Season 2, Episode 2 (Show 54): The Year and The Questions, Part 2
January 12, 2022
We conclude our look back at the first year of “Amarica’s Constitution” with clips on the Biden commission, on arguing before the Court, on leading the ACLU, and all about abortion. And – some great audience questions.
As year 2 of “Amarica’s Constitution” begins, we complete our year 1 recap with remarkable clips, some from outstanding guests: Neal Katyal on preparing and executing Supreme Court advocacy (including the specifics of a recent case he argued); Nadine Strossen (on how this ACLU leader has some surprisingly nuanced positions that the ACLU might not love); and Linda Greenhouse (on sources – who has them, and who doesn’t). We also hear from the SCOTUS Justices in oral argument clips from one of our most popular episodes, on abortion, unsurprisingly. We update our thoughts on the Biden commission. Finally, your questions are getting better, prompting Akhil to give respectful (!) and nuanced answers.
Show Notes:
Season 2, Episode 1 (Show 53): 80 Years in 80 Minutes: A Special Live Episode
January 5, 2022
Amidst the unreality of a pandemic book tour, Amarica’s Constitution goes in front of a live audience for something strange and wonderful these days – a real in-person book talk, speeding through the revolutionary period and whetting your appetite with historical and constitutional tidbits galore, to the delight of the crowd, and now, you.
Amarica’s Constitution takes to the road, as the Yale Club of the Palm Beaches, Florida, hosts us with a live audience of constitutional aficionados! The long-delayed book tour of “The Words That Made Us” finally assumes a recognizable form, as Akhil gives a whirlwind tour of the first 80 years of America’s Constitutional Conversation. Aside from a sense of the book, you should come away from this episode knowing 20-30 things you either didn’t know, or wrongly understood before. The audience then questions Professor Amar from founding to Trump – literally, as no holds are barred.
Episode 52: The Year That Was, and Your Questions
December 29, 2021
2022 in review, including clips from Bob Woodward, Neal Katyal, Philip Bobbitt, and more. Plus, Professor Amar responds to your questions!
Amarica’s Constitution celebrates one year of podcasting, and what a year it was. From the steps of the Capitol to the bench of the Court, we were there with coverage and analysis. In this episode we replay clips from, among others, Bob Woodward, Philip Bobbitt, and Neal Katyal, as they discussed and debated everything from impeachment to abortion with Akhil and Andy. And, as long promised, your questions submitted throughout the year are answered!
Show Notes:
Episode 51: Roberts Court, or Trump Court? A Conversation with Linda Greenhouse
December 22, 2021
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, author, and Yale Law School colleague of Professor Amar, Linda Greenhouse, joins us for a discussion of the Court, and its possible moment of truth, identified in her latest book, “Justice on the Brink.” Meanwhile, SCOTUS keeps making news, and we (this time with Linda’s help) keep clarifying it.
The Supreme Court is still in the news, with vaccine mandate follies and more, and we continue to be there to help you decipher it. This week, our timing is perfect: the long-time, Pulitzer-winning NY Times correspondent, now columnist, Linda Greenhouse, joins us for a discussion of the Court and her new book: “Justice on the Brink: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months that Transformed the Supreme Court.” In light of Justice Breyer’s retirement issues (and how RBG’s retirement echoes loudly), the current torrent of impactful cases, and our recent commentary and other guests, this couldn’t be more timely. Linda’s book prepares us to ask if the Roberts Court is gone and the Trump Court arrived – and now we can begin to answer the question, as the Court slowly unveils its character. Best of all, you can find out what all this has to do with an iguana.
Show Notes:
Episode 50: The Court Astonishes – Special Guest Ed Whelan
December 15, 2021
Our 50th episode finds the Supreme Court not quite done with abortion controversies, as two rulings on Texas’ “SB8” law drop – as does Akhil’s jaw, and that of our guest, long-time legal commentator Ed Whelan.
Amarica’s Constitution is 50 – 50 episodes, that is. The Supreme Court isn’t done with abortion yet, as it marks our “silver episode” unveiling with a pair of rulings on the Texas abortion law, SB8. The rulings themselves may not be long remembered, but the opinions contained sentences that shocked Professor Amar. In a happy coincidence, the Friday rulings coincided with a Friday taping, and we happened to have a special guest – Ed Whelan, creator of the well-known “Bench Memos” legal blog and Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. We dissect the very revealing statements by Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Sotomayor, and others, on an eventful day.
Show Notes:
Episode 49: Roe Roe Roe – Stare and Stenchy
December 8, 2021
Following our two weeks of preparation and prediction, Professor Amar dissects last week’s oral argument in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health abortion case.
The oral argument is complete in the Mississippi abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. In our previous two episodes, Professor Amar prepared our audience with a remarkable menu of constitutional theory, a recap of the relevant cases and the orientation of the justices. We now look at the actual argument and find where it cohered with Akhil’s notions. We critique the arguments, the advocates, and the arbiters, and discuss arguments that might have been made. Was precedent the theme, and did it have to be? The voices of the justices, inserted in our podcast, put you right there, with Akhil as your guide.