logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2018
46m 33s

American Pendulum Reprise

Wnyc Studios
About this episode
What happens when the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, seems to get it wrong? Korematsu v. United States upheld President Franklin Roosevelt’s internment of American citizens during World War II based solely on their Japanese heritage, for the sake of national security. In this episode, we follow Fred Korematsu’s path to the Supreme Court, and w ... Show More
Up next
Sep 2018
We've Got a Surprise For You
<p>This fall, More Perfect is doing something brand new: We’re making an album!</p> <p>  </p> <p>It’s called <em>27: The Most Perfect Album. </em>We’ve partnered with some of the best musicians in the world— artists like Dolly Parton, Kevin Morby, Devendra Banhart, Aisha Burns, a ... Show More
2m 31s
Sep 2018
The First Amendments with They Might Be Giants
<p>Let's get started. If we're talking about the Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, it only feels right to start at the beginning. The First and Second Amendments are arguably the most ferociously contentious amendments of them all, and the Third Amendment is the underdog that ... Show More
39m 17s
Sep 2018
The Gun Show Reprise
<p>Last year in the wake of the attack in Las Vegas, reporter <a href="https://www.vox.com/today-explained">Sean Rameswaram</a> took a deep dive into America's twisty, thorny, seemingly irreconcilable relationship with guns. It's a story about the Second Amendment, the Black Pant ... Show More
1h 9m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
Why is Marbury v. Madison in Trump’s Supreme Court brief?
<p>You might think you know why <a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/marbury-v-madison#:~:text=With%20his%20decision%20in%20Marbury,Government%20from%20becoming%20too%20powerful." target="_blank">Marbury v Madison</a> is important: it set the precedent whereby th ... Show More
46m 8s
Nov 2024
The Supreme Court's Criminal Trial
<p>In 1906, the Supreme Court stayed a man's execution. That same day, his town murdered him. Then SCOTUS held it's first and only criminal trial for those who had allowed it to happen. This is the story of a wrongful conviction that was only the beginning of injustice and the st ... Show More
44m 7s
Nov 2023
Demystifying the Indian Supreme Court
<p>In recent years, there has a growing concern that the Supreme Court of India is not firing on all cylinders. Critics have argued that the court functions in an opaque manner, exhibits excessive deference to the executive, is sluggish in concluding cases, and is hampered by an ... Show More
51m 6s
Jul 2024
The Supreme Court Is Not Done Remaking America
<p>When the Supreme Court wrapped up its term last week, much of the focus was one the ruling that gave former President Donald J. Trump sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution. But another set of rulings that generated less attention could have just as big an impact on Ameri ... Show More
25m 21s
Sep 2024
Anthony Michael Kreis, "Rot and Revival: The History of Constitutional Law in American Political Development" (U California Press, 2024)
One of the great divides in American judicial scholarship is between legal scholars who take the justices at their word and assume that those words define the law and political scientists who dismiss all judicial arguments as smokescreens for partisan bias or wider political forc ... Show More
1h 3m
Feb 2025
United States vs. Wong Kim Ark
<p>The 1898 supreme court case called United States vs. Wong Kim Ark had affected enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act, because the court found that people born in the U.S. to Chinese parents were U.S. citizens.</p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Graber, Mark A. " ... Show More
45m 1s
Jun 2025
What the Supreme Court Does in the Shadows
The Supreme Court is issuing its final decisions of the term this month. But it's been extraordinarily active since January, in part because the Trump administration has submitted over a dozen emergency applications asking the court to rule quickly on controversial issues. Those ... Show More
48m 9s
Sep 2024
Kevin J. McMahon, "A Supreme Court Unlike Any Other: The Deepening Divide Between the Justices and the People" (U Chicago Press, 2024)
Many scholars and members of the press have argued that John Roberts’ Supreme Court is exceptional. While some emphasize the approach to interpreting the Constitution or the justices conservative ideology, Dr. Kevin J. McMahon suggests that the key issue is democratic legitimacy. ... Show More
57m 38s
Apr 2025
A Constitutional Crisis, Due Process, & the Rule of Law
What is a constitutional crisis? For some, a constitutional crisis is when the president defies the Supreme Court, for others it is when a president simply defies a federal judge’s order. Under the reign of President Trump and his administration, the country has dealt with a numb ... Show More
36m 59s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami