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 cop is suing the other. Guess which cop wins? It’s the one with the dog—named Thor—that got a little too eager in a cemetery while in hot pursuit. But apparently didn’t “seize” the other by mistakenly tearing into his leg. Dylan Moore of IJ brings us this canine caper from the Eighth Circuit. Then your host takes you to the en banc Fifth Circuit and tells a twisted tale of Jim Crow, felon disenfranchisement, the Eighth Amendment, and “evolving standards.” Historians of the 1890 Mississippi constitutional convention may want to take notice.
Recent Episodes
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 NowShort 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 NowShort 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 NowShort 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