Special Episode: Espinoza v. Montana (1/16/20)
Podcast (short-circuit): Play in new window | Download
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 a Montana school choice program that allowed families to send their children to private schools, including religious ones. The Montana Supreme Court said the program violated the state’s Blaine Amendment, a relic of 19th-century anti-Catholic hysteria that lives on today in 37 states constitutions, and struck the program down in 2018. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, will consider whether discriminating against religious options violates the First Amendment. On this podcast, we take a look at the history of Blaine Amendments, school choice, and one-size-fits-all schooling.
Recent Episodes
March 23, 2023
Short Circuit 264 | Evicting Innocent People

Can a city get a renter evicted for a crime they didn’t commit? Unfortunately, in over 2,000 cities across the country the answer is yes. […]
Read MoreMarch 14, 2023
Short Circuit 263 | A Three Hour Tour

A nostalgic tale of judicial engagement where we examine whether recess is a crime and whether it’s fine for the government to follow your every […]
Read MoreMarch 08, 2023
Short Circuit 262 | Shielded

A special Short Circuit Live at Georgetown University hosts Joanna Schwartz of UCLA to discuss her book Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable. And not […]
Read MoreMarch 02, 2023
Short Circuit 261 | Live at Southern Methodist University!

Short Circuit speaks with the law students at SMU in our first visit to The Big D. With Anya Bidwell as your host, she introduces […]
Read More