Farfetched Arguments

07/30/24 • 26 min

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After an unprecedented several weeks in politics, some on the right are advancing far-fetched arguments to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and a federal judge in Florida threw out the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump.

Neither of these are based on established constitutional precedent.

Neither of these are based on established constitutional precedent.

Previous Episode

Law-Free Zone

The concept of presidential immunity is not explicitly stated anywhere in the Constitution. That hasn’t stopped the Supreme Court from essentially creating what Justice Sonia Sotomayor called "a law-free zone around the President."

What does this mean for the criminal cases against former President Trump? And what are the implications for the office of the presidency?

Note: this episode was recorded before the assassination attempt on President Trump.

Next Episode

Cruel and Unusual

In 1960, a man named Lawrence Robinson was sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating a California law that made it illegal to be addicted to narcotics. This summer, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order telling agencies to clear “dangerous” homeless encampments on state land. What links these two situations? The Eighth Amendment.