Oct 31

Halloween: The Strange and Storied History of an American Holiday

On this episode of Our American Stories, every October, porches glow with carved pumpkins and streets fill with costumed children, but the roots of Halloween reach much deeper than candy and costumes. The holiday began as All Hallows’ Eve, a night of remembrance that blended Chri ... Show More

39m 16s

Oct 30

A Century of Horror: From Nosferatu to the Modern Scare

On this episode of Our American Stories, for more than a century, horror movies have found new and terrifying ways to keep us on the edge of our seats. It began with the eerie shadows of German Expressionism and the unforgettable monsters of Universal’s Dracula and Frankenstein. ... Show More

39m 17s

Oct 30

Louis Prima: The Italian-American Showman Who Made America Swing

On this episode of Our American Stories, Louis Prima never seemed to play a song so much as throw a party. It was a style he came by naturally, growing up among the Sicilian families, brass bands, and jazz funerals of New Orleans, with the sound of Louis Armstrong’s trumpet ringi ... Show More

39m 16s

May 2023

FDR Tries to Pack the Court

June 1, 1936. The Supreme Court hands down its last decision of the term. The justices have dealt blow after blow to President Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation, and today is no different: they rule against FDR again. It’s the last straw. Roosevelt is going to do something drastic ... Show More

26m 14s

Jun 2018

American Pendulum Reprise

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 nat ... Show More

46m 33s

Jun 2023

The Captured Court Emerges

When most people think about the current Supreme Court, one of the first names that comes to mind is Donald Trump, who appointed three of its Justices. But there's another name that's arguably more important. And that is the right-wing billionaires’ fixer, Leonard Leo. In this ep ... Show More

31m 33s

Dec 2021

The Supreme Court v. Our Rights

Another year of The Supreme Court of the United States is coming to a close. But can we still trust our nine appointed justices to be the final arbiters of the law?. Co-hosts of the Boom! Lawyered podcast, Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy, join Kai Wright to answer those ques ... Show More

50m 36s

Sep 2023

Ralph Nader Versus Big Auto

While Ralph Nader may not be everyone's favorite politician, he's responsible for some of the biggest life-saving changes in American government. In today's episode, Ben, Max and Noel explore how young Ralph transformed from an eccentric, hitchhiking student to a national champio ... Show More

43m 47s

Nov 2017

Citizens United

Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission is one of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/us/politics/poll-shows-americans-favor-overhaul-of-campaign-financing.html">the most polarizing</a> Supreme Court cases of all time. So what is it actually a ... Show More

1 h

Mar 2019

The Great Depression - Justice and Infamy | 6

As legal challenges to his New Deal programs mounted, President Roosevelt and his attorney general devised dramatic reforms to the Supreme Court’s structure. The proposed changes would open new rifts between the president and conservative members of his own party.Other greater ch ... Show More

38m 38s

Feb 2021

The Most Powerful Legal Organization in the Country

Six of the nine Supreme Court Justices are members of a club called the Federalist Society. Noah Feldman speaks to Eugene B. Meyer, the president of the Federalist Society, about the organization’s goals, how it is funded, and how it operates. They also discuss Noah’s new audiobo ... Show More

38m 43s

Why Nine Justices? The Democrat Who Chal...