Law Talk With Epstein, Yoo & Cooke

The faculty lounge has reopened for its holiday party, but there’s still plenty of business to dispense with. On this final installment of 2020, Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo are tackling a stocking full of issues: Does a suit from the Texas Attorney General stand any chance of being the Hail Mary that the Trump campaign needs? Can the courts rein in the Michael Flynn pardon? Who’s the l...

It’s a Thanksgiving feast of legal analysis in the faculty lounge (don’t worry, the profs issue opinions on the best side dishes for your holiday meal), as Richard Epstein & John Yoo convene for their first post-election session. On the menu: Do any of President Trump’s legal challenges to the outcome of the election have a chance in court? Are attempts to get state legislatures to change thei...

It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire, as professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo take us from the just-concluded drama of the Amy Coney Barrett hearings to the just-emerging drama over the Supreme Court’s role in the 2020 election. Along the way they consider how seriously we should take the court-packing threat; whether super-precedents are actually a thing; if Roe v. Wade and the ACA are...

An emergency meeting has been called in the faculty lounge as professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo react to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, sharing their personal remembrances of the late justice and reflecting on her judicial legacy. Then, an analysis of what’s to come: Should the Senate steam ahead with confirmation (there’s a divide in the faculty lounge)? Which of th...

In an August faculty lounge tradition, Professors Epstein & Yoo are taking listener questions — and it’s an eclectic bunch. Tune in as the professors debate everything from the limits of stare decisis to whether Barack Obama could be Vice President; from whether there should be more politicians on the Supreme Court to the legal problems with Dred Scott (yes, it involves Roman law); from the la...

There’s a full docket in the faculty lounge as Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo tackle the Roger Stone case and review the Supreme Court term that was: How did John Roberts justify taking both sides of the abortion regulations case within just a few years? Why does the Court get so many religious liberty cases these days — and is Antonin Scalia to blame? Has the pursuit of President Trump’s...

Summer school is starting early in the faculty lounge. On this episode, Professors Epstein and Yoo have a full agenda: Are Minnesota prosecutors setting themselves up for a fall in the Derek Chauvin case? Should the Supreme Court have taken a case that could have allowed it to pare back qualified immunity? What should we make of Justice Gorsuch’s surprising turn in the LGBT discrimination case? Or...

While everyone else is holding their graduation ceremonies on Zoom, professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo are still hard at work in the faculty lounge. On this installment: Is the end of the Michael Flynn case justice served or justice denied? Should sexual assault cases be tried on college campuses? Can the government stick the landing on the end of coronavirus lockdowns? Does the Supreme Court...

With Professors Epstein and Yoo deemed essential workers, the faculty lounge reopens for another round of COVID-19 analysis. On this episode: Can President Trump override state efforts to keep economies shuttered? Are there limits to the intrusive restrictions being enacted by the nation’s governors? Do churches (or abortion clinics) get special treatment during shutdowns? How can the Chinese gove...

Fresh off of a scrubdown, the faculty lounge has reopened for a special all-coronavirus episode. On the agenda: Where do the emergency authorities of the White House — and the states — begin and end? Can authorities close down gun stores as an emergency measure? Should the feds drive production of emergency supplies? Did the Justice Department use the crisis for a power grab? And would digital sur...

Every other faculty lounge in America may be closed, but Professors Epstein and Yoo are still showing up to work. On this episode: what are the legal ramifications of the coronavirus? Can Catholic charities be excluded from providing adoption services because of their refusal to place children with same-sex couples? Is there any hope for President Trump’s libel lawsuits against the New York Times ...

It may be the winter session in the faculty lounge, but things are heating up as professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo clash on a number of today’s topics. On the docket: Was Mitt Romney justified in his impeachment vote? Is President Trump wrong to override the Justice Department on the Roger Stone case? Can states punish members of the Electoral College for defying the will of the voters? Can...

In a Law Talk first, Professors Richard Epstein & John Yoo and host Troy Senik are gathered in the same studio to kick off their tenth year of the podcast. On this episode: Can Congress rein in President Trump’s power to pursue military action against Iran? What was Nancy Pelosi trying to accomplish by withholding the articles of impeachment? Can the Justice Department compel Apple to create a...

It’s the holiday season in the faculty lounge and the subpoenas are hung by the chimney with care. On this episode, Professors Epstein and Yoo do a deep dive into the strengths and weaknesses of the impeachment case, the shortcomings of the Inspector General’s report on the Russia investigation, and the greatest legal question of our time: can you impeach an ex-president? All that plus Richard bre...

Impeachment is on the syllabus as the faculty lounge reopens its doors. In this episode: Does the Democrats’ pivot from ‘quid pro quo’ to ‘bribery’ add up? Has the first week of witnesses changed either professor's mind? And when exactly would a White House have the authority to hold up foreign aid? All that plus analysis of what’s most likely to compel the release of the Trump tax returns (hint:...

It’s a lively session in the faculty lounge as professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo parse the case for impeachment, and analyze some of the biggest cases coming before the Supreme Court: will a new lineup of justices change the Court’s approach to abortion regulation? Will a ruling about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau deal a blow to the administrative state? Are gay and transgendered...

The men of Law Talk reconvene between their respective journeys to Greece and there’s a very full docket. On this episode: could President Trump’s conversations with Ukraine lay the predicate for impeachment? What’s the proper role for the U.S. in the Iran-Saudi Arabia conflict? Is the FDA within its rights to crack down on vaping? Should California be able to go its own way on regulating automobi...

Once a year we throw open the doors of the faculty lounge and let the Law Talk audience ask questions of Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo. This year’s result: a conversation that touches on everything from acquiring Greenland to whether John Adams was a constitutional scofflaw, from whether federal courts have gotten too trigger happy with injunctions to which foods make the professors wret...

It’s time for summer school in the faculty lounge and Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo are reviewing the Supreme Court term that was. On this episode: was the census ruling a backdoor victory for critics of the administrative state? Are critics right that Alex Acosta should have done more to prosecute Jeffrey Epstein? John […] Join the conversation and comment on this podcast episode: https...

It’s a lively session in the faculty lounge as Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo navigate a minefield of legal controversies: what do Alabama’s new restrictions on abortion mean for the future of Roe v. Wade? What’s the proper libertarian position on compulsory vaccinations? Does Congress have a leg to stand on in its pursuit […] Sponsored by Lending Club Join the conversation and comment on...

The faculty lounge has reopened and Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo are colluding to bring you top-shelf legal analysis. On this installment: is the Mueller Report vindication of President Trump or the predicate for impeachment? Can the White House resist congressional subpoenas? Can congressional Democrats (or a wily coalition of state governments) force the […] Sponsored by DonorsTrust J...

It’s March Madness in the faculty lounge — and with the current news cycle, this episode is a layup line for Professors Epstein and Yoo. On the agenda: a deep dive into the Mueller Report; a look at the legal ramifications of the college admissions scandal; and a discussion of the Jussie Smollett controversy (one […] Sponsored by DonorsTrust Join the conversation and comment on this podcast episod...

The newest installment of Law Talk sees debate brewing in the faculty lounge as Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo find themselves on the opposite side of several issues. On the agenda: Did Michael Cohen’s testimony change anything about the case against Trump? Can the president’s emergency measures to build a border wall stand up […] Join the conversation and comment on this podcast episode:...

On the first Law Talk of 2019, Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo are tackling the big issues: can President Trump build a border wall by declaring a national emergency? Was the FBI within its rights to open an investigation of the president after the Comey firing? What happens when a Supreme Court justice stops […] Join the conversation and comment on this podcast episode: https://ricochet.c...

It’s an end-of-the-year blowout in the Faculty Lounge, as Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo are tackling 2018’s madcap final month. Why is the Supreme Court’s immigration ruling not as dramatic as it sounds? Is President Trump in genuine legal trouble this time? Is there a silver lining to the departure of Jim Mattis? Why […] Sponsored by DonorsTrust Join the conversation and comment on this...