankfully that argument was […]

Listen Now

All Episodes

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify

Unpublished Opinions

Unpublished Opinions 8 | I’m More of a Space Lawyer

It’s our first “breakout” episode where we have our own feed and webpage—plus our own logo. And that means its time to get into the […]

Listen Now

All Episodes

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Recent Newsletters

All Newsletters