Podcast · News
by Stanford Law School · English · News
Law touches most aspects of life. Here to help make sense of it is the Stanford Legal podcast, where we look at the cases, questions, conflicts, and legal stories that affect us all every day. Pam Karlan studies and teaches a range of constitutional law-related courses with a special focus on wha
1 Oct 2026 · 32 min
Deborah Sivas discusses the recent rollback of environmental laws, calls to streamline environmental review to speed up development, and the role communities should play in decisions about what gets built.
E206 · 18 Sep 2026 · 31 min
Nate Persily joins Pam Karlan to discuss efforts to change the rules governing the 2026 elections and the legal battles over how those changes would affect voting.
E205 · 3 Sep 2026 · 28 min
Stanford’s Anne Joseph O’Connell examines who can step in when a top federal position is vacant and what recent court decisions could mean for how those positions are filled.
E204 · 20 Aug 2026 · 35 min
The ACLU’s Anthony Romero unpacks a sweeping docket—from a Supreme Court showdown over birthright citizenship to voting rights and free speech—as the rule of law is tested.
E202 · 11 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
In the final discussion of The Declaration at 250 series, Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, argues the Declaration’s natural-rights principles call Americans to civic virtue, substantive justice, and human flourishing—not license. Jonathan Gienapp, Professor of History at Stanford University, emphasizes the Declaration’s political core—non-domination and self-government—and shows how disputes over liberty, democracy, and inequality began almost immediately after the…
E203 · 6 Aug 2026 · 29 min
Former state solicitors general Michael Mongan and Kevin Gallagher discuss the evolving role of state solicitors general and how states work together to shape legal battles before the Supreme Court.
E201 · 4 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
Peter Berkowitz, Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and former Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State, argues the Declaration’s principles remain essential despite rising left- and right-wing critiques. Stephen Haber, Stanford Professor of Political Science, History, and Economics, contends universities’ governance and leadership pipelines—not just faculty—are driving the drift away from civic-focused liberal education.
E199 · 28 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
Alexander Tsesis argues the Declaration’s natural-rights logic limits First Amendment protection to conscious human beings, not AI systems. Anne Twitty adds historical nuance and asks whether abolitionists’ strong commitment to the public’s “right to hear” could inadvertently support a listener-centered case for protecting AI outputs. Tsesis replies that listener rights matter, but the First Amendment’s core remains human, speaker-centered expression.
E200 · 23 Jul 2026 · 29 min
Stanford’s Allen Weiner examines how the U.S. war with Iran raises questions about the president’s power to wage war and negotiate peace.
E198 · 21 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 5 min
Barnett argues the Declaration of Independence is foundational law that sets government’s purposes and limits, so constitutional interpretation should presume liberty and demand clear authority for restrictions. Volokh agrees the Declaration is crucial but sees it mainly as political argument and inspiration, not binding law, except where anchored in constitutional text like the Ninth Amendment. Their debate turns on whether the Declaration’s first principles can function as legally relevant constraints on government power.
E196 · 14 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
Justice Clint Bolick argues the Declaration of Independence is woven directly into state constitutions and can be used to enforce stronger protections for liberty than the federal Constitution. Rich Ford broadens the lens, urging attention to state and local constitutionalism while warning that “natural rights” has historically supported competing visions of government power.
E195 · 7 Jul 2026 · 50 min
The episode argues the Declaration is both a statement of rights and a framework for legitimate government. Tino Cuéllar stresses the tension between universal ideals and state power, while Larry Kramer highlights the Declaration’s legal roots and its evolving meaning over time. Together, they show it as both blueprint and battleground.
E197 · 6 Jul 2026 · 33 min
Stanford’s Fred Smith examines the Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship decision, its historical roots in the Fourteenth Amendment, and the questions the Court leaves unresolved.
E195 · 2 Jul 2026 · 36 min
Jeff Fisher discusses a term marked by major rulings across executive power, voting, and civil rights, and what they signal about the Court’s trajectory.
E194 · 30 Jun 2026 · 44 min
The episode examines the Declaration of Independence’s claim that people may have a duty—not just a right—to overthrow tyrannical government. Martha Minow explores possible foundations for that duty in natural law, religion, international norms, and psychology, while Jenny Martinez emphasizes the Declaration’s mutual pledge as an enduring obligation to fulfill its promises across American history. Together, they highlight the tension between universal ideals and the duties of a particular political community.
E193 · 25 Jun 2026 · 26 min
Jeremy Bearer-Friend and Sarah Polcz discuss their proposal to require leading AI firms to pay taxes in equity, reshaping how the gains from AI are distributed
E192 · 23 Jun 2026 · 52 min
In the opening episode of The Declaration at 250, Michael McConnell introduces a discussion with remarks by Condoleezza Rice and a response from David Kennedy on what makes democracy work. Rice emphasizes institutions and civil society; Kennedy traces evolving ideas of equality and warns about declining trust.
E191 · 18 Jun 2026 · 2 min
Nearly 250 years after its adoption, the Declaration of Independence remains one of America’s most revered—and most disputed—texts. In Declaration at 250, Stanford Law’s Constitutional Law Center and Stanford Legal bring together leading scholars, historians, and jurists from across the ideological spectrum to ask a single urgent question: What does the Declaration mean for Americans today? Introduced by Professor Michael McConnell, the series explores the conditions that sustain democratic self-government, confronts modern criticisms of the founding, and considers whether the Declaration…
E190 · 11 Jun 2026 · 33 min
Lucas Guttentag discusses the Trump administration’s immigration policies and the legal battles reshaping the U.S. immigration system
E189 · 28 May 2026 · 56 min
Judge J. Michael Luttig on the Rule of Law in an Era of Executive Overreach
E187 · 14 May 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
Former Justice Department officials reflect on an institution at a crossroads
E188 · 7 May 2026 · 35 min
Pamela Karlan and Nathaniel Persily on the Supreme Court’s latest decision on redistricting and minority representation.
E186 · 30 Apr 2026 · 34 min
The ACLU’s Sophia Lin Lakin discusses voting access and the redistricting battles shaping political power
E185 · 16 Apr 2026 · 33 min
Stanford’s Greg Ablavsky on the history behind the birthright case
E184 · 2 Apr 2026 · 31 min
Stanford Law Alum Darien Shanske on Wealth, Fairness, and California’s Proposed Billionaire Tax
E183 · 19 Mar 2026 · 36 min
Jennifer Chacón discusses how immigration crackdowns are reshaping policing and public life
E182 · 3 Mar 2026 · 31 min
Supreme Court limits IEEPA tariff power in a 6–3 ruling as Al Sykes and Pam Karlan explain the impact on Congress, trade, and what’s next
E181 · 24 Feb 2026 · 31 min
Deborah Sivas on the EPA’s Rescission of the Endangerment Finding
E180 · 19 Feb 2026 · 35 min
The ACLU’s Anthony Romero unpacks a sweeping docket—from a Supreme Court showdown over birthright citizenship to voting rights and free speech—as the rule of law is tested.
E179 · 5 Feb 2026 · 32 min
Stanford’s Robert MacCoun shows how scientific habits can sharpen judgment and strengthen civil discourse in a polarized society.
Law touches most aspects of life. Here to help make sense of it is the Stanford Legal podcast, where we look at the cases, questions, conflicts, and legal stories that affect us all every day. Pam Karlan studies and teaches a range of constitutional law-related courses with a special focus on wha
Stanford Legal is a English news podcast from Stanford Law School. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.
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