9 Oct 2026 · 42 minNew
A Certain Dangerous Engine
The connection between a booby-trapped garden in Regency England and artificial intelligence.
Podcast · News
by Roman Mars · English · News
Professor Elizabeth Joh teaches Intro to Constitutional Law and most of the time this is a pretty straight forward job. But when Trump came into office, everything changed. During the four years of the Trump presidency, Professor Joh would check Twitter five minutes before each class to find out wha
9 Oct 2026 · 42 minNew
The connection between a booby-trapped garden in Regency England and artificial intelligence.
26 Sep 2026 · 48 min
The twists and turns of Americans’ ability to vote by mail in the 2026 midterms.
9 Sep 2026 · 44 min
How many of you have been personally victimized by President Trump’s tacky ballroom?
27 Aug 2026 · 55 min
A massive victory for privacy advocates in the Supreme Court hinged on what the justices say a user “reasonably expects” to be their own, personal data.
10 Aug 2026 · 52 min
A Supreme Court decision about the administrative state went under the radar, but its implications have the potential to touch almost every aspect of modern life.
27 Jul 2026 · 46 min
In a decision filled with hypotheticals, the Supreme Court has ruled it is constitutional to bar transgender girls and women from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity.
13 Jul 2026 · 49 min
The Supreme Court narrowly upheld birthright citizenship in the 5-4 decision of Trump v. Barbara. But the debate over who is granted citizenship — and who can be stripped of it — is far from over.
11 Jun 2026 · 52 min
Gerrymandering has long been part of American politics. But as the conservative majority on the Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act, states are getting more extreme with their redistricting.
28 Nov 2025 · 36 min
The Trump administration’s attacks on Venezuelan boats defy even the broadest interpretation of the president's war powers.
27 Sep 2025 · 33 min
A Senate fight over Lady Chatterley’s Lover paved the way for Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Now the Supreme Court will decide if presidents can use emergency powers to sidestep Congress on trade.
25 Jul 2025 · 33 min
The United States generally does not allow a standing army to be used against civilians. But Trump has been exploiting an exception to keep troops in Los Angeles to protect ICE agents, with terrifying implications.
10 Jun 2025 · 58 min
Announcing The 99% Invisible Breakdown: The Constitution and the return of What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law.
4 Nov 2024 · 34 min
No matter what happens on Election Day, Trump and his allies have already put legal challenges in motion. Here’s what a nerdy agency, hanging chads, and zombie lawsuits can tell us about how all this could play out.
29 Oct 2024 · 32 min
Falsely claiming there is a wave of violence perpetrated by migrants, Trump has threatened mass deportations under the broad and terrifying powers of the Alien Enemies Act.
8 Oct 2024 · 33 min
The United States has a strange way of electing presidents.
24 Sep 2024 · 32 min
Election deepfakes have the potential to change people's opinions about a presidential election in ways that can be harmful to democracy and the truth itself. But what does the Constitution say about regulating these manipulated images? One place to look: Hustler Magazine.
10 Sep 2024 · 31 min
As students go back to school, colleges and universities across the country are preparing for the continuation of protests against the Israel-Hamas war—and claims by other students that the protests are violating their own civil rights. Institutions and courts are now weighing the question: whose free speech matters more?
27 Aug 2024 · 32 min
What’s the connection between former President Donald Trump's attacks on the so-called “Deep State" and a tiny silvery fish? The Supreme Court, of course.
30 Jul 2024 · 27 min
After an unprecedented several weeks in politics, some on the right are advancing far-fetched arguments to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and a federal judge in Florida threw out the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. Neither of these are based on established constitutional precedent.
16 Jul 2024 · 38 min
The concept of presidential immunity is not explicitly stated anywhere in the Constitution. That hasn’t stopped the Supreme Court from essentially creating a law-free zone around the President.
18 Dec 2023 · 34 min
Does the 14th Amendment's Disqualification Clause apply to Trump?
2 Nov 2023 · 32 min
Why do courts issue gag orders and when do they conflict with the First Amendment?
19 Sep 2023 · 33 min
What’s the connection between Trump, margarine, and Mark Meadows?
31 May 2023 · 30 min
19th century "zombie" laws are shambling into the abortion debate
4 Apr 2023 · 27 min
The presumed criminal charges against former President Trump and role of the New York Grand Jury
17 Mar 2023 · 24 min
What does the Constitution say about lies, punishing lies, and punishing someone who lies to get elected?
10 Feb 2023 · 34 min
What if a business owner asserts that serving a gay customer violates their first amendment rights?
27 Nov 2022 · 31 min
How the Dormant Commerce Clause tries to stop states from passing laws that put an undue burden on interstate commerce. Plus, what's going on with student debt relief: who filed a lawsuit against it and why.
22 Oct 2022 · 33 min
When the FBI executed a search warrant on his home, Trump and his lawyers filed their complaints in a district where they thought they’d get sympathetic treatment from Judge Aileen Cannon, who Trump appointed. The assignment of a particular judge is not up to Trump, but in this case, he got lucky, and Cannon was assigned. How did Trump’s gamble on getting his case in front of Judge Cannon work out? Let’s find out.
Professor Elizabeth Joh teaches Intro to Constitutional Law and most of the time this is a pretty straight forward job. But when Trump came into office, everything changed. During the four years of the Trump presidency, Professor Joh would check Twitter five minutes before each class to find out what the 45th President had said and how it jibes with 200 years of the judicial branch interpreting and ruling on the Constitution. Acclaimed podcaster Roman Mars (99% Invisible) was so anxious about all the norms and laws being tested in the Trump era that he asked his neighbor, Elizabeth, to explain what was going on in the world from a Constitutional law perspective. Even after Trump left office, there is still so much for Roman to learn. What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law is a weekly, fun, casual Con Law 101 class that uses the tumultuous activities of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to teach us all about the US Constitution. All music for the show comes from Doomtree, an independent hip-hop collective and record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law is a English news podcast from Roman Mars. 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.