Lawful Assembly

Today we talk about President Biden's plan to reform the supreme court. We also field a question on how to remain positive in a world that inundates us with negativity.   Democrats May Have a Real Chance to Reform the Supreme Court FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Bold Plan to Reform the Supreme Court and Ensure No President Is Above the Law | The White House   You can find information on the...

We finish our conversation on recent gun decisions in the supreme court. We also talk about what we might consider good gun law.   United States v. Rahimi (June 21, 2014);  https://www. supremecourt.gov/opinions/ 23pdf/22-915new_ihdk.pdf   Sophie Sherry's article in the July 23, 2024  Chicago Sun Times ,  "Domestic violence deaths spiked 110% in Illinois last year, adding to calls for passage of K...

We contiune our second ammendment discussion in light of the recent attempt on the life of the former president. We also talk about the dismissal of the documents case.  New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, 142 S.Ct.2111 (2022):   https://www.supremecourt.gov/ opinions/21pdf/20-843_new_ m648.pdf   To review Justice Breyer's list of scholars who have documented the historical...

Today is the first part of a series on recenct Supreme Court cases on the Second Ammendment. Today we talk about the District of Columbia vs Heller District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008): https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/boundvolumes/554bv.pdf Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence:  https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/litigation/ Craig has previously written on gun cont...

We are releasing a little early this week because this is an important episode and much of the week is a holiday.     Trump v. United States :   https://www.supremecourt.gov/ opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf   "The Man for All Seasons" (Final Scene):   https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ODejZPHC9vU&t=2s   Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite "Fight On" on Substack:   https:// susanthistlethwaitewaite. substack.co...

Today we talk about the Supreme Court case in Idaho and the Ten Commandments in classrooms in Louisiana.   Sister Helen Prejean,  Dead Man Walking, The Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate, (Vintage Books, 2013), 218-219.  Michael L. Radelet, Hugo A. Bedau, Constance Putnam,  In Spite of Innocence: Erroneous Convictions in Capital Cases , (Boston, Northeastern Uni...

We recorded on Juneteenth so we talk about the history briefly. We also discuss the recent supreme court rulings. "The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth:"   https://nmaahc.si.edu/ explore/stories/historical- legacy-juneteenth Biden Executive Orders: Links:  White House Fact Sheet:   https://www.whitehouse.gov/ briefing-room/statements- releases/2024/06/18/fact- sheet-president-biden- announces-new-a...

We talk about the Appeal To Heaven flag on Justice Alito's vacation home and the new executive order on immigration.  Craig's op-ed in the ACCU Update (Summer 2012), "The Messenger Matters" can be found at:   https://works.bepress.com/craig_mousin/36/ Dina Nayeri's quote can be found in The Ungrateful Refugee, What Immigrants Never Tell You, (NY: Catapult, 2019), p. 262. NIJC National Policy Direc...

Today we talk about the election Interference / hush money case and the 34 felony counts against a former president.   Here are the articles referenced:  Trump Guilty on All Counts in Hush-Money Case - The New York Times May 31, 2024 - by Heather Cox Richardson   This obscure N.Y. election law is at the heart of Trump's hush money trial Posts misrepresent New York judge's instructions to jury in T...

We cover multiple stories this week here are the articles:   Samuel Alito's snide denial of his Jan. 6 flag is just as ugly as flying it in the first place Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin Calls On Samuel Alito To Recuse From Jan. 6 Cases Key Senate Democrat doesn't plan to probe Justice Alito over upside-down flag Louisiana becomes 1st state to require the Ten Commandments be posted in classrooms As c...

Today we talk about the protests on college campuses and Craig tells a story similar to today, when he protested the Vietnam War.  Articles used: Report on some of the agreements negotiated on college campuses in Spring 2024.  Report on all universities destroyed in Gaza during this war. MLK, Jr. "Beyond Vietnam" speech.  NPR story on Dr. Orest Ranum's files burned   Orangeburg Massacre Kent State...

This week we talk about a proposed rule from the Biden Administration that may change asylum proceedures and allow adjudicators to turn away people without proper research on their background. Read the proposed rule: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/13/2024-10390/application-of-certain-mandatory-bars-in-fear-screenings Read the NIJC's breakdown: https://immigrantjustice.org/press-...

We contiune to listen to the oral arguments from the supreme court on April 25th where they argued that the president is immune to prosecution for public acts. Craig reads some amicus curiae briefs to help us understand the arguments.    https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-939/307029/20240408130715170_No.%2023-939bsacRetiredFour-StarAdmiralsAndGenerals.pdf https://www.alabamaag.gov/wp-con...

We listen to the oral arguments from the supreme court on April 25th where they argued that the president is immune to prosecution for public acts. Craig reads some amicus curiae briefs to help us understand the arguments.    https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-939/307029/20240408130715170_No.%2023-939bsacRetiredFour-StarAdmiralsAndGenerals.pdf https://www.alabamaag.gov/wp-content/uploads...

Here is Craig's opening paragraph framework: Although this unscripted podcast began as a discussion of difficult conversations, it soon veered into how to engage in conversations about racism and war. We soon realized that the tools needed to engage fully may differ when conversations occur with friends, within a family, a community, a library board, a university, or a national dialogue. We acknow...

Today we talk about the documents case and the judge overseeing it, and the judge appointed by Donald Trump in 2019, Judge Cannon.    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/ 02/22/us/politics/trump-trial- documents-cannon.html https://www.nytimes.com/2024/ 04/09/us/politics/trump- documents-witnesses.html   https://www.nytimes.com/2024/ 04/04/us/politics/judge-trump- dismissal-classified- documents.html  

We talk about the tension between states rights and federal power. How does a court decide which to lean more heavily on?  Articles referenced: Valor The myth of 'open borders' For additional description of how state laws impacted the travel and work of African-Americans or freed slaves in the years before the Civil War,  see e.g. , Kate Masur,  Until Justice Be Done, America's First Civil Rights...

We answer several listener questions this week. We talk about a lot of different issues and here are some of the links we suggested in the episode:   https://immigrantjustice.org/ https://cmsny.org/ https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/ https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/        

Today we talk about lying in the political discourse. We used the following news articles for reference "Can't make it up": Experts say transcript shows special counsel Robert Hur "lied" about Biden | Salon.com Biden special counsel Robert Hur's resignation from DOJ makes his testimony "even more problematic" | Salon.com Anti-sex trafficking advocate accuses GOP Sen. Katie Britt of distorting her...

For more information on antebellum state migration laws, see, " The myth of 'open borders .' Even before the U.S. government regulated migration, states did. Here's why" by Anna O. Law, the Herbert Kurz Chair in Constitutional Rights and associate professor of political science at CUNY Brooklyn College. (September 21, 2021), The Washington Post Heidi Altman, the Director of  Policy at the National...

The supreme court listened to oral arguments on the bump stock ban and we talk about those arguments and the briefs submitted to the court.    https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/22-976.html https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/22-976  

Today we talk about 10 points to reshape and improve immigration policy in the USA. We used the National Immigrant Justice Center's 10 points as a backdrop for our discussion: https://immigrantjustice.org/staff/blog/humane-solutions-work-10-ways-biden-administration-should-reshape-immigration-policy https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-02-29/immigration-crisis-border-migrants-united-states-m...

Both Craig and Cecil are religious separationists, meaning religion should have no role in government, Here they discuss several topics and cover some groundwork on the subject.    Craig directed the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center for six years, the pro bono program that later  became the National Immigrant Justice Center:   https://immigrantjustice.org/  .   If you would like more information on...

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-719/299107/20240129171610494_23-719_Amici%20Brief.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-719 http://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-719/295761/20240116095552269_23-719%20tsac%20Lash.pdf http://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-719/298122/20240118165315506_Trump%20v.%20Anderson-Amici%20Brief%201.18.24.pdf http://www.supreme...

Articles referenced:    Judicial Vacancies | United States Courts Opinion | A Republican senator smeared a Biden nominee — and Democrats cowered - The Washington Post Most of Biden's judge appointees are women, racial or ethnic minorities | Pew Research Center Senate confirms Biden's 150th judge Biden has successfully appointed 166 federal judges through January 1 of his fourth year Opinion | Bide...