May 16, 2025

Short Circuit 376 | Murder Mysteries

Two federal appellate opinions involving a murder and whether justice was served. First, IJ’s Dan Alban reports on a Sixth Circuit case where a man […]

Listen Now

May 09, 2025

Short Circuit 375 | Unsympathetic Clients

Constitutional rights protect everyone, even people we might not be terribly fond of. This week we discuss two defendants who perhaps don’t deserve a lot […]

Listen Now

May 02, 2025

Short Circuit 374 | Content-Based Dancing

All kinds of constitutional goodies this week, from sovereign immunity to the First Amendment right to dance. But we begin with our annual Kentucky Derby […]

Listen Now

April 25, 2025

Short Circuit 373 | Live from Denver Law!

Short Circuit went mile high for a live show before the students at Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver. The focus was […]

Listen Now

April 18, 2025

Short Circuit 372 | VHS Privacy

An old friend returns to Short Circuit, but it’s not a guest. It’s a case, Villarreal v. City of Laredo, where police retaliated against a […]

Listen Now

April 11, 2025

Short Circuit 371 | Ten Years of Short Circuit

Last week the Short Circuit staff celebrated ten years of our inexhaustive coverage of the federal courts of appeals. At the Studio Theatre in Washington, […]

Listen Now

April 04, 2025

Short Circuit 370 | Humans Only in the Copyright Office

Bad news for our AI listeners this week. The D.C. Circuit ruled that you cannot be the “author” of a copyrighted work. Only humans get […]

Listen Now

March 28, 2025

Short Circuit 369 | Substantive Due Process, The Podcast

Most weeks we summarize two, sometimes three, cases from the federal courts of appeals. This week we provide to you free of charge (as always) […]

Listen Now

March 21, 2025

Short Circuit 368 | Flipping the Bird

Is stretching out one’s middle finger at the police protected by the First Amendment? And whether it is or not, can the police trump up […]

Listen Now

March 14, 2025

Short Circuit 367 | The Police Power

Often in old constitutional cases you see judges of yonder years invoking this mysterious substance called “the police power.” It’s something that has fallen out […]

Listen Now

March 07, 2025

Short Circuit 366 | I Love You But Can’t

What’s the difference between a campaign contribution and a bribe? More than the Sixth Circuit seemed to think. Or so argues Paul Sherman of IJ […]

Listen Now

February 28, 2025

Short Circuit 365 | I Like Old Property

A long-time friend of the Institute for Justice, Robert Thomas, joins us this week. For years he’s litigated property rights cases across the country, lately […]

Listen Now

February 21, 2025

Short Circuit 364 | Big Bats

Everyone agrees we need to build more homes. But what if those homes are going to be in your backyard? For some reason that possibility […]

Listen Now

February 14, 2025

Short Circuit 363 | The Licensing Racket

You probably know that all-too-many jobs require a license to work. But how is that license administered, who enforces its rules, and who makes the […]

Listen Now

February 06, 2025

Short Circuit 362 | Boil the Frog to Tear Down the House

Two cases, from the Fourth and Sixth Circuits, came out within just a few days of each other, and each was about a city tearing […]

Listen Now

January 31, 2025

Short Circuit 361 | Reading the Qualified Tea Leaves

We welcome back Easha Anand of Stanford Law’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic for her third (or is it fourth?) appearance. Last time she was on […]

Listen Now

January 24, 2025

Short Circuit 360 | Weed and Fines

If you have a greenhouse, and a government agent sees it on Google Maps, is that fact probable cause to charge you with growing illegal […]

Listen Now

January 17, 2025

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 Now

January 10, 2025

Short Circuit 358 | Motte-and-Bailey Game

Can state officers simply come on your land and take samples of your dirt (and water) without a warrant? Well, it’s hard to know when […]

Listen Now

January 03, 2025

Short Circuit 357 | Drama at the City Council Meeting

City council meetings are usually sparsely attended, low key, unwatched affairs. Except when they’re not. This week we have two cases where those in power […]

Listen Now

December 27, 2024

Short Circuit 356 | Christmas Sweater Law

Seasons greetings from Short Circuit! While you’re enjoying your holiday week at the end of 2024 we’re giving you the content you need: Christmas sweaters. […]

Listen Now

December 20, 2024

Short Circuit 355 | Civil Rights Reform in the States

IJ’s Anya Bidwell guest hosts this special episode to ask what states and local governments can do to better protect their citizens’ rights, particularly when […]

Listen Now

December 13, 2024

Short Circuit 354 | Grounds Increasingly Dubious

We start with a case that ticks a lot of Short Circuit boxes: eliminating governmental immunities, state constitutions, preliminary injunctions, conniving public officials, mootness, and […]

Listen Now

December 10, 2024

Short Circuit 353 | Jurisdictional Mavens

Notable—and quotable—Chicago lawyer Patrick Eckler joins us for a crash-course in Seventh Circuit paranoia (if you’re paranoid about jurisdictional questions at oral argument—which you really […]

Listen Now

November 29, 2024

Short Circuit 352 | Misinformation

We go online for some First Amendment content this week. First, IJ’s Jeff Redfern explains how the Eleventh Circuit concluded that CNN might be liable […]

Listen Now

November 22, 2024

Short Circuit 351 | State Court Shenanigans

A couple friends drop by this week who have overstayed their welcome: Rooker and Feldman. Together they make up the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, a weed that […]

Listen Now

November 15, 2024

Short Circuit 350 | In rem Liechtenstein

Can the U.S. government use civil forfeiture in a U.S. court to take property in another country? One of IJ’s directors of our National Initiative […]

Listen Now

November 08, 2024

Short Circuit 349 | Wrong Side of the Road

Did you know that you can be arrested for walking on the wrong side of the road? Neither did a Missouri police officer. Until he […]

Listen Now

November 01, 2024

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

October 25, 2024

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 […]

Listen Now