Civil Discourse
231 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsThis podcast uses government documents to illuminate the workings of the American government, and offer context around the effects of government agencies in your everyday life.
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Episodes
Authoritarians, Dictators, and Other Political Science Terms, part 2
April 12, 2024 16:00 - 49 minutes - 25.7 MBIn part 2 of a 2 part series, Nia and Aughie again host political science professor Chris Saladino to discuss the differences between political science terms such as communism, socialism, dictatorships, and authoritarians. **some adult language is used in this episode
Authoritarians, Dictators, and Other Political Science Terms, part 1
April 05, 2024 16:00 - 51 minutes - 56.8 MBIn part 1 of a 2 part series, Nia and Aughie host political science professor Chris Saladino to discuss the differences between political science terms such as communism, socialism, dictatorships, and authoritarians. **some adult language is used in this episode
United Kingdom Parliament, part 2
March 29, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 36.6 MBAughie and Nia welcome Political Science professor Chris Burdett to continue their discussion regarding the way the United Kingdom's Parliament works, and whether the methods of lawmaking in the Parliament have anything in common with the United States Congress.
United Kingdom Parliament, part 1
March 22, 2024 16:00 - 47 minutes - 27.6 MBAughie and Nia welcome Political Science professor Chris Burdett to discuss the way the United Kingdom's Parliament works, and whether the methods of lawmaking in the Parliament have anything in common with the United States Congress.
U.S. Declaration of Independence
March 15, 2024 16:00 - 43 minutes - 36.5 MBAughie and Nia discuss the basis and history of the United States' Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.
In the News: SCOTUS Takes the Case: Donald Trump and Presidential Immunity
March 08, 2024 17:00 - 50 minutes - 39.7 MBAughie explains the reasoning by the Supreme Court in taking United States v Donald Trump, a case regarding Presidential immunity. Aughie also explores the potential fallout of the timing of this case.
In the News: SCOTUS, Trump, and the Colorado Ballot
March 08, 2024 17:00 - 29 minutes - 17.2 MBAughie explains the recent SCOTUS ruling in the case of Trump v. Anderson. In this 9-0 decision, the SCOTUS decided that Donald Trump could not be struck from the Colorado ballot based on the Insurrection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Common Sense
March 01, 2024 17:00 - 47 minutes - 25.1 MBNia and Aughie discuss Thomas Paine's best selling pamphlet Common Sense, and the effect it had on galvanizing American resistance to British rule.
The Basis of American Law
February 23, 2024 17:00 - 43 minutes - 22.7 MBAughie and Nia discuss the basics of the differences between European civil and British common law, and how those traditions apply in American law.
Is Book Banning Constitutional?
February 09, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour - 34.1 MBAughie and Nia discuss how books arrive on school shelves, and whether there is a Constitutional right to ban books by School Boards. Spoiler: The U.S. Supreme Court controlling case had a 4-1-4 ruling, hardly settled law.
Trump's Insurrection Cases: Like Burning Down a House in the Name of Fire Safety
January 31, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour - 33.3 MBAughie and Nia discuss the court cases that question whether former President Donald Trump can be on the 2024 Presidential ballot due to allegations of insurrection. They also discuss the question of whether the courts should be ruling on this topic.
In the News: Missing Secretary Austin
January 24, 2024 20:00 - 29 minutes - 15.6 MBNia and Aughie discuss the "disappearance" of General Lloyd Austin, Secretary of the Department of Defense, and the importance of a plan of succession within the Cabinet positions.
In the News: Santos Expulsion
December 12, 2023 17:00 - 23 minutes - 12.3 MBAughie and Nia talk about the 6th expulsion of a member of the House of Representatives, George Santos, and the potential ramifications of this resolution.
Sandra Day OConnor
December 12, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 31.1 MBNia and Aughie celebrate the life and career of Sandra Day O'Connor, first female Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice O'Connor died on December 1, 2023.
In the News: Montana Tik Tok Ruling
December 05, 2023 17:00 - 8 minutes - 4.59 MBNia and Augie touch briefly on what the U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy's ban ruling means in the short and long term for Tik Tok users in Montana.
SCOTUS and the Code of Conduct
December 05, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 40.3 MBAugie and Nia discuss the first-in-history written Code of Conduct of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Asset Seizure, part 2
November 21, 2023 17:00 - 49 minutes - 26.7 MBIn the second of two parts, Nia and Aughie talk about the negative consequences of asset seizure and forfeiture.
Asset Seizure, part 1
November 14, 2023 17:00 - 46 minutes - 34.6 MBIn this two part series, Aughie and Nia explore the concept of asset seizure and forfeiture.
Politicians' Ages
November 07, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 32.9 MBNia and Aughie follow up a previous episode about the rising mean age of Americans with a discussion of aging politicians and how they represent the average American. "Prevent a coup, retire now".
Aging Population of the United States
October 31, 2023 16:00 - 48 minutes - 25.6 MBIn a two part series, Aughie and Nia explore the aging American population and what that demographic span means for elections and policy decisions going forward.
Landlines and Demographics
October 24, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 32.2 MBNia and Aughie discover and discuss the connections between landline usage and government statistics gathering. They also explore the demographics of owners of landlines.
Congress and the Mountain Valley Pipeline
October 17, 2023 16:00 - 50 minutes - 26.2 MBAughie and Nia delve into the Mountain Valley Pipeline deal during the debt ceiling debates, and the problems that Congress has made for the Courts in adjudicating any problems with the pipeline. Does the Congress have the power to direct which Court will hear a case?
Architect of the Capitol
October 10, 2023 16:00 - 48 minutes - 26.1 MBNia and Aughie talk about an open position in the federal government, the Architect of the Capitol. They discuss the responsibilities of the job and how to potentially change the job to attract candidates.
National Film Registry
October 03, 2023 16:00 - 57 minutes - 30.6 MBAughie and Nia explore the purpose of the National Film Preservation Board, created by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988. They discuss the criterion used to consider films as well as some of the films that are part of the National Film Registry.
In the News: Government Shutdowns
October 01, 2023 16:00 - 40 minutes - 21.8 MBAughie and Nia discuss the outcomes of government shutdowns.
Getting to Know You: Favorite Political Fiction Books
September 26, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 35.4 MBIn the 5th and final part of a short series titled Getting to Know You, Aughie and Nia discuss their favorite political fiction books. Other favorites in the series include West Wing episodes, political movies, political or protest songs, and political scandals.
Getting to Know You: Favorite Political Scandals
September 19, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 36.7 MBIn part 4 of a short series titled Getting to Know You, Aughie and Nia discuss their favorite protest or political songs. Other favorites in the series include West Wing episodes, protest movies, political or protest songs, and political books.
Getting to Know You: Favorite Protest or Political Songs
September 12, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 33.8 MBIn part 3 of a short series titled Getting to Know You, Nia and Aughie discuss their favorite political or protest songs. Other favorites in the series include West Wing episodes, protest movies, political scandals, and political books.
Getting to Know You: Favorite Political Movies
August 29, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 35.7 MBIn part 2 of a short series titled Getting to Know You, Nia and Aughie discuss their favorite political movies. Other favorites in the series include West Wing episodes, protest songs, political scandals, and political books.
Getting to Know You: Favorite West Wing Episodes
August 22, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 37.6 MBIn a short series titled Getting to Know You, Aughie and Nia discuss their favorite West Wing Episodes. Other favorites upcoming will include movies, protest songs, political scandals, and books.
SCOTUS 5 Preview of the 23-24 Term
July 07, 2023 16:00 - 50 minutes - 26.9 MBAughie and Nia preview some of the 21 cases that the Supreme Court has already agreed to hear for the 23-24 term.
SCOTUS 3 Wrap Up of the 22-23 Term
July 07, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 38.1 MBIn the third of three episodes, Aughie and Nia discuss the major decisions released in June by the U.S. Supreme Court; in this episode, the cases covered are: Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, Biden v. Nebraska, and Department of Education v. Brown.
SCOTUS 2 Wrap Up of the 22-23 Term
July 07, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 38.2 MBIn the second of three episodes, Aughie and Nia discuss the major decisions released in June by the U.S. Supreme Court; in this episode, the cases covered are: Haaland v. Brackeen, U.S. v Texas, Groff v. DeJoy, Counterman v. Colorado and Moore v. Harper.
SCOTUS 4 Statistics of the 22-23 Term
July 07, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 34.6 MBAughie and Nia share the statistics of this SCOTUS term, including who wrote the most and least, who agreed the most and least, and much more.
In the News: Debt Ceiling Revisited
July 07, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 34.8 MBNia And Aughie discuss the provisions of the debt ceiling agreement reached in June 2023. This is a follow up episode to a January 2023 episode.
SCOTUS 1 Wrap Up of the 22-23 Term
July 07, 2023 00:41 - 1 hour - 35.4 MBIn the first of three episodes, Aughie and Nia discuss the major decisions released in June by the U.S. Supreme Court; in this episode, the cases covered are: Andy Warhol v Goldsmith, Gonzalez v. Google LLC and Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, Glacier Northwest v. Int'l Brotherhood of Teamsters, Allen v. Milligan, and Jack Daniel’s Properties v. VIP Products.
Jack Daniels, Bad Spaniels, and the SCOTUS
May 09, 2023 16:00 - 59 minutes - 36.2 MBScholarly communications librarian Hillary Miller joins Nia and Aughie to debate the issues in the recent case before the Supreme Court, Jack Daniel's Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC.
Music Catalogs and Copyright Law
May 02, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 42.8 MBScholarly communications librarian Hillary Miller joins Aughie and Nia to discuss the copyright ownership of musical products by writers, singers, and potentially hedge funds.
The Respect for Marriage Act
April 25, 2023 16:00 - 59 minutes - 32.2 MBNia and Aughie discuss the recently enacted PL 117-228, the Respect for Marriage Act. It repeals The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and guarantees that same sex marriages performed in a state where they are legal must be recognized in all other states.
Federalist Paper 10
April 18, 2023 16:00 - 50 minutes - 26.3 MBAughie and Nia discuss arguments made in Federalist 10 and AntiFederalist 10 regarding the factions and parties that might destroy the rights of the people, especially those holding the minority opinion.
Freedom of Information Act Exemptions
April 11, 2023 16:00 - 53 minutes - 27.6 MBAughie and Nia cover the Freedom of Information Act and the exemptions the government may rely on to prevent the release of information.
SCOTUS Hears Social Media Cases
April 04, 2023 16:00 - 50 minutes - 26.1 MBNia and Aughie discuss the cases heard before the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2023 regarding the responsibility of Google and Twitter for the content published on their platforms.
Local Zoning Ordinances
March 28, 2023 16:00 - 59 minutes - 30.4 MBAughie and Nia explore how the use of zoning laws at the local level can change the use of property in a city, sometimes to suppress "undesirable" activities.
Background of the Federalist Papers
March 21, 2023 16:00 - 49 minutes - 26.7 MBWho were the authors of the Federalist Papers? What were they written in response to? Why are they important? Aughie and Nia answer these questions in a new intermittent series of episodes.
School Nutrition and Military Readiness
March 14, 2023 16:00 - 52 minutes - 26.3 MBNia and Aughie discuss the new government nutritional guidelines, mostly in terms of other reports concerning military readiness and ongoing American health issues.
FDA, part 3: Controversies
March 07, 2023 17:00 - 51 minutes - 27.5 MBIn the final part of this series, Aughie and Nia touch on the controversies surrounding the process of bringing a drug or medical device to market.
FDA, part 2: Generics
February 28, 2023 17:01 - 48 minutes - 25.6 MBThe second in a three part series, Nia and Aughie explore how generics come to market.
In the News: Russia, START, and the War in Ukraine
February 28, 2023 17:00 - 25 minutes - 13.7 MBProfessor Judy Twigg joins Aughie and Nia for a short discussion of Russia's suspension of the START Treaty. They also briefly touch on the prosecution of Russia's war with Ukraine.
FDA, part 1: Application Process
February 21, 2023 17:02 - 55 minutes - 30.3 MBIn this first of a three part series, Aughie walks Nia through the application process for obtaining permission to produce a new drug or medical device.
In the News: Slow SCOTUS
February 21, 2023 17:01 - 13 minutes - 7.06 MBNia and Aughie explore the reasons why the U.S. Supreme Court has released only two opinions since October when their session began.