Civil Discourse

** Disclaimer at the beginning of the episode - please DO NOT listen with young children present. Aughie and Nia talk about the origin of NORAD tracking Santa. They also discuss the funding, staffing, and marketing of the program. 

Nia and Aughie delve into the topic of qualified immunity. This discussion revolves around the complexity of the issue, from fairness to protection to reasonable conduct.

Aughie and Nia discuss the ways that a president could "pack" the court system, focused mostly on the Supreme Court. There is also a discussion of the qualities and levels of experience needed to serve in government in general, and the courts in specific.

Nia and Aughie discuss the various vacation spots used by presidents to get a little R&R. From Buchanan to Trump, Presidents taking a break have often sought to leave the White House and find a "getaway spot", often camps, resorts, or beach locations. 

Aughie and Nia discuss the importance of presidential transitions to the smooth running of government, especially in areas of security. They also touch on other presidential transitions, some smooth and some rocky. 

Nia and Aughie explore the skill set required to be President of the United States. In this second part, they explore presidential political skills, public communications, and emotional intelligence.

Aughie and Nia discuss their observations regarding the 2020 elections. Episode recorded Friday, November 6, 2020. 

Nia and Aughie explore the skill set required to be President of the United States. In this first part, they explore presidential organizational skills, the means by which a president processes information, and presidential vision.

Aughie and Nia explore the personality types of the Presidents of the United States as defined by James David Barber's typologies. These Presidential typologies include active versus passive and positive versus negative approaches to the position.

Nia welcomes Dr. Patricia Sobczak back to the podcast to discuss the way voters assess leaders. They also discuss voting as hiring as well as outside influencers on public opinions of leadership.

Nia and Aughie explore those densely worded referenda, initiatives, and recalls on the bottom of state ballots. Aughie explains the differences between them, and the purposes and pitfalls of direct democracy. 

Aughie and Nia discuss the five reasons a member of Congress might need to be replaced, and the mechanisms for doing so. They also touch upon the power of special elections to steer politics in a variety of directions.

Nia and Aughie discuss the line of succession as stated in the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They also debunk some internet rumors surrounding the President's health and its affect on the 2020 Presidential election. 

Aughie and Nia discuss the election certification process. They also discuss possible problems with the process at each stage, and potential solutions.

Nia and Aughie discuss the concept of wagging the dog, a reference to creating a distraction in order to draw attention away from a candidate's behavior. They discuss several examples from events that could be legitimate to events designed deliberately to distract, and the potential these events have to backfire.

Aughie and Nia celebrate the life and legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg upon her passing on September 18, 2020. The discussion includes her early work with the ACLU, her jurisprudence, and her friendship with Justice Antonin Scalia.   

Nia and Aughie begin to explore the election season with an episode on campaign rhetoric. This discussion of lines crossed and regretted utterances circles back to the concept of civilized political speech and the potential negatives of mudslinging.

Aughie and Nia welcome back Hillary Miller for the last in the three part series dealing with the Supreme Court's decisions on trademark and copyright law of the recent term. In this episode, they discuss the use of "regular" words in trademark law in light of the Booking.com decision.  

Nia and Aughie welcome Hillary Miller to discuss trademark protections in the United States. The discussion ranges from logos to regular words used in business marks.

Aughie and Nia welcome Hillary Miller in the first of three episodes exploring the legal aspects of copyright and trademark law. In this episode, the three focus on copyright law as applied by the courts.

Nia and Aughie explore themes from the summer of SCOTUS, from the effects of COVID-19 to who wrote the most opinions. Themes include up and downsides to oral arguments, John Roberts' voting record, rulings all over the ideological spectrum, voting and opinion writing, and the future docket of the Court.

Aughie and Nia discuss the SCOTUS ruling in the case involving the Trump Administration's attempt to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The SCOTUS ruling focused on the Administrative Procedures Act, and whether the Trump Administration properly applied the necessary procedures to rescind DACA.

Aughie and Nia discuss the SCOTUS rulings concerning access to President Donald Trump's tax records, and whether U.S. Presidents can claim absolute immunity from the state criminal process. In the instance of Vance, the SCOTUS ruled that the President does not have immunity from a state criminal subpoena. In the instance of Mazars, the SCOTUS ruled that the Congress must present a compelling case...

Nia and Aughie grapple with SCOTUS rulings and questions of racism and Congressional neglect as they pertain to treaties with Native American tribes. In this case, the SCOTUS ruled that the Creek Nation's 1833 and 1856 treaties with the federal government are still in place, bringing into question who has authority over the eastern portion of the state of Oklahoma.

Aughie and Nia follow up an earlier podcast ( Electoral College ) with the rulings that were pending at that time. In a unanimous decision, the SCOTUS held that electors must follow the rules their states have set out for voting in the electoral college. The SCOTUS also held that states could punish electors that "go rogue". Discussion ensued on the long term effect this may have on the functionin...