March 16, 2022
State Remedies | SEASON 2, EP. 11

With the doors to federal court closing on civil rights claims, this final episode of Season 2 heads to new terrain: state court. Click here for […]
Read MoreNovember 10, 2021
Prosecutors, Perjurers, and Other Non-Persons — Part 2 | Season 2, Ep. 10

In 1983, in the case of Briscoe v. LaHue, the Supreme Court ruled that government employees who commit perjury at trial are absolutely immune from […]
Read MoreNovember 05, 2021
Prosecutors, Perjurers, and Other Non-Persons — Part 1 | Season 2, Ep. 10

In 2005, Charles Rehberg annoyed some politically powerful people in his community of Albany, Georgia, and found himself facing serious criminal charges—charges that were completely […]
Read MoreSeptember 01, 2021
Closing the Courthouse Doors | Season 2, Ep. 9

On this episode, we take stock of developments in the courts and in Congress since this season began. There’s an update on the first case […]
Read MoreAugust 13, 2021
Persons Who Are Not "Persons" | Season 2, Ep. 8

Section 1983 says that “every person” acting under color of state law shall be liable for violating the Constitution. But in 1951, the Supreme Court […]
Read MoreJune 21, 2021
The Shooting of Bobby Moore — Part 2 | Season 2, Ep. 7

In 1978, the Supreme Court held that individuals can sue local governments for constitutional violations in federal court. Indeed, the Court held that Congress had […]
Read MoreJune 18, 2021
The Shooting of Bobby Moore — Part 1 | Season 2, Ep. 7

In 2012, Little Rock police officer Josh Hastings shot and killed 15-year-old Bobby Moore and lied about how it happened. Hastings had a long history […]
Read MoreApril 05, 2021
Pierson to Pearson | Season 2, Ep. 6

In 1967, the Supreme Court invented qualified immunity. And in 1982, the Court transformed the doctrine into the one we have today. On this episode, […]
Read MoreMarch 01, 2021
Under Color of Law | Season 2, Ep. 5

In Chicago in 1958, over a dozen police officers barged into the home of a sleeping family with guns drawn. They didn’t have a warrant, […]
Read MoreJanuary 28, 2021
Outrage Legislation | Season 2, Ep. 4

Section 1983 is one of the most important civil rights laws on the books; tens of thousands of plaintiffs file Section 1983 cases each year […]
Read MoreDecember 28, 2020
The Bubble | Season 2, Ep. 3

By any measure, the conditions that Lee Saunders endured in the psych unit at the Brevard County jail in Florida were shockingly inhumane. But when […]
Read MoreDecember 14, 2020
Death By a Thousand Cuts | Season 2, Ep. 2

For victims of government misconduct, whether you can sue the officials who violated your constitutional rights often depends on whether the officials are federal, state, […]
Read MoreNovember 25, 2020
They're Going to Kill This Man | Season 2, Ep. 1

In 2014, two members of a joint state-federal fugitive task force beat up an innocent college student, James King, after mistaking him for a suspect […]
Read MoreNovember 23, 2020
Trailer: Season 2

Why is it so hard to sue officials who violate the Constitution? Season 2 of Bound By Oath is coming soon. Click here for transcript. […]
Read MoreFebruary 20, 2020
Episode 9 - Excessive Fines

Prohibitions on excessive fines date back at least as far as Magna Carta in 1215, and the U.S. Constitution has barred excessive fines since 1791. […]
Read MoreJanuary 16, 2020
Special Episode: Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue

On January 22, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in an IJ case, Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue. At issue is […]
Read MoreNovember 15, 2019
Substantive Due Process | Episode 8

If the government is going to take away life, liberty, or property, the due process of law requires it to follow fair procedures. But, according […]
Read MoreAugust 23, 2019
Incorporation, the Lack Thereof | Episode 7

In 1842, the city of New Orleans prosecuted Father Bernard Permoli, a Catholic priest, for conducting an open casket funeral. A violation of the Free […]
Read MoreJuly 05, 2019
Procedural Due Process | Episode 6

Before the government can take away your life, liberty, or property, it must first give you due process: fair and meaningful procedure. On this episode, […]
Read MoreApril 17, 2019
Tangled: The Equal Protection Clause | Episode 5

After the Civil War, what many Americans needed most was protection from violence. That’s what the Equal Protection Clause was meant to guarantee, but today […]
Read MoreFebruary 20, 2019
The Navigable Waters | Episode 4

[Click here for Episode 1.] In 1873, the Supreme Court said that the Privileges or Immunities Clause protects a right to “use the navigable waters of […]
Read MoreJanuary 30, 2019
All But Redacted: The Privileges or Immunities Clause | Episode 3

[Click here for Episode 1. And click here for Episode 2.] The Privileges or Immunities Clause was meant to be one of the key liberty-protecting […]
Read MoreDecember 19, 2018
The Fight for the 14th | Episode 2

At the close of the Civil War, some 4 million slaves became free. But almost immediately after hostilities ceased, leaders in the ex-Confederate states began […]
Read MoreDecember 04, 2018
Before the 14th: John Rock and the Birth of Birthright Citizenship | Episode 1

John Rock; Black Laws and the Colonization Movement; Dred Scott; Birthright Citizenship
Read More