

Short Circuit
Institute for Justice
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
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 2, 2020 • 0sec
Short Circuit 149 | Supreme Court Preview for Tar Heels
For the fourth year in a row, the Institute for Justice has teamed up with the University of North Carolina Federalist Society Chapter to preview cases for the Supreme Court’s upcoming term. IJ’s Justin Pearson and Erica Smith join with UNC Professor Andy Hessick to share their wisdom on what’s interesting, and what may get even more interesting, in the months to come.
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shor…uit/id309062019
Spotify: podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/1DFCq…Ehed/overview
Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/institut…ce/short-circuit
Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnNvdW5kY2xvdWQuY29tL3VzZXJzL3NvdW5kY2xvdWQ6dXNlcnM6ODQ0OTMyNDcvc291bmRzLnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjTsdf7z5bsAhXbhXIEHWCfCZwQ9sEGegQIARAM
Newsletter: ij.org/about-us/shortcircuit/
Want to email us? shortcircuit@ij.org
Transcript: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/short-circuit-149.pdf
Justin Pearson, https://ij.org/staff/justin-pearson/
Erica Smith, https://ij.org/staff/esmith/
Andy Hessick, https://law.unc.edu/people/andrew-hessick/
Brownback v. King, https://ij.org/case/brownback-v-king/

Sep 17, 2020 • 44min
Short Circuit 148 | Are Apartments a Nuisance? Private Property and the Rise of Zoning
In a special Short Circuit, Harvard Law Professor Molly Brady joins us to talk about an untold story from the rise of zoning law. A lot of the blame for our affordable housing crisis is often placed on the case Euclid v. Ambler Realty, where the Supreme court declared zoning (which includes prohibiting apartments) constitutional. But zoning was not the first try at limiting multifamily housing in certain neighborhoods. Professor Brady discusses how property covenants and nuisance law were employed to limit the availability of housing, and how when that didn’t work planners turned to the heavy hand of zoning. Along the way we discuss property deeds, spontaneous order, immigration, and the ever-beloved Coase Theorem.
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shor…uit/id309062019
Spotify: podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/1DFCq…Ehed/overview
Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/institut…ce/short-circuit
Google: play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#…odkfm5cpz7rlvf76a
Newsletter: ij.org/about-us/shortcircuit/
Want to email us? shortcircuit@ij.org
Transcript: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Episode-148-Transcript.pdf
Professor Molly Brady, http://www.maureenebrady.com/
Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/272/365/
The Coase Theorem, https://www.libertarianism.org/topics/ronald-h-coase
From the IJ Archives: Let’s Take Zoning to Court, https://ij.org/sc_blog/lets-take-zoning-to-court/

Sep 10, 2020 • 0sec
Short Circuit 147 | Off-premises signs and an on-premises subpoena
Will former White House Counsel Don McGahn ever testify to the House Judiciary Committee? That partly depends on how you squint when reading the Declaratory Judgment Act. University of Texas law professor (and Twitter Laureate of federal jurisdiction) Steve Vladeck checks off the justiciability boxes and tells us it didn’t use to be so complicated. Meanwhile, cities continue to hate billboards, and the Supreme Court continues to not speak as clearly as it could, even in cases involving content-based restrictions on speech. Bob McNamara explains why you have to read a sign to see if it’s “on premises.”
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shor…uit/id309062019
Spotify: podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/1DFCq…Ehed/overview
Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/institut…ce/short-circuit
Google: play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#…odkfm5cpz7rlvf76a
Newsletter: ij.org/about-us/shortcircuit/
Want to email us? shortcircuit@ij.org
Transcript: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Short-Circuit-147-Transcript.pdf
IJ Legal Intensive: https://ij.org/ijs-legal-intensive/
Committee on the Judiciary v. McGahn, https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/6402FB14D0F73EDD852585D5005DA953/$file/19-5331-1859039.pdf
Reagan National Advertising v. City of Austin, http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/19/19-50354-CV0.pdf
Steve Vladeck, https://law.utexas.edu/faculty/stephen-i-vladeck
Robert McNamara, https://ij.org/staff/robert-mcnamara/
Anthony Sanders, https://ij.org/staff/asanders/

Sep 4, 2020 • 0sec
Short Circuit 146 (9/4/20)
Rejoining us after a very long break is Rob Johnson, who has some things to say about the Anti-Riot Act and a case finding part of it overbroad and unconstitutional. The case comes out of a prosecution of some racist rioters who attended a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017. Also, Rob Frommer tells us a tale about a woman who spent a decade in prison for a crime she did not commit, and that there was plenty of evidence she did not commit before she was imprisoned. Despite all this, prosecutorial and qualified immunity do their best to bar her access to justice. Plus, learn a bit about what happened when the Hanoverians took over from the Stuarts.
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shor…uit/id309062019
Spotify: podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/1DFCq…Ehed/overview
Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/institut…ce/short-circuit
Google: play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#…odkfm5cpz7rlvf76a
Newsletter: ij.org/about-us/shortcircuit/
Want to email us? shortcircuit@ij.org
Transcript: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Short-Circuit-146-transcript-1.pdf
United States v. Miselis, https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/194550.P.pdf
Weimer v. County of Fayette, https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/191823p.pdf
The Riot Act, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8142/8142-h/8142-h.htm
Robert Frommer, https://ij.org/staff/rfrommer/
Robert Johnson, https://ij.org/staff/rjohnson/
Anthony Sanders, https://ij.org/staff/asanders/

Aug 27, 2020 • 29min
Short Circuit 145 | Dude, where’s my car? And, campaigning to disclose
Can a city hold on to your car for three years for no reason? Unfortunately, the Sixth Circuit seems to think the answer is “yes,” although over a fiery dissent. This week Wesley Hottot presents Nichols v. Wayne County and the team muses about the application of a case from 1978 and whether it even applies in Detroit anymore. Also, Paul Sherman takes us into campaign season with a campaign through campaign finance (and administrative) law with CREW v. FEC.
Click here for a transcript.

Aug 14, 2020 • 0sec
Short Circuit 144 | PACER Charges and Publicly Charged Universal Injunctions
What brings all lawyers together? Hatred of PACER. Some nonprofits challenged the fees the federal courts charge for accessing court filings on the electronic records system. And they won. Kind of. But this doesn’t mean you get to stop paying to see legal documents. This week Diana Simpson explains the history of accessing court documents via modem, where those fees go, and how the Federal Circuit interpreted some obscure statutory language. Also, Congress has never defined the term, but for well over a century Congress has barred immigrants who are likely to become a “public charge.” Can the Department of Homeland Security adopt a definition of the term that will render way more people inadmissible? The Fourth Circuit said yes, and went on to opine on the continuing controversy over “nationwide injunctions.” Adam Shelton discusses that case, as well as a couple other recent cases from the Second Circuit—on the exact same issue—and a different injunction case from Puerto Rico.
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shor…uit/id309062019
Spotify: podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/1DFCq…Ehed/overview
Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/institut…ce/short-circuit
Google: play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#…odkfm5cpz7rlvf76a
Newsletter: ij.org/about-us/shortcircuit/
Want to email us? shortcircuit@ij.org
Transcript: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Short-Circuit-144-Transcript.pdf
National Veterans Legal Services Program v. United States, http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/19-1081.OPINION.8-6-2020_1631951.pdf
A Week of Universal Injunctions, https://ij.org/cje-post/a-week-of-universal-injunctions/

Aug 6, 2020 • 0sec
Short Circuit 143 (8/7/20)
Religious freedom v. anti-discrimination and a promise not to do bad things.
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shor…uit/id309062019
Spotify: podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/1DFCq…Ehed/overview
Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/institut…ce/short-circuit
Google: play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#…odkfm5cpz7rlvf76a
Newsletter: ij.org/about-us/shortcircuit/
Want to email us? shortcircuit@ij.org
Transcript: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/short-circuit-143.pdf
Jamison v. McClendon: http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2020/images/08/04/jamison-v-mcclendon.pdf
New Hope Family Services v. Poole: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/19-1715_opn_formatted.pdf?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTURBeU1qWTJNalUxTURrMyIsInQiOiJOR3BaVTdkZFFDbndIbWJ1T0VtSmp2N1wvQmVienRrVXQ3YnN5N1wvSTJzZVY4S2R3YjBNUDZBTk5pUXFXT3dYRExVKzBkWXdcLzhJNDIzRFY2QjhwbmhXeEdFaDlrNTlSTlROZlcwNGxwbkhKOXEzaUN2ckl1eVJRZjZRdGRPdWMwUyJ9
Speech First v. Killeen: http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2020/D07-28/C:19-2807:J:Brennan:condis:T:fnOp:N:2554247:S:0
Walter Olson: https://www.cato.org/people/walter-olson

Jul 30, 2020 • 0sec
Short Circuit 142 (7/31/20)
Excessive home foreclosures and parking fines.
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shor…uit/id309062019
Spotify: podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/1DFCq…Ehed/overview
Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/institut…ce/short-circuit
Google: play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#…odkfm5cpz7rlvf76a
Newsletter: ij.org/about-us/shortcircuit/
Want to email us? shortcircuit@ij.org
Transcript: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Short-Circuit-142-edited.pdf
Rafaeli, LLC v. Oakland County, https://courts.michigan.gov/Courts/MichiganSupremeCourt/Clerks/Recent%20Opinions/19-20-Term-Opinions/156849.pdf
Pimentel v. Los Angeles, https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/07/22/18-56553.pdf
Christina Martin, https://pacificlegal.org/staff/christina-martin/

Jul 23, 2020 • 0sec
Short Circuit 141 (7/24/20)
A police pizza raid and Fourth Amendment fireworks in the Fourth Circuit
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shor…uit/id309062019
Spotify: podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/1DFCq…Ehed/overview
Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/institut…ce/short-circuit
Google: play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#…odkfm5cpz7rlvf76a
Newsletter: ij.org/about-us/shortcircuit/
Want to email us? shortcircuit@ij.org
Transcript: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Short-Circuit-141-edited.pdf
Chicago Freedom School complaint: https://peopleslawoffice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/1-CFS-Complaint-Filed.pdf
4A fireworks: https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/184233A.P.pdf

Jul 15, 2020 • 0sec
Short Circuit 140
End times at the sheriff’s department and Euclidean policing.
Transcript: https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/short-circuit-140.pdf
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/short-circuit/id309062019
Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/1DFCqDbZTI7kIws11kEhed/overview
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/institute-for-justice/short-circuit
Google: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Iz26kyzdcpodkfm5cpz7rlvf76a
Newsletter: ij.org/about-us/shortcircuit/
Want to email us? shortcircuit@ij.org
Sheriff case: https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/20/06/191213P.pdf
Police brutality case: https://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/20a0185p-06.pdf