Podcasts Archive

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 […]

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Short Circuit 347 | Election Law Special

With less than two weeks before America’s general election it’s time for our biennial dive into election law! A whirlwind tour of election decisions from […]

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Officer Caught Snitching on Domestic Abuse Victim

In 2013, a Clovis, California police officer found out that his girlfriend Desiree Martinez had reported him for physically abusing her—while Desiree was trapped in […]

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Short Circuit 346 | Not My Responsibility

When it comes to the law, it’s the responsibility of the government. After all, that’s why we have a government, right? Well, it seems the […]

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Short Circuit 343 | Fourth Amendment Effects

“Effects” isn’t a word that most people associate with “my stuff” these days. But that’s what it means in the Fourth Amendment. Our “effects” are […]

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Rebel Ridge:  Fact or Fiction?

The film Rebel Ridge came September 6 and shot to #1 on Netflix. It depicts a former Marine’s attempts to get his money back after […]

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Carrying Cash is NOT a Crime

It’s legal to travel domestically with any amount of cash. It’s legal to travel in and out of the U.S. with more than $10k if […]

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Short Circuit 340 | No Way to Run a Railroad

An extremely sad case, especially for man’s best friend (dog-lover discretion is advised!), and a happy case for property rights. First, the Center for Judicial […]

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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 […]

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Short Circuit 339 | The Crime of Journalism

Part of the job description of a journalist is talk to public officials, gather information, and report on it. Unfortunately, that seems to be a […]

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Short Circuit 338 | Geofence Warrants

One reason we have a Fourth Amendment is to be free from general warrants, permission slips for the government to search, well, everything. Is that […]

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Short Circuit 336 | Thor’s Seizure

A most unusual Fourth Amendment case this week: One cop claims there was a seizure while another says there was not. They disagree because one […]

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Speaking for a Living and the First Amendment

The freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment is a foundational and cherished right that sets America apart from other constitutional democracies.    Many […]

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Short Circuit 335 | Zoning Justice

Emphasizing the justice in our name, IJ recently launched a new project to fight back against zoning laws, Zoning Justice. We’ve been challenging overreaching zoning […]

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Short Circuit 334 | Only Mostly Dead

It’s time for Short Circuit to head for the hills. Two cases from the mountainous Tenth Circuit, one on the Fourth Amendment and another on […]

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Short Circuit 333 | Live at Hogan Lovells!

We join forces with the law firm of Hogan Lovells to bring you some “legal mumbo jumbo”—an episode recorded at their offices in Washington, D.C. […]

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SWAT Raids are Out of Control

Imagine a SWAT team raids a house—battering doors, breaking windows, and coating everything inside with tear gas residue.  Now imagine the SWAT team had the […]

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