logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
7m 42s

The Preamble: Introducing More Perfect S...

Wnyc Studios
About this episode
To kick off the new season, host Julia Longoria returns to high school, where she first fell in love with the Supreme Court. She was a star on her high school’s nationally-ranked “Constitution team” (read: nerd Super Bowl). For Julia, the Court represented a place where two sides of an issue could be discussed and debated. A lot has changed since then — and ... Show More
Up next
May 2023
The Supreme Court v. Peyote
<p>More than 30 years ago, a Native American man named Al Smith was fired for ingesting peyote at a religious ceremony. When his battle made it to the Supreme Court, the decision set off a thorny debate over when religious people get to sidestep the law — a debate we’re still hav ... Show More
57m 49s
May 2023
Clarence X
<p>To many Americans, Clarence Thomas makes no sense. For more than 30 years on the Court, he seems to have been on a mission — to take away rights that benefit Black people. As a young man, though, Thomas listened to records of Malcolm X speeches on a loop and strongly identifie ... Show More
57m 43s
May 2023
The Court’s Reporters
<p>Unlike other branches of government, the Supreme Court operates with almost no oversight. No cameras are allowed in the courtroom, no binding code of ethics, and records of their activities are incredibly hard to get. So how do reporters uncover the activities of the nine most ... Show More
35m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 14
We the People: Succession of Power
The 25th amendment. A few years before JFK was shot, an idealistic young lawyer set out on a mission to convince people something essential was missing from the Constitution: clear instructions for what should happen if a U.S. president was no longer able to serve. On this episod ... Show More
47m 31s
Sep 2024
Why is the voting age 18?
<p>For most of our nation's history, the voting age was 21. So how'd we get it down to 18? In one sense, it was the fastest ratified amendment in history. In another, it took three decades. Our guide to the hard-won fight for youth enfranchisement is Jennifer Frost, author of <a ... Show More
36m 16s
Oct 2024
The World's First Constitution
The world's oldest oldest continuously surviving constitution, was adopted in the tiny country of San Marino on 8th October, 1600. This was a good 187 years before the United States adopted its own constitution and, during his presidency, Abraham Lincoln frequently held San Mari ... Show More
11m 48s
Jun 2025
Bonus Episode: THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. Let's read it together.
<p>Have you ever read every word of The U.S. Constitution? You don't have to, because I read it with my mouth into your brain in this weird but vital episode on civil liberties. And of course, there are little sidenotes to make sure we both understand it. There has never been a b ... Show More
1h 25m
Aug 18
The 19th Amendment Gives Women the Right to Vote
<p>August 18, 1920. The 19th Amendment is ratified by the United States Congress, granting women the right to vote. This episode originally aired in 2022.</p><p><br></p><ul><li><strong>Support the show!</strong>&nbsp;Join&nbsp;<a href="https://intohistory.com/" rel="noopener nore ... Show More
20m 23s
Jul 2017
Episode 21, Thomas Hobbes's Political Philosophy (Part I)
<p>Everything you could need is on www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. Few political thinkers can be considered as influential as Thomas Hobbes. Published in 1651, Hobbes's most famous work, the Leviathan (or The Matter, Forme an ... Show More
37m 13s
Jun 2017
Episode 20, Plato's Political Philosophy (Part II)
<p>Everything you could need is on www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. This episode benchmarks the beginning of our mini-series on political philosophy. Plato provides a strong critique of democracy through his formulation of a u ... Show More
50m 18s
Jun 2017
Episode 20, Plato's Political Philosophy (Part I)
<p>Everything you could need is on www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. This episode benchmarks the beginning of our mini-series on political philosophy. Plato provides a strong critique of democracy through his formulation of a u ... Show More
57m 1s
Nov 2021
Part Four: Future Tense Politics
How can we do politics with a Long Time lens? So often it feels like our leaders are firmly stuck in the short-term, motivated by getting re-elected every four or five years and the sway of vested interests. In this episode we meet the people changing this both from within govern ... Show More
1h 6m