Short Circuit

By: Institute for Justice
  • Summary

  • The Supreme Court decides a few dozen cases every year; federal appellate courts decide thousands. So if you love constitutional law, the circuit courts are where it’s at. Join us as we break down some of the week’s most intriguing appellate decisions with a unique brand of insight, wit, and passion for judicial engagement and the rule of law. http://ij.org/short-circuit
    © Institute for Justice
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Episodes
  • Short Circuit 350 | In rem Liechtenstein
    Nov 15 2024
    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 to End Forfeiture Abuse, Dan Alban, reports on a rare forfeiture loss for the federal government when it tried to forfeit money in a bank account in the principality of Liechtenstein. The Ninth Circuit thought that was a bridge too far, although the various judges disagreed with each other on why. Then IJ’s Matt Liles updates us on the latest on Second Amendment challenges to the District of Columbia’s gun laws. If your jam is gunpowder storage, nineteenth century trap guns, Bowie knives on the frontier, and diagrams of centuries-old guns that belong in Terminator movies, we’ve got you covered. U.S. v. Nasri Hanson v. D.C. End Forfeiture The Parent’s Assistant
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    58 mins
  • Short Circuit 349 | Wrong Side of the Road
    Nov 8 2024
    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 needed an excuse to put someone in handcuffs. Marie Miller of IJ details her recent victory at the Supreme Court—in a relatively terse, 20-word opinion—on behalf of her road-walking client after he lost at the Eighth Circuit, and how the First-Amendment-retaliation victory depended on an IJ case from last term, Gonzalez v. Trevino. Then IJ’s Anya Bidwell—who had something to do with that last-term victory—outlines a trilogy of recent opinions in the Eleventh Circuit where former federal officials have tried to remove their state criminal prosecutions to federal court. It may well be that one of the cases—involving former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows—has been taken by the Supreme Court by the time you listen. Also, in the podcast Anya says she’ll make a handy chart to help all of you navigate through the story. Well, afterward she actually did! Click on the link below to see it. Murphy v. Schmitt (8th Cir.) Georgia v. Clark Georgia v. Shafer Georgia v. Meadows (11th Cir.) SCOTUS docket for Meadows Short Circuit episode with Andrew Fleischman Ulysses Anya’s chart
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    51 mins
  • Short Circuit 348 | Excessive Fines and the IRS
    Nov 1 2024
    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 rejected in a recent Eleventh Circuit case about a taxpayer who failed to file some forms and was subsequently fined—yes, fined—millions of dollars. IJ’s Sam Gedge explains this story and what fines the court thought were excessive and were not. We also look at the Ninth Circuit and an odd rule (that only exists there) which turns dicta into law. Jacob Harcar of IJ provides the holding and some well-reasoned portions of his opinion as well. Further, as a special treat, Jacob tells us of some work he’s done on legislative immunity and Reconstruction. Plus, do you know the difference between an acronym and an initialism? Whatever it is, we hope you won’t say the two flirted excessively. U.S. v. Schwarzbaum Stein v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Gorsuch dissent in Toth v. U.S. denial Timbs v. Indiana Short Circuit episode on dicta in 9th Cir. Jacob’s Section 1983 article Excessive flirting in Emma
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    52 mins

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