You might think you know why Marbury v Madison is important: it set the precedent whereby the Supreme Court decides whether laws are constitutional or not, a power known as judicial review. But what else does this landmark decision say? And why is this case from more than two hundred years ago cited so prominently in former president Donald Trump's current S ... Show More
Apr 14
How did federal income taxes get this way?
We haven't always had a federal income tax, and in the beginning, it only applied to the very richest Americans. So how did we end up with the permanent income tax we have today, with all its complicated rules about everything from pre-tax income to deductions and credits? And wh ... Show More
39m 32s
Apr 9
What is the 25th Amendment?
Sometimes, news happens in the real world, and suddenly a political or civics topic becomes very top of mind for members of the public. And when that happens, we at Civics 101 often say, hey…we have an episode about that. One of those conversations happened this week, after a twe ... Show More
29m 16s
Jul 2023
The Supreme Court's Past, Present, and Future: A Conversation with John Yoo
It has been a momentous few weeks for the Supreme Court. What better time to discuss the Court's history and future? We are therefore launching our "Summer of Law" series to shed light on the legal world .
Kicking the series off is John Yoo, the Heller Professor of Law at the Uni ... Show More
53m 19s
Oct 2025
New SCOTUS Term & Thomas Disses Precedent
Former United States Solicitor General Gregory Garre, a partner at Latham & Watkins, discusses the upcoming Supreme Court term. Constitutional law professor David Super, of Georgetown Law, discusses Justice Clarence Thomas’ comments downplaying the importance of precedent. June G ... Show More
38m 22s
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