Short Circuit 268 | God and Man at Harvard and Yale
Podcast (short-circuit): Play in new window | Download
Who ever said insurance isn’t interesting? Certainly not the Eleventh Circuit, and certainly not IJ’s Ben Field. He tells us a harrowing story of a church—a church of all places!—which weathers two acts of God (hurricanes) while taking insurance contracts and kicking insurances claims (actually, the insurance company kicked the claims). Ben weaves together the competing views of contract interpretation as personified by Harvard’s Samuel Williston and Yale’s Arthur Corbin to explain how the court ended up where it did. We even delve into the Gospel of John for inspiration. Then, in slightly less theological matters than contractual interpretation, we look at what the Fifth Circuit cooked up when it comes to free speech. Whether you’re a veggie burger connoisseur or not, you’ll want to hear about Louisiana’s attempt to stymie the labeling of meatless meat such as Tofurky. IJ’s Betsy Sanz tells us why the court did not find the law unconstitutional, but also why that means the law might not end up doing very much.
Recent Episodes
Short Circuit 445 | Crazytown
Time for The Big One. So many have so many takes on the Ninth Circuit that, as part of our #12Months12Circuits series, we at IJ […]
Listen NowShort Circuit 444 | Recording the Police with Facebook Immunity
Another circuit recognizes a there’s a First Amendment right to record the police. In this case, a “First Amendment auditor” stood on a public sidewalk […]
Listen NowShort Circuit 443 | Irreparable Speech Harms
In our #12Months12Circuits series a nation turns its lonely eyes to the heartland. The true middle of America. The Eighth Circuit. We’re joined by true […]
Listen NowShort Circuit 442 | Free Speech Died Here, Ask Me How
Tragedy and comedy, from the Fifth Circuit and then from the Tenth. First, Patrick Jaicomo of IJ describes how the police in Laredo, Texas mistakenly […]
Listen Now