[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 the United States”—and not much else. But in the nearly 150 years since, the Court has never examined what the right to use the navigable waters means in practice. On this episode: a pair of brothers from Stehekin, Washington, try to change that.

Click here for transcript. Available on iTunesSpotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Stitcher.

Guests

Cliff Courtney, Stehekin Valley Ranch

Michael Bindas, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice

Resources

More information on Courtney v. Danner

The Waterman’s Song, David S. Cecelski

Black Jacks: African American Seamen in the Age of Sail, W. Jeffrey Bolster

 

Recent Episodes

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

Public Purpose | Season 3, Ep. 8

In 2005, in the case of Kelo v. New London, the Supreme Court allowed officials to seize and raze an entire neighborhood of well-maintained homes […]

Listen Now

The Despotic Power | Season 3, Ep. 7

On this episode: Berman v. Parker, the Supreme Court’s decision in 1954 to abandon previous constitutional limits on the government’s power to take property from […]

Listen Now

This is Mine | Season 3, Ep. 6

On this episode, we take a break from case law and go way back to the beginning to examine the origins and justifications of private […]

Listen Now