Podcast appearances and mentions of Bill Weld

How are the federal courts faring during these tumultuous times? I thought it would be worthwhile to discuss this important subject with a former federal judge: someone who understands the judicial role well but could speak more freely than a sitting judge, liberated from the strictures of the bench.Meet Judge Nancy Gertner (Ret.), who served as a U.S. District Judge for the District of Massachusetts from 1994 until 2011. I knew that Judge Gertner would be a lively and insightful interviewee—based not only on her extensive commentary on recent events, reflected in media interviews and op-eds, but on my personal experience. During law school, I took a year-long course on federal sentencing with her, and she was one of my favorite professors.When I was her student, we disagreed on a lot: I was severely conservative back then, and Judge Gertner was, well, not. But I always appreciated and enjoyed hearing her views—so it was a pleasure hearing them once again, some 25 years later, in what turned out to be an excellent conversation.Show Notes:* Nancy Gertner, author website* Nancy Gertner bio, Harvard Law School* In Defense of Women: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Advocate, AmazonPrefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below.Sponsored by:NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.Three quick notes about this transcript. First, it has been cleaned up from the audio in ways that don't alter substance—e.g., by deleting verbal filler or adding a word here or there to clarify meaning. Second, my interviewee has not reviewed this transcript, and any errors are mine. Third, because of length constraints, this newsletter may be truncated in email; to view the entire post, simply click on “View entire message” in your email app.David Lat: Welcome to the Original Jurisdiction podcast. I'm your host, David Lat, author of a Substack newsletter about law and the legal profession also named Original Jurisdiction, which you can read and subscribe to at davidlat.substack.com. You're listening to the eighty-fifth episode of this podcast, recorded on Monday, November 3.Thanks to this podcast's sponsor, NexFirm. NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. Want to know who the guest will be for the next Original Jurisdiction podcast? Follow NexFirm on LinkedIn for a preview.Many of my guests have been friends of mine for a long time—and that's the case for today's. I've known Judge Nancy Gertner for more than 25 years, dating back to when I took a full-year course on federal sentencing from her and the late Professor Dan Freed at Yale Law School. She was a great teacher, and although we didn't always agree—she was a professor who let students have their own opinions—I always admired her intellect and appreciated her insights.Judge Gertner is herself a graduate of Yale Law School—where she met, among other future luminaries, Bill and Hillary Clinton. After a fascinating career in private practice as a litigator and trial lawyer handling an incredibly diverse array of cases, Judge Gertner was appointed to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the District of Massachusetts in 1994, by President Clinton. She retired from the bench in 2011, but she is definitely not retired: she writes opinion pieces for outlets such as The New York Times and The Boston Globe, litigates and consults on cases, and trains judges and litigators. She's also working on a book called Incomplete Sentences, telling the stories of the people she sentenced over 17 years on the bench. Her autobiography, In Defense of Women: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Advocate, was published in 2011. Without further ado, here's my conversation with Judge Nancy Gertner.Judge, thank you so much for joining me.Nancy Gertner: Thank you for inviting me. This is wonderful.DL: So it's funny: I've been wanting to have you on this podcast in a sense before it existed, because you and I worked on a podcast pilot. It ended up not getting picked up, but perhaps they have some regrets over that, because legal issues have just blown up since then.NG: I remember that. I think it was just a question of scheduling, and it was before Trump, so we were talking about much more sophisticated, superficial things, as opposed to the rule of law and the demise of the Constitution.DL: And we will get to those topics. But to start off my podcast in the traditional way, let's go back to the beginning. I believe we are both native New Yorkers?NG: Yes, that's right. I was born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in an apartment that I think now is a tenement museum, and then we moved to Flushing, Queens, where I lived into my early 20s.DL: So it's interesting—I actually spent some time as a child in that area. What was your upbringing like? What did your parents do?NG: My father owned a linoleum store, or as we used to call it, “tile,” and my mother was a homemaker. My mother worked at home. We were lower class on the Lower East Side and maybe made it to lower-middle. My parents were very conservative, in the sense they didn't know exactly what to do with a girl who was a bit of a radical. Neither I nor my sister was precisely what they anticipated. So I got to Barnard for college only because my sister had a conniption fit when he wouldn't pay for college for her—she's my older sister—he was not about to pay for college. If we were boys, we would've had college paid for.In a sense, they skipped a generation. They were actually much more traditional than their peers were. My father was Orthodox when he grew up; my mother was somewhat Orthodox Jewish. My father couldn't speak English until the second grade. So they came from a very insular environment, and in one sense, he escaped that environment when he wanted to play ball on Saturdays. So that was actually the motivation for moving to Queens: to get away from the Lower East Side, where everyone would know that he wasn't in temple on Saturday. We used to have interesting discussions, where I'd say to him that my rebellion was a version of his: he didn't want to go to temple on Saturdays, and I was marching against the war. He didn't see the equivalence, but somehow I did.There's actually a funny story to tell about sort of exactly the distance between how I was raised and my life. After I graduated from Yale Law School, with all sorts of honors and stuff, and was on my way to clerk for a judge, my mother and I had this huge fight in the kitchen of our apartment. What was the fight about? Sadie wanted me to take the Triborough Bridge toll taker's test, “just in case.” “You never know,” she said. I couldn't persuade her that it really wasn't necessary. She passed away before I became a judge, and I told this story at my swearing-in, and I said that she just didn't understand. I said, “Now I have to talk to my mother for a minute; forgive me for a moment.” And I looked up at the rafters and I said, “Ma, at last: a government job!” So that is sort of the measure of where I started. My mother didn't finish high school, my father had maybe a semester of college—but that wasn't what girls did.DL: So were you then a first-generation professional or a first-generation college graduate?NG: Both—my sister and I were both, first-generation college graduates and first-generation professionals. When people talk about Jewish backgrounds, they're very different from one another, and since my grandparents came from Eastern European shtetls, it's not clear to me that they—except for one grandfather—were even literate. So it was a very different background.DL: You mentioned that you did go to Yale Law School, and of course we connected there years later, when I was your student. But what led you to go to law school in the first place? Clearly your parents were not encouraging your professional ambitions.NG: One is, I love to speak. My husband kids me now and says that I've never met a microphone I didn't like. I had thought for a moment of acting—musical comedy, in fact. But it was 1967, and the anti-war movement, a nascent women's movement, and the civil rights movement were all rising around me, and I wanted to be in the world. And the other thing was that I didn't want to do anything that women do. Actually, musical comedy was something that would've been okay and normal for women, but I didn't want to do anything that women typically do. So that was the choice of law. It was more like the choice of law professor than law, but that changed over time.DL: So did you go straight from Barnard to Yale Law School?NG: Well, I went from Barnard to Yale graduate school in political science because as I said, I've always had an academic and a practical side, and so I thought briefly that I wanted to get a Ph.D. I still do, actually—I'm going to work on that after these books are finished.DL: Did you then think that you wanted to be a law professor when you started at YLS? I guess by that point you already had a master's degree under your belt?NG: I thought I wanted to be a law professor, that's right. I did not think I wanted to practice law. Yale at that time, like most law schools, had no practical clinical courses. I don't think I ever set foot in a courtroom or a courthouse, except to demonstrate on the outside of it. And the only thing that started me in practice was that I thought I should do at least two or three years of practice before I went back into the academy, before I went back into the library. Twenty-four years later, I obviously made a different decision.DL: So you were at YLS during a very interesting time, and some of the law school's most famous alumni passed through its halls around that period. So tell us about some of the people you either met or overlapped with at YLS during your time there.NG: Hillary Clinton was one of my best friends. I knew Bill, but I didn't like him.DL: Hmmm….NG: She was one of my best friends. There were 20 women in my class, which was the class of ‘71. The year before, there had only been eight. I think we got up to 21—a rumor had it that it was up to 21 because men whose numbers were drafted couldn't go to school, and so suddenly they had to fill their class with this lesser entity known as women. It was still a very small number out of, I think, what was the size of the opening class… 165? Very small. So we knew each other very, very well. And Hillary and I were the only ones, I think, who had no boyfriends at the time, though that changed.DL: I think you may have either just missed or briefly overlapped with either Justice Thomas or Justice Alito?NG: They're younger than I am, so I think they came after.DL: And that would be also true of Justice Sotomayor then as well?NG: Absolutely. She became a friend because when I was on the bench, I actually sat with the Second Circuit, and we had great times together. But she was younger than I was, so I didn't know her in law school, and by the time she was in law school, there were more women. In the middle of, I guess, my first year at Yale Law School, was the first year that Yale College went coed. So it was, in my view, an enormously exciting time, because we felt like we were inventing law. We were inventing something entirely new. We had the first “women in the law” course, one of the first such courses in the country, and I think we were borderline obnoxious. It's a little bit like the debates today, which is that no one could speak right—you were correcting everyone with respect to the way they were describing women—but it was enormously creative and exciting.DL: So I'm gathering you enjoyed law school, then?NG: I loved law school. Still, when I was in law school, I still had my feet in graduate school, so I believe that I took law and sociology for three years, mostly. In other words, I was going through law school as if I were still in graduate school, and it was so bad that when I decided to go into practice—and this is an absolutely true story—I thought that dying intestate was a disease. We were taking the bar exam, and I did not know what they were talking about.DL: So tell us, then, what did lead you to shift gears? You mentioned you clerked, and you mentioned you wanted to practice for a few years—but you did practice for more than a few years.NG: Right. I talk to students about this all the time, about sort of the fortuities that you need to grab onto that you absolutely did not plan. So I wind up at a small civil-rights firm, Harvey Silverglate and Norman Zalkind's firm. I wind up in a small civil-rights firm because I couldn't get a job anywhere else in Boston. I was looking in Boston or San Francisco, and what other women my age were encountering, I encountered, which is literally people who told me that I would never succeed as a lawyer, certainly not as a litigator. So you have to understand, this is 1971. I should say, as a footnote, that I have a file of everyone who said that to me. People know that I have that file; it's called “Sexist Tidbits.” And so I used to decide whether I should recuse myself when someone in that file appeared before me, but I decided it was just too far.So it was a small civil-rights firm, and they were doing draft cases, they were doing civil-rights cases of all different kinds, and they were doing criminal cases. After a year, the partnership between Norman Zalkind and Harvey Silverglate broke up, and Harvey made me his partner, now an equal partner after a year of practice.Shortly after that, I got a case that changed my career in so many ways, which is I wound up representing Susan Saxe. Susan Saxe was one of five individuals who participated in robberies to get money for the anti-war movement. She was probably five years younger than I was. In the case of the robbery that she participated in, a police officer was killed. She was charged with felony murder. She went underground for five years; the other woman went underground for 20 years.Susan wanted me to represent her, not because she had any sense that I was any good—it's really quite wonderful—she wanted me to represent her because she figured her case was hopeless. And her case was hopeless because the three men involved in the robbery either fled or were immediately convicted, so her case seemed to be hopeless. And she was an extraordinarily principled woman: she said that in her last moment on the stage—she figured that she'd be convicted and get life—she wanted to be represented by a woman. And I was it. There was another woman in town who was a public defender, but I was literally the only private lawyer. I wrote about the case in my book, In Defense of Women, and to Harvey Silvergate's credit, even though the case was virtually no money, he said, “If you want to do it, do it.”Because I didn't know what I was doing—and I literally didn't know what I was doing—I researched every inch of everything in the case. So we had jury research and careful jury selection, hiring people to do jury selection. I challenged the felony-murder rule (this was now 1970). If there was any evidentiary issue, I would not only do the legal research, but talk to social psychologists about what made sense to do. To make a long story short, it took about two years to litigate the case, and it's all that I did.And the government's case was winding down, and it seemed to be not as strong as we thought it was—because, ironically, nobody noticed the woman in the bank. Nobody was noticing women in general; nobody was noticing women in the bank. So their case was much weaker than we thought, except there were two things, two letters that Susan had written: one to her father, and one to her rabbi. The one to her father said, “By the time you get this letter, you'll know what your little girl is doing.” The one to her rabbi said basically the same thing. In effect, these were confessions. Both had been turned over to the FBI.So the case is winding down, not very strong. These letters have not yet been introduced. Meanwhile, The Boston Globe is reporting that all these anti-war activists were coming into town, and Gertner, who no one ever heard of, was going to try the Vietnam War. The defense will be, “She robbed a bank to fight the Vietnam War.” She robbed a bank in order to get money to oppose the Vietnam War, and the Vietnam War was illegitimate, etc. We were going to try the Vietnam War.There was no way in hell I was going to do that. But nobody had ever heard of me, so they believed anything. The government decided to rest before the letters came in, anticipating that our defense would be a collection of individuals who were going to challenge the Vietnam War. The day that the government rested without putting in those two letters, I rested my case, and the case went immediately to the jury. I'm told that I was so nervous when I said “the defense rests” that I sounded like Minnie Mouse.The upshot of that, however, was that the jury was 9-3 for acquittal on the first day, 10-2 for acquittal on the second day, and then 11-1 for acquittal—and there it stopped. It was a hung jury. But it essentially made my career. I had first the experience of pouring my heart into a case and saving someone's life, which was like nothing I'd ever felt before, which was better than the library. It also put my name out there. I was no longer, “Who is she?” I suddenly could take any kind of case I wanted to take. And so I was addicted to trials from then until the time I became a judge.DL: Fill us in on what happened later to your client, just her ultimate arc.NG: She wound up getting eight years in prison instead of life. She had already gotten eight years because of a prior robbery in Philadelphia, so there was no way that we were going to affect that. She had pleaded guilty to that. She went on to live a very principled life. She's actually quite religious. She works in the very sort of left Jewish groups. We are in touch—I'm in touch with almost everyone that I've ever known—because it had been a life-changing experience for me. We were four years apart. Her background, though she was more middle-class, was very similar to my own. Her mother used to call me at night about what Susan should wear. So our lives were very much intertwined. And so she was out of jail after eight years, and she has a family and is doing fine.DL: That's really a remarkable result, because people have to understand what defense lawyers are up against. It's often very challenging, and a victory is often a situation where your client doesn't serve life, for example, or doesn't, God forbid, get the death penalty. So it's really interesting that the Saxe case—as you talk about in your wonderful memoir—really did launch your career to the next level. And you wound up handling a number of other cases that you could say were adjacent or thematically related to Saxe's case. Maybe you can talk a little bit about some of those.NG: The women's movement was roaring at this time, and so a woman lawyer who was active and spoke out and talked about women's issues invariably got women's cases. So on the criminal side, I did one of the first, I think it was the first, battered woman syndrome case, as a defense to murder. On the civil side, I had a very robust employment-discrimination practice, dealing with sexual harassment, dealing with racial discrimination. I essentially did whatever I wanted to do. That's what my students don't always understand: I don't remember ever looking for a lucrative case. I would take what was interesting and fun to me, and money followed. I can't describe it any other way.These cases—you wound up getting paid, but I did what I thought was meaningful. But it wasn't just women's rights issues, and it wasn't just criminal defense. We represented white-collar criminal defendants. We represented Boston Mayor Kevin White's second-in-command, Ted Anzalone, also successfully. I did stockholder derivative suits, because someone referred them to me. To some degree the Saxe case, and maybe it was also the time—I did not understand the law to require specialization in the way that it does now. So I could do a felony-murder case on Monday and sue Mayor Lynch on Friday and sue Gulf Oil on Monday, and it wouldn't even occur to me that there was an issue. It was not the same kind of specialization, and I certainly wasn't about to specialize.DL: You anticipated my next comment, which is that when someone reads your memoir, they read about a career that's very hard to replicate in this day and age. For whatever reason, today people specialize. They specialize at earlier points in their careers. Clients want somebody who holds himself out as a specialist in white-collar crime, or a specialist in dealing with defendants who invoke battered woman syndrome, or what have you. And so I think your career… you kind of had a luxury, in a way.NG: I also think that the costs of entry were lower. It was Harvey Silverglate and me, and maybe four or five other lawyers. I was single until I was 39, so I had no family pressures to speak of. And I think that, yes, the profession was different. Now employment discrimination cases involve prodigious amounts of e-discovery. So even a little case has e-discovery, and that's partly because there's a generation—you're a part of it—that lived online. And so suddenly, what otherwise would have been discussions over the back fence are now text messages.So I do think it's different—although maybe this is a comment that only someone who is as old as I am can make—I wish that people would forget the money for a while. When I was on the bench, you'd get a pro se case that was incredibly interesting, challenging prison conditions or challenging some employment issue that had never been challenged before. It was pro se, and I would get on the phone and try to find someone to represent this person. And I can't tell you how difficult it was. These were not necessarily big cases. The big firms might want to get some publicity from it. But there was not a sense of individuals who were going to do it just, “Boy, I've never done a case like this—let me try—and boy, this is important to do.” Now, that may be different today in the Trump administration, because there's a huge number of lawyers that are doing immigration cases. But the day-to-day discrimination cases, even abortion cases, it was not the same kind of support.DL: I feel in some ways you were ahead of your time, because your career as a litigator played out in boutiques, and I feel that today, many lawyers who handle high-profile cases like yours work at large firms. Why did you not go to a large firm, either from YLS or if there were issues, for example, of discrimination, you must have had opportunities to lateral into such a firm later, if you had wanted to?NG: Well, certainly at the beginning nobody wanted me. It didn't matter how well I had done. Me and Ruth Ginsburg were on the streets looking for jobs. So that was one thing. I wound up, for the last four years of my practice before I became a judge, working in a firm called Dwyer Collora & Gertner. It was more of a boutique, white-collar firm. But I wasn't interested in the big firms because I didn't want anyone to tell me what to do. I didn't want anyone to say, “Don't write this op-ed because you'll piss off my clients.” I faced the same kind of issue when I left the bench. I could have an office, and sort of float into client conferences from time to time, but I did not want to be in a setting in which anyone told me what to do. It was true then; it certainly is true now.DL: So you did end up in another setting where, for the most part, you weren't told what to do: namely, you became a federal judge. And I suppose the First Circuit could from time to time tell you what to do, but….NG: But they were always wrong.DL: Yes, I do remember that when you were my professor, you would offer your thoughts on appellate rulings. But how did you—given the kind of career you had, especially—become a federal judge? Because let me be honest, I think that somebody with your type of engagement in hot-button issues today would have a challenging time. Republican senators would grandstand about you coming up with excuses for women murderers, or what have you. Did you have a rough confirmation process?NG: I did. So I'm up for the bench in 1993. This is under Bill Clinton, and I'm told—I never confirmed this—that when Senator Kennedy…. When I met Senator Kennedy, I thought I didn't have a prayer of becoming a judge. I put my name in because I knew the Clintons, and everybody I knew was getting a job in the government. I had not thought about being a judge. I had not prepared. I had not structured my career to be a judge. But everyone I knew was going into the government, and I thought if there ever was a time, this would be it. So I apply. Someday, someone should emboss my application, because the application was quite hysterical. I put in every article that I had written calling for access to reproductive technologies to gay people. It was something to behold.Kennedy was at the tail end of his career, and he was determined to put someone like me on the bench. I'm not sure that anyone else would have done that. I'm told (and this isn't confirmed) that when he talked to Bill and Hillary about me, they of course knew me—Hillary and I had been close friends—but they knew me to be that radical friend of theirs from Yale Law School. There had been 24 years in between, but still. And I'm told that what was said was, “She's terrific. But if there's a problem, she's yours.” But Kennedy was really determined.The week before my hearing before the Senate, I had gotten letters from everyone who had ever opposed me. Every prosecutor. I can't remember anyone who had said no. Bill Weld wrote a letter. Bob Mueller, who had opposed me in cases, wrote a letter. But as I think oftentimes happens with women, there was an article in The Boston Herald the day before my hearing, in which the writer compared me to Lorena Bobbitt. Your listeners may not know this, but he said, “Gertner will do to justice, with her gavel, what Lorena did to her husband, with a kitchen knife.” Do we have to explain that any more?DL: They can Google it or ask ChatGPT. I'm old enough to know about Lorena Bobbitt.NG: Right. So it's just at the tail edge of the presentation, that was always what the caricature would be. But Kennedy was masterful. There were numbers of us who were all up at the same time. Everyone else got through except me. I'm told that that article really was the basis for Senator Jesse Helms's opposition to me. And then Senator Kennedy called us one day and said, “Tomorrow you're going to read something, but don't worry, I'll take care of it.” And the Boston Globe headline says, “Kennedy Votes For Helms's School-Prayer Amendment.” And he called us and said, “We'll take care of it in committee.” And then we get a call from him—my husband took the call—Kennedy, affecting Helms's accent, said, ‘Senator, you've got your judge.' We didn't even understand what the hell he said, between his Boston accent and imitating Helms; we had no idea what he said. But that then was confirmed.DL: Are you the managing partner of a boutique or midsize firm? If so, you know that your most important job is attracting and retaining top talent. It's not easy, especially if your benefits don't match up well with those of Biglaw firms or if your HR process feels “small time.” NexFirm has created an onboarding and benefits experience that rivals an Am Law 100 firm, so you can compete for the best talent at a price your firm can afford. Want to learn more? Contact NexFirm at 212-292-1002 or email betterbenefits@nexfirm.com.So turning to your time as a judge, how would you describe that period, in a nutshell? The job did come with certain restrictions. Did you enjoy it, notwithstanding the restrictions?NG: I candidly was not sure that I would last beyond five years, for a couple of reasons. One was, I got on the bench in 1994, when the sentencing guidelines were mandatory, when what we taught you in my sentencing class was not happening, which is that judges would depart from the guidelines and the Sentencing Commission, when enough of us would depart, would begin to change the guidelines, and there'd be a feedback loop. There was no feedback loop. If you departed, you were reversed. And actually the genesis of the book I'm writing now came from this period. As far as I was concerned, I was being unfair. As I later said, my sentences were unfair, unjust, and disproportionate—and there was nothing I could do about it. So I was not sure that I was going to last beyond five years.In addition, there were some high-profile criminal trials going on with lawyers that I knew that I probably would've been a part of if I had been practicing. And I hungered to do that, to go back and be a litigator. The course at Yale Law School that you were a part of saved me. And it saved me because, certainly with respect to the sentencing, it turned what seemed like a formula into an intellectual discussion in which there was wiggle room and the ability to come up with other approaches. In other words, we were taught that this was a formula, and you don't depart from the formula, and that's it. The class came up with creative issues and creative understandings, which made an enormous difference to my judging.So I started to write; I started to write opinions. Even if the opinion says there's nothing I can do about it, I would write opinions in which I say, “I can't depart because of this woman's status as a single mother because the guidelines said only extraordinary family circumstances can justify a departure, and this wasn't extraordinary. That makes no sense.” And I began to write this in my opinions, I began to write this in scholarly writings, and that made all the difference in the world. And sometimes I was reversed, and sometimes I was not. But it enabled me to figure out how to push back against a system which I found to be palpably unfair. So I figured out how to be me in this job—and that was enormously helpful.DL: And I know how much and how deeply you cared about sentencing because of the class in which I actually wound up writing one of my two capstone papers at Yale.NG: To your listeners, I still have that paper.DL: You must be quite a pack rat!NG: I can change the grade at any time….DL: Well, I hope you've enjoyed your time today, Judge, and will keep the grade that way!But let me ask you: now that the guidelines are advisory, do you view that as a step forward from your time on the bench? Perhaps you would still be a judge if they were advisory? I don't know.NG: No, they became advisory in 2005, and I didn't leave until 2011. Yes, that was enormously helpful: you could choose what you thought was a fair sentence, so it's very advisory now. But I don't think I would've stayed longer, because of two reasons.By the time I hit 65, I wanted another act. I wanted another round. I thought I had done all that I could do as a judge, and I wanted to try something different. And Martha Minow of Harvard Law School made me an offer I couldn't refuse, which was to teach at Harvard. So that was one. It also, candidly, was that there was no longevity in my family, and so when I turned 65, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. So I did want to try something new. But I'm still here.DL: Yep—definitely, and very active. I always chuckle when I see “Ret.,” the abbreviation for “retired,” in your email signature, because you do not seem very retired to me. Tell us what you are up to today.NG: Well, first I have this book that I've been writing for several years, called Incomplete Sentences. And so what this book started to be about was the men and women that I sentenced, and how unfair it was, and what I thought we should have done. Then one day I got a message from a man by the name of Darryl Green, and it says, “Is this Nancy Gertner? If it is, I think about you all the time. I hope you're well. I'm well. I'm an iron worker. I have a family. I've written books. You probably don't remember me.” This was a Facebook message. I knew exactly who he was. He was a man who had faced the death penalty in my court, and I acquitted him. And he was then tried in state court, and acquitted again. So I knew exactly who he was, and I decided to write back.So I wrote back and said, “I know who you are. Do you want to meet?” That started a series of meetings that I've had with the men I've sentenced over the course of the 17-year career that I had as a judge. Why has it taken me this long to write? First, because these have been incredibly moving and difficult discussions. Second, because I wanted the book to be honest about what I knew about them and what a difference maybe this information would make. It is extremely difficult, David, to be honest about judging, particularly in these days when judges are parodied. So if I talk about how I wanted to exercise some leniency in a case, I understand that this can be parodied—and I don't want it to be, but I want to be honest.So for example, in one case, there would be cooperators in the case who'd get up and testify that the individual who was charged with only X amount of drugs was actually involved with much more than that. And you knew that if you believed the witness, the sentence would be doubled, even though you thought that didn't make any sense. This was really just mostly how long the cops were on the corner watching the drug deals. It didn't make the guy who was dealing drugs on a bicycle any more culpable than the guy who was doing massive quantities into the country.So I would struggle with, “Do I really believe this man, the witness who's upping the quantity?” And the kinds of exercises I would go through to make sure that I wasn't making a decision because I didn't like the implications of the decision and it was what I was really feeling. So it's not been easy to write, and it's taken me a very long time. The other side of the coin is they're also incredibly honest with me, and sometimes I don't want to know what they're saying. Not like a sociologist who could say, “Oh, that's an interesting fact, I'll put it in.” It's like, “Oh no, I don't want to know that.”DL: Wow. The book sounds amazing; I can't wait to read it. When is it estimated to come out?NG: Well, I'm finishing it probably at the end of this year. I've rewritten it about five times. And my hope would be sometime next year. So yeah, it was organic. It's what I wanted to write from the minute I left the bench. And it covers the guideline period when it was lunacy to follow the guidelines, to a period when it was much more flexible, but the guidelines still disfavored considering things like addiction and trauma and adverse childhood experiences, which really defined many of the people I was sentencing. So it's a cri de cœur, as they say, which has not been easy to write.DL: Speaking of cri de cœurs, and speaking of difficult things, it's difficult to write about judging, but I think we also have alluded already to how difficult it is to engage in judging in 2025. What general thoughts would you have about being a federal judge in 2025? I know you are no longer a federal judge. But if you were still on the bench or when you talk to your former colleagues, what is it like on the ground right now?NG: It's nothing like when I was a judge. In fact, the first thing that happened when I left the bench is I wrote an article in which I said—this is in 2011—that the only pressure I had felt in my 17 years on the bench was to duck, avoid, and evade, waiver, statute of limitations. Well, all of a sudden, you now have judges who at least since January are dealing with emergencies that they can't turn their eyes away from, judges issuing rulings at 1 a.m., judges writing 60-page decisions on an emergency basis, because what the president is doing is literally unprecedented. The courts are being asked to look at issues that have never been addressed before, because no one has ever tried to do the things that he's doing. And they have almost overwhelmingly met the moment. It doesn't matter whether you're ruling for the government or against the government; they are taking these challenges enormously seriously. They're putting in the time.I had two clerks, maybe some judges have three, but it's a prodigious amount of work. Whereas everyone complained about the Trump prosecutions proceeding so slowly, judges have been working expeditiously on these challenges, and under circumstances that I never faced, which is threats the likes of which I have never seen. One judge literally played for me the kinds of voice messages that he got after a decision that he issued. So they're doing it under circumstances that we never had to face. And it's not just the disgruntled public talking; it's also our fellow Yale Law alum, JD Vance, talking about rogue judges. That's a level of delegitimization that I just don't think anyone ever had to deal with before. So they're being challenged in ways that no other judges have, and they are being threatened in a way that no judges have.On the other hand, I wish I were on the bench.DL: Interesting, because I was going to ask you that. If you were to give lower-court judges a grade, to put you back in professor mode, on their performance since January 2025, what grade would you give the lower courts?NG: Oh, I would give them an A. I would give them an A. It doesn't matter which way they have come out: decision after decision has been thoughtful and careful. They put in the time. Again, this is not a commentary on what direction they have gone in, but it's a commentary on meeting the moment. And so now these are judges who are getting emergency orders, emergency cases, in the midst of an already busy docket. It has really been extraordinary. The district courts have; the courts of appeals have. I've left out another court….DL: We'll get to that in a minute. But I'm curious: you were on the District of Massachusetts, which has been a real center of activity because many groups file there. As we're recording this, there is the SNAP benefits, federal food assistance litigation playing out there [before Judge Indira Talwani, with another case before Chief Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island]. So it's really just ground zero for a lot of these challenges. But you alluded to the Supreme Court, and I was going to ask you—even before you did—what grade would you give them?NG: Failed. The debate about the shadow docket, which you write about and I write about, in which Justice Kavanaugh thinks, “we're doing fine making interim orders, and therefore it's okay that there's even a precedential value to our interim orders, and thank you very much district court judges for what you're doing, but we'll be the ones to resolve these issues”—I mean, they're resolving these issues in the most perfunctory manner possible.In the tariff case, for example, which is going to be argued on Wednesday, the Court has expedited briefing and expedited oral argument. They could do that with the emergency docket, but they are preferring to hide behind this very perfunctory decision making. I'm not sure why—maybe to keep their options open? Justice Barrett talks about how if it's going to be a hasty decision, you want to make sure that it's not written in stone. But of course then the cases dealing with independent commissions, in which you are allowing the government, allowing the president, to fire people on independent commissions—these cases are effectively overruling Humphrey's Executor, in the most ridiculous setting. So the Court is not meeting the moment. It was stunning that the Court decided in the birthright-citizenship case to be concerned about nationwide injunctions, when in fact nationwide injunctions had been challenged throughout the Biden administration, and they just decided not to address the issue then.Now, I have a lot to say about Justice Kavanaugh's dressing-down of Judge [William] Young [of the District of Massachusetts]….DL: Or Justice Gorsuch, joined by Justice Kavanaugh.NG: That's right, it was Justice Gorsuch. It was stunningly inappropriate, stunningly inappropriate, undermines the district courts that frankly are doing much better than the Supreme Court in meeting the moment. The whole concept of defying the Supreme Court—defying a Supreme Court order, a three-paragraph, shadow-docket order—is preposterous. So whereas the district courts and the courts of appeals are meeting the moment, I do not think the Supreme Court is. And that's not even going into the merits of the immunity decision, which I think has let loose a lawless presidency that is even more lawless than it might otherwise be. So yes, that failed.DL: I do want to highlight for my readers that in addition to your books and your speaking, you do write quite frequently on these issues in the popular press. I've seen your work in The New York Times and The Boston Globe. I know you're working on a longer essay about the rule of law in the age of Trump, so people should look out for that. Of all the things that you worry about right now when it comes to the rule of law, what worries you the most?NG: I worry that the president will ignore and disobey a Supreme Court order. I think a lot about the judges that are dealing with orders that the government is not obeying, and people are impatient that they're not immediately moving to contempt. And one gets the sense with the lower courts that they are inching up to the moment of contempt, but do not want to get there because it would be a stunning moment when you hold the government in contempt. I think the Supreme Court is doing the same thing. I initially believed that the Supreme Court was withholding an anti-Trump decision, frankly, for fear that he would not obey it, and they were waiting till it mattered. I now am no longer certain of that, because there have been rulings that made no sense as far as I'm concerned. But my point was that they, like the lower courts, were holding back rather than saying, “Government, you must do X,” for fear that the government would say, “Go pound sand.” And that's what I fear, because when that happens, it will be even more of a constitutional crisis than we're in now. It'll be a constitutional confrontation, the likes of which we haven't seen. So that's what I worry about.DL: Picking up on what you just said, here's something that I posed to one of my prior guests, Pam Karlan. Let's say you're right that the Supreme Court doesn't want to draw this line in the sand because of a fear that Trump, being Trump, will cross it. Why is that not prudential? Why is that not the right thing? And why is it not right for the Supreme Court to husband its political capital for the real moment?Say Trump—I know he said lately he's not going to—but say Trump attempts to run for a third term, and some case goes up to the Supreme Court on that basis, and the Court needs to be able to speak in a strong, unified, powerful voice. Or maybe it'll be a birthright-citizenship case, if he says, when they get to the merits of that, “Well, that's really nice that you think that there's such a thing as birthright citizenship, but I don't, and now stop me.” Why is it not wise for the Supreme Court to protect itself, until this moment when it needs to come forward and protect all of us?NG: First, the question is whether that is in fact what they are doing, and as I said, there were two schools of thought on this. One school of thought was that is what they were doing, and particularly doing it in an emergency, fuzzy, not really precedential way, until suddenly you're at the edge of the cliff, and you have to either say taking away birthright citizenship was unconstitutional, or tariffs, you can't do the tariffs the way you want to do the tariffs. I mean, they're husbanding—I like the way you put it, husbanding—their political capital, until that moment. I'm not sure that that's true. I think we'll know that if in fact the decisions that are coming down the pike, they actually decide against Trump—notably the tariff ones, notably birthright citizenship. I'm just not sure that that's true.And besides, David, there are some of these cases they did not have to take. The shadow docket was about where plaintiffs were saying it is an emergency to lay people off or fire people. Irreparable harm is on the plaintiff's side, whereas the government otherwise would just continue to do that which it has been doing. There's no harm to it continuing that. USAID—you don't have a right to dismantle the USAID. The harm is on the side of the dismantling, not having you do that which you have already done and could do through Congress, if you wanted to. They didn't have to take those cases. So your comment about husbanding political capital is a good comment, but those cases could have remained as they were in the district courts with whatever the courts of appeals did, and they could do what previous courts have done, which is wait for the issues to percolate longer.The big one for me, too, is the voting rights case. If they decide the voting rights case in January or February or March, if they rush it through, I will say then it's clear they're in the tank for Trump, because the only reason to get that decision out the door is for the 2026 election. So I want to believe that they are husbanding their political capital, but I'm not sure that if that's true, that we would've seen this pattern. But the proof will be with the voting rights case, with birthright citizenship, with the tariffs.DL: Well, it will be very interesting to see what happens in those cases. But let us now turn to my speed round. These are four questions that are the same for all my guests, and my first question is, what do you like the least about the law? And this can either be the practice of law or law as an abstract system of governance.NG: The practice of law. I do some litigation; I'm in two cases. When I was a judge, I used to laugh at people who said incivility was the most significant problem in the law. I thought there were lots of other more significant problems. I've come now to see how incredibly nasty the practice of law is. So yes—and that is no fun.DL: My second question is, what would you be if you were not a lawyer/judge/retired judge?NG: Musical comedy star, clearly! No question about it.DL: There are some judges—Judge Fred Block in the Eastern District of New York, Judge Jed Rakoff in the Southern District of New York—who do these little musical stylings for their court shows. I don't know if you've ever tried that?NG: We used to do Shakespeare, Shakespeare readings, and I loved that. I am a ham—so absolutely musical comedy or theater.DL: My third question is, how much sleep do you get each night?NG: Six to seven hours now, just because I'm old. Before that, four. Most of my life as a litigator, I never thought I needed sleep. You get into my age, you need sleep. And also you look like hell the next morning, so it's either getting sleep or a facelift.DL: And my last question is, any final words of wisdom, such as career advice or life advice, for my listeners?NG: You have to do what you love. You have to do what you love. The law takes time and is so all-encompassing that you have to do what you love. And I have done what I love from beginning to now, and I wouldn't have it any other way.DL: Well, I have loved catching up with you, Judge, and having you share your thoughts and your story with my listeners. Thank you so much for joining me.NG: You're very welcome, David. Take care.DL: Thanks so much to Judge Gertner for joining me. I look forward to reading her next book, Incomplete Sentences, when it comes out next year.Thanks to NexFirm for sponsoring the Original Jurisdiction podcast. NexFirm has helped many attorneys to leave Biglaw and launch firms of their own. To explore this opportunity, please contact NexFirm at 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com to learn more.Thanks to Tommy Harron, my sound engineer here at Original Jurisdiction, and thanks to you, my listeners and readers. To connect with me, please email me at davidlat@substack.com, or find me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, at davidlat, and on Instagram and Threads at davidbenjaminlat.If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate, review, and subscribe. Please subscribe to the Original Jurisdiction newsletter if you don't already, over at davidlat.substack.com. This podcast is free, but it's made possible by paid subscriptions to the newsletter.The next episode should appear on or about Wednesday, November 26. Until then, may your thinking be original and your jurisdiction free of defects. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Steven Wilson, a senior fellow at Pioneer Institute and a leading voice in education reform. Mr. Wilson discusses his journey into K-12 education policy, reflecting on his early work with Gov. Bill Weld and the landmark 1993 Massachusetts Education […]

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Steven Wilson, a senior fellow at Pioneer Institute and a leading voice in education reform. Mr. Wilson discusses his journey into K-12 education policy, reflecting on his early work with Gov. Bill Weld and the landmark 1993 Massachusetts Education […]

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Steven Wilson, a senior fellow at Pioneer Institute and a leading voice in education reform. Mr. Wilson discusses his journey into K-12 education policy, reflecting on his early work with Gov. Bill Weld and the landmark 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA), which helped propel the state's schools to national and international success. Steven highlights the contributions of Linda Brown and Building Excellent Schools in fostering high-performing charter leaders and networks and addresses the political and curricular challenges charters face today. Wilson also examines the academic stagnation that continued with the 2024 NAEP results, linking it to the adoption of Common Core and broader shifts in education policy. He explores the intersection of K-12 curricula with race- and class-based politics and discusses themes from his newly published book, The Lost Decade. He continues by discussing policy recommendations, calling for a renewed focus on rigorous academics to close achievement gaps and restore excellence and equality of opportunity in American education. In closing, Wilson reads a passage from The Lost Decade.

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Steven Wilson, a senior fellow at Pioneer Institute and a leading voice in education reform. Mr. Wilson discusses his journey into K-12 education policy, reflecting on his early work with Gov. Bill Weld and the landmark 1993 Massachusetts Education […]

In this episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy interview Steven Wilson, a senior fellow at Pioneer Institute and a leading voice in education reform. Mr. Wilson discusses his journey into K-12 education policy, reflecting on his early work with Gov. Bill Weld and the landmark 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA), which helped propel the state's schools to national and international success. Steven highlights the contributions of Linda Brown and Building Excellent Schools in fostering high-performing charter leaders and networks and addresses the political and curricular challenges charters face today. Wilson also examines the academic stagnation that continued with the 2024 NAEP results, linking it to the adoption of Common Core and broader shifts in education policy. He explores the intersection of K-12 curricula with race- and class-based politics and discusses themes from his upcoming book, The Lost Decade. He continues by discussing policy recommendations, calling for a renewed focus on rigorous academics to close achievement gaps and restore excellence and equality of opportunity in American education. In closing, Wilson reads a passage from his new book The Lost Decade.

Original air date: January 29, 2024 Three former Republican governors—Marc Racicot of Montana, Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey, and Bill Weld of Massachusetts—have signed on to a legal brief to the Supreme Court arguing that Donald Trump is disqualified from running for president under Section 3 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution. Greg Sargent talks to Racicot about what he hopes this will achieve, whether the GOP is to blame for the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement, and why principled anti-Trump Republican elites are a disappearing species. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original air date: January 29, 2024 Three former Republican governors—Marc Racicot of Montana, Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey, and Bill Weld of Massachusetts—have signed on to a legal brief to the Supreme Court arguing that Donald Trump is disqualified from running for president under Section 3 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution. Greg Sargent talks to Racicot about what he hopes this will achieve, whether the GOP is to blame for the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement, and why principled anti-Trump Republican elites are a disappearing species. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tuesday, August 6th 2024Today, Kamala Harris is set to announce her VP pick this morning; Jenna Ellis has flipped in the Arizona fraudulent elector case; the Justice Department has won a landmark antitrust case against Google; Kamala launches ‘Republicans for Harris' in push to win over GOP voters put off by Trump; RFK Jr. admits putting a dead bear cub in New York City's Central Park nearly 10 years ago; Clarence Thomas is busted for failing to disclose more private flights; the former Marion police chief will be charged with crime in connection to the raids of a small Kansas newspaper; plus Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.Promo Code:Helix is offering up to 20% off all mattress orders AND two free pillows for our listeners! Go to https://www.helixsleep.com/dailybeans.StoriesFormer Marion police chief to be charged with crime in connection to raids (KSHB)Google illegally maintains monopoly over internet search, judge rules (AP News)VP's campaign launches ‘Republicans for Harris' in push to win over GOP voters put off by Trump (AP News)RFK Jr. admits putting dead bear cub in New York City's Central Park nearly 10 years ago (CBS News)Give to the Kamala Harris Presidential Campaign https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mswmediaforharrisCheck out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe to Lawyers, Guns, And MoneyAd-free premium feed: https://lawyersgunsandmoney.supercast.comSubscribe for free everywhere else:https://lawyersgunsandmoney.simplecast.com/episodes/1-miami-1985Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Follow Mueller, She Wrote on Posthttps://post.news/@/MuellerSheWrote?utm_source=TwitterAG&utm_medium=creator_organic&utm_campaign=muellershewrote&utm_content=FollowMehttps://muellershewrote.substack.comhttps://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrotehttps://www.threads.net/@muellershewrotehttps://www.tiktok.com/@muellershewrotehttps://instagram.com/muellershewroteDana Goldberghttps://twitter.com/DGComedyhttps://www.instagram.com/dgcomedyhttps://www.facebook.com/dgcomedyhttps://danagoldberg.comHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/From The Good NewsHelp out with the Harris campaign (kamalaharris.com)Crooked Mile Cheese (IG)https://www.crookedmilecheese.comFriends: Pivot! (Clip) | TBS (YouTube) Live Show Ticket Links:https://allisongill.com (for all tickets and show dates)Friday August 16th Washington, DC - with Andy McCabe, Pete Strzok, Glenn Kirschner https://tinyurl.com/Beans-in-DCSaturday August 24 San Francisco, CA https://tinyurl.com/Beans-SF Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/OrPatreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

Three former Republican governors—Marc Racicot of Montana, Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey, and Bill Weld of Massachusetts—have signed on to a legal brief to the Supreme Court arguing that Donald Trump is disqualified from running for president under Section 3 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution. Greg Sargent talks to Racicot about what he hopes this will achieve, whether the GOP is to blame for the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement, and why principled anti-Trump Republican elites are a disappearing species. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three former Republican governors—Marc Racicot of Montana, Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey, and Bill Weld of Massachusetts—have signed on to a legal brief to the Supreme Court arguing that Donald Trump is disqualified from running for president under Section 3 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution. Greg Sargent talks to Racicot about what he hopes this will achieve, whether the GOP is to blame for the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement, and why principled anti-Trump Republican elites are a disappearing species. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three former Republican governors—Marc Racicot of Montana, Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey, and Bill Weld of Massachusetts—have signed on to a legal brief to the Supreme Court arguing that Donald Trump is disqualified from running for president under Section 3 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution. Greg Sargent talks to Racicot about what he hopes this will achieve, whether the GOP is to blame for the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement, and why principled anti-Trump Republican elites are a disappearing species.

Will 2024 be America's last free and fair election?  That ominous warning comes from Stuart Stevens, a former chief Republican strategist whose clients included President George W. Bush; Senators Chuck Grassley, Dick Lugar and Dan Coats; and Governors Haley Barbour, John Kyl, Bill Weld and many others. He says the GOP is dragging our country toward autocracy, and the party is no longer a "normal" political party in the American tradition. Rather, he says it is an autocratic movement masquerading as a political party. As the Republican party changed, Stevens exited his role in one of the country's most influential political strategy firms and joined the Lincoln Project, where he is currently an advisor. Stevens wrote about his fear for the country in his provocative new book, The Conspiracy to End America. In it, he reviews the elements that are necessary for democracies to slide into autocracy, and he examines each of these forces on the modern American right and how they are working together. Are these the last days of the old republic? Or can there be a renewed commitment to democratic governance? Don't miss this talk as Stevens flashes a blinking red distress alert as well as a rallying cry to beat back this threat. Note: This podcast contains explicit language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I am joined by John Brisson of We've Read the Documents to discuss his research into the Council for National Policy. We discuss the CNP and how it has steered conservative politics through its powerful members who belong to the highest echelons of Government, Big Business and American Mainline Churches. We discuss the CNP and how it relates to a variety of topics including but not limited to: the Unification Church, Sun Myung Moon, the World Anti-Communist League, Iran-Contra, Drug Trafficking, Latin American Death Squads, Craig Spence and his network of call boys, the Franklin Scandal, John DeCamp, the Coors family, Tim LaHaye and the Left Behind series, the PROMIS software scandal, Alex Jones, Kabbala, alternative media, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Trump, QANON, PSYOPS, Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, Theosophy, New Age, Transhumanism, Zionism, Libertarianism, Cato Institute, Bill Weld, the John Birch Society and much more. You won't want to miss this one!Brisson's work:We've Read The Documents | John Brisson | Substack Profile TwitterBY THEIR FRUITS on Apple PodcastsThe Farm Podcast Mach II on Apple Podcasts

Bill Weld was the governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. Elected twice as a Republican in one of the bluest states in the country, Governor Weld won re-election with more than 70 percent of the vote. Governor Weld joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons and advice. Governor Weld and Adam discuss a wide range of topics: lessons from winning and losing races; relationship building; leadership; ethics; the power of humor; dealmaking; and much more.

Bill Weld endorses Anthony Amore with a tune and Howie hears from listeners about the COVID vaccine and myocarditis.

A reading of, “Can a Post-'Takeover' Libertarian Party Improve on Its Historical Run of 2012–20?” by Matt Welch, published at Reason June 3.Related reading: “Libertarian Party Rebuffs Mises Uprising,” and “Ron Paul's Mistake.”

PBD Podcast Episode 156. In this episode, Patrick Bet-David is joined by Adam Sosnick, Jessica Vaughn, Dave Smith, Spike Cohen, and Larry Sharpe. Check out Dave Smith's Podcast "Part of the Problem": https://bit.ly/3l9dARu Check out Larry Sharpe's Podcast "The Sharpe Way": https://bit.ly/3l6cHcu Check out Spike Cohen's YOU Are The POWER: https://bit.ly/3FCEs61 Follow Jessica Vaugn on social: https://bit.ly/37CQjEv Text: PODCAST to 310.340.1132 to get added to the distribution list About: Dave Smith is a New York based stand-up comedian, radio personality, and political commentator. Dave can be seen regularly on “The Greg Gutfeld Show” and “Red Eye” on Fox News, as well as “Kennedy” on Fox Business Network. Spike Cohen is an American libertarian political activist, entrepreneur, and podcaster. He was the Libertarian Party's nominee for vice president of the United States in the 2020 election, serving as Jo Jorgensen's running mate. Larry David Sharpe is an American business consultant, entrepreneur, political activist, and podcaster. He was a candidate for the Libertarian Party nomination for vice-president of the United States in 2016, losing to former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld. Sharpe was the Libertarian nominee for Governor of New York in the 2018 gubernatorial election and is again that party's gubernatorial nominee in the 2022 New York gubernatorial election.] Jessica Vaugn is a political commentator, former playboy playmate, and Bitcoin enthusiast. About Co-Host: Adam “Sos” Sosnick has lived a true rags to riches story. He hasn't always been an authority on money. Connect with him on his weekly SOSCAST here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw4s_zB_R7I0VW88nOW4PJkyREjT7rJic Patrick Bet-David is the founder and CEO of Valuetainment Media. He is the author of the #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller Your Next Five Moves (Simon & Schuster) and a father of 2 boys and 2 girls. He currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. To reach the Valuetainment team you can email: booking@valuetainment.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pbdpodcast/support

Jess Mears is a policy activist, public speaker and political trainer. She has served in key leadership roles in the Libertarian Party's most successful presidential campaigns working for Governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld (2016) and Dr. Jo Jorgensen's as Deputy Campaign Manager (2020). She has been a grassroots activist since the late 2000s. Volunteering on dozens of campaigns at the state and local levels led to working for the National Libertarian Party in leadership fundraising and membership rolls. Jess understands how local governments operate with direct experience working for the fastest-growing communities in America. She was the Clerk of the Boards for Lakewood Ranch after completing special projects for The Villages. Jess is an alum of the University of Cincinnati where she received a B.A. in Communications and Public Relations. She lives in Alexandria, VA with two rescued dogs. Her interests include folk music and advancements in space. Make sure to follow Jess on Social Media! Twitter: https://twitter.com/jess4liberty Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jess4liberty As always, if you enjoy this content, make sure to like and subscribe, and share it with your friends! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ODonnell4Liberty Merch: https://www.snekswag.com Tips and Links: https://cointr.ee/justinodonnell --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/justin-odonnell0/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/justin-odonnell0/support

In this episode, Josh, Lindsay, and Brent talk about coronavirus and quarantines, the latest in the Democratic primary, and some good news to end your week. Lindsay also gives a rundown of this week's ERLC content including a piece from Joe Carter on reading the news with discernment, Dane Hays on talking to your kids about COVID-19, and the ERLC's reading recommendations during social distancing. Also in this episode, the hosts are joined by Dr. Scott James, an infectious disease specialist, for a conversation about coronavirus and his new children's book. About Dr. James Scott James serves as an Elder at The Church at Brook Hills. He and his wife, Jaime, have four children and live in Birmingham, Ala, where he works as a pediatric physician. He is the author of two family worship books (The Expected One: Anticipating All of Jesus in the Advent; Mission Accomplished: A Two-Week Family Easter Devotional), as well as illustrated children's books, including The Littlest Watchman (The Good Book Company, 2017) and his latest book, Where Is Wisdom? (B&H). ERLC Content Joe Carter with How to read the news with discernment “Guard your mind,” “Consume less news” Dane Hays with How to talk to your kids about coronavirus What kind of memories are you building, even now, for your children and loved ones about the coronavirus outbreak of 2020? Thirty years from now, my prayer is they will they speak of things like more family time, serving others, and most importantly, hearing about the love and goodness of Christ. Melissa Affolter with What I've learned from working with survivors of abuse and trauma: The power of story and community in healing Jason Thacker with Reading recommendations during the coronavirus shutdown. Culture This week marked the first day of Spring! Politics Biden vs. Bernie; Bill Weld suspends campaign; campaigns uses texting instead of door-to-door; Mitch McConnell uses campaign to deliver groceries and Chick-fil-A Election results! Joe Biden has won the Florida, Arizona and Illinois Democratic primaries, giving him what is increasingly becoming an insurmountable delegate lead over Bernie Sanders Coronavirus Widespread alarm and misinformation, we recommend you follow live updates on COVID-19 from The Washington Post Pulling out all the stops to stem the tide, churches, schools, and major events across the nation are delayed, cancelled, or moving online. CoronaChaos leads to CoronaQuiet across the globe: France, Spain, Germany join Italy on lockdown; Sources expect UK to join this weekend. San Francisco locking down Widespread testing finally here . . . with issues. Big companies hiring right now: Amazon “We are opening 100,000 new full and part-time positions across the U.S. in our fulfillment centers and delivery network to meet the surge in demand from people relying on Amazon's service during this stressful time, particularly those most vulnerable to being out in public. Kroger “Kroger plans to hire 10,000 additional workers in the coming weeks to help stock and clean stores. “Applicants can visit jobs.kroger.com to apply. Wal-Mart “Walmart (NYSE:WMT) plans to hire 500 more truck drivers for its private fleet, primarily on the East and West Coasts, to help meet the increased demand from its growing e-commerce business. Ford and General Motors are looking into making medical equipment including ventilators that could help combat the novel coronavirus outbreak. Economic projections don't look so good; Fed moves Economic forecasts look really dire. Bailouts likely coming for industries Phase II – passed on Wednesday Phase III coming – "Phase 3" deal that would pump an additional $1 trillion into the economy. Movies go online instead of theater The SEC cancelled all spring sports(!) On the Lighter Side Dinosaurs and Penguins around museums and aquariums Lunchroom Brent: A Hidden Life (Movie) The film depicts the life of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer and devout Catholic who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. The film's title was taken from George Eliot's book Middlemarch. ​Lindsay: R.C. Sproul teaching on the holiness of God Old Try prints: “Be the fix, stay at six (ft),” “Home is where the health is,” “The better you cover, the quicker it's over.” Josh: ​ I Illustrated National Parks In America Based On Their Worst Review And I Hope They Will Make You Laugh (16 Pics) #1 Sequoia National Park – There are bugs and they will bite you on your face. #7 Saguaro National Park – Okay if you like cactus #14 Death Valley National Park – Ugliest place I've ever seen BR Connect – For only $3 a month you can get news and push notifications from our friends at the Biblical Recorder. They cover religious issues better than almost anyone. ERLC Inbox Q: How worried should I be about extra screen time for my kids while we are spending more time indoors during isolation? Connect with us on Twitter @ERLC @jbwester @LeatherwoodTN @LindsNicolet Sponsors Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With by Sam Allberry (The Good Book Company) The Weekly – ERLC's rundown of news and culture delivered to your inbox every Friday

President Trump isn't holding back when it comes to his controversial trade policies. The President clashed with French President Emanuel Macron at the NATO summit in London over France's new tax on tech giants that will affect American companies. The United States now saying it will retaliate and impose tariffs of their own on French goods. FOX Business Network host David Asman weighs in on the current trade dispute between the US and France. Plus he discusses where we are with the China trade war and if we are any closer to passing the USMCA before the year ends. The next impeachment hearing is today. And while House Republicans defend President Trump and argue he did nothing wrong, one of his 2020 GOP challengers Bill Weld says he deserves to be removed from office. The former Massachusetts Governor and Republican president candidate joins the Rundown to discuss the impeachment inquiry and why he thinks President Trump should not be reelected. Plus, commentary by "The Guy Benson Show" host, Guy Benson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 23, 2019: Matt Welch is an American blogger, journalist, author, and libertarian political pundit. Welch is currently an editor-at-large at Reason, the libertarian magazine of “Free Minds and Free Markets.” He served as Reason's editor-in-chief from 2008-2016. Welch is also a co-host of two podcasts: “Reason Editors Roundtable” and “The Fifth Column”. Larry and Matt talk about the current political climate vs. the 70s, how similar Republicans and Republicans are in NY, the focus on national politics when local politics affect voters more directly, the impact of a strong alternate party, increased urbanization, how consumers can improve journalism, immigration over the past few decades, symbols in heterogeneous cultures, Gary Johnson, Bill Weld, and much more. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sharpe-way/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sharpe-way/support

Which is brighter, the present or the future of health care? The answer may surprise you. What's in the News with stories on students desk moved to the bathroom, Bill Weld on Trump, cannabis banking, US kill list lawsuit, no Constitutional rights for illegal immigrants, and pointed knives on the chopping block in the UK. Finally, and Ask Me Anything segment where I answer your questions on foreign languages and exchanges, moving outside of the US, chicken math, and a civil war over Trump.   This episode is brought to you by Health Excellence Plus, a health share that has saved my family thousands of dollars, and can save you money too. Also, brought to you by ForkFest, the annual decentralized libertarian camping event that happens around PorcFest, with no tickets and no one in charge. Also, brought to you by all of my dozens of supporters.   WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES Several healthcare-related stories have come to my attention the last couple of weeks, and I haven't talked about healthcare in a while, so I thought I would go into these.   WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In some personal news, I have some awesome news for all of my supporters who have already moved over to my support on my own site at https://thelavaflow.com/membership. There is a new discount available exclusively to you!   In indoctrination centers news, an 11-year-old Bellingham, Washington boy with special needs is furious that his desk was moved to a bathroom. It wasn't a prank.   In Weld Watch news, former Watergate prosecutor, former U.S. attorney, former Massachusetts governor, and 2016 Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate Bill Weld is accusing Trump not just of impeachable crimes but of treason. Which, Weld adds, is punishable by death.   In cannabis news, our rulers in the US House of Representatives have smiled on us peasants and voted in favor of letting state-legal marijuana businesses have access to banks and other financial institutions.   In unfit to exist news, a U.S. judge Tuesday dismissed an American journalist's lawsuit challenging his alleged placement on a “kill list” by U.S. authorities in Syria, after the Trump administration invoked the “state secrets” privilege to withhold sensitive national security information.   In I can't make this shit up news, the city of Southaven, Mississippi claims that the Constitution's guarantees of life and liberty only apply to American citizens.   In ban all the things news, a ban on the sale of pointed kitchen knives has been demanded by the Church of England as it says there is no reason for them in the modern world.   ASK ME ANYTHING I answer your questions on foreign languages and exchanges, moving outside of the US, chicken math, and a civil war over Trump.

Online opinion editor for The Washington Times and author of The Devil in DC: Winning Back the Country from the Beast in Washington, Cheryl Chumley, reviews the UN Climate Summit and Greta Thunberg’s performance with Dan & Amy Sheila Weinberg, founder & CEO of Truth in Accounting, has Illinois’ grade in the new Financial State of the States Report for Dan & Amy Former United States Deputy Undersecretary of Defense & contributor to the Washington Times and The American Spectator, Jed Babbin, urges Bill Weld to get his head checked with Dan & Amy John Mauck, Partner at Mauk & Baker, gives Dan & Amy the details of his clients free speech law suit against the city of Chicago. Libby Emmons, contributor to SpectatorUSA, Quillette and the Federalist, asks Dan & Amy Why are Americans afraid to grow up?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's mini-episode, Harry takes a look at a couple of potential challengers to President Trump's reelection, coming from the Republican side of the aisle.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Republican Senator Mitt Romney and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy join Christiane Amanpour from Washington D.C. to discuss their bipartisan trip to the Middle East and the growing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Bill Weld, the only Republican challenging President Trump in the 2020 election talks about why he decided to run. Our Hari Sreenivasan talks to Neha Narula, the Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, about the future of cryptocurrencies.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

It didn't take long for government to prove that they are authoritarian monsters in the case of the first seastead, and they did it with a vengeance. Get all of the details here. What's in the News with stories on bad boys x 2, mercy killing legal, debt spending, Bill Weld, and cryptocurrency taxation news. And, an Ask Me Anything where I answer your questions on libertarian superheroes, how I invest my money, paying more for tax-free products, crypto usage in New Hampshire, and Bill Weld. This episode is brought to you by Health Excellence Plus, a health share that has saved my family thousands of dollars, and can save you money too. Also, brought to you by ForkFest, the third annual decentralized libertarian camping event that happens right before PorcFest, with no tickets and no one in charge. WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES Holy shit, guys. It didn't take long for government to prove that they are authoritarian monsters in the case of the first seastead, and they did it with a vengeance, destroying the seastead and charging the two who lived on the seastead with breaching Section 119 of Thailand's Criminal Code. That section of code concerns any acts that cause the country or parts of it to fall under the sovereignty of a foreign state or deterioration of the state's independence. It is punishable by death or life imprisonment. WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In bad boys news, a Pennsylvania police officer will not face charges for accidentally shooting a suspect in the stomach inside a police station last month, the district attorney announced Friday. In more bad boys news, a Bob Jones University Police Department officer was arrested and taken to jail for the repeated rape of a mentally challenged woman—over the course of three years. In mercy news, terminally ill adults in New Jersey will now be able to ask for medical help to end their lives. In debt spending news, this year, Washington will spend a staggering $35,148 per household and collect $26,677 per household in taxes. The resulting budget deficit of $8,471 per household will bring the total national debt to $177,000 per household. In Weld Watch news, Bill Weld has announce finally that he is running against Trump for the GOP nomination, saying, "America deserves better." In cryptocurrency news, Congress is seeking information from the IRS, saying that American taxpayers face an unacceptable ambiguity over cryptocurrency. ASK ME ANYTHING It's that time again! I'm going to answer your burning questions! I answer your questions on libertarian superheroes, how I invest my money, paying more for tax-free products, crypto usage in New Hampshire, and Bill Weld.

We discuss the fallout of the Mueller Report and how it has effected Trump. Also, we discuss Bill Weld in his 2020 primary future. Donate to Bill Weld campaign at https://www.weld2020.org/ #EmbraceTheRant #JoinUs on Facebook.com/democratsrepublican Twitter.com/demrepubpodcast #BREAKING WE ARE NOW ON INSTAGRAM www.instagram.com/democratsrepublican --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/DemocratsRepublican/support

Episode 11 MAGA Cover Up And Assange Arrested Featuring Hosts: Matthew Carano, Nick Boyle, and Cord Blomquist Engineered by: Matthew Carano Produced by: Matthew Carano, and Nick Boyle Show Summary: On this episode of The Freecast, Epping High student forced to cover up MAGA shirt, Assange is ousted from embassy, Bill Weld runs republican, and a loose discussion on the NH state seal.   News Epping High Student told to cover up her MAGA shirt (Matt) https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/epping-principal-issues-apology-after-student-was-told-to-cover/article_af9fee3b-37e8-507c-aecb-63502126bd79.html Assange arrested in London (Cord) https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47891737 Former Mass Governor Bill Weld announces run for president as a republican (Nick) https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/former-mass-gov-weld-announces-run-for-president-on-patriots/article_b6448818-bc0b-5ae0-aa1e-3ad9cdc4e94c.html?block_id=664693 On Rachel Maddow in November 2nd 2016, before the election. “Well I'm here vouching for Mrs. Clinton and I think it's high time somebody did and I'm doing it based on my personal experience with her and I think she deserves to have people vouch for her other than members of the Democratic National Committee so I'm here to do that.” “I know her to be a person of high moral character” https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/11/02/libertarian_vp_candidate_wel Durham reaches $1.1 million settlement agreement with Eversource (Cord) https://www.fosters.com/news/20190416/durham-approves-1m-settlement-with-eversource How is this not extortion or bribery? Durham is dropping an appeal in exchange for money. d_im_here_vouching_for_mrs_clinton_and_i_think_its_high_time_somebody_did.html Death Penalty repeal passes both house and senate with veto-proof majority (Matt) https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/death-penalty-repeal-passes-nh-senate-with-veto-proof-majority/article_6ba91bd6-fcf8-5986-add0-4dfb3f24fa09.html Secretary of State Bill Gardner (Cord) https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/gardner-urges-lawmakers-to-treat-all-voters-equally/article_ac0f480e-a64a-5fdf-a8d9-6c3d19fde4e8.html “No matter how rich you are, or smart you are, when you are in that line at the polling place, you are the same as everyone. When you start fracturing that with exceptions, that is the path that leads to where the country was in the 1960s,” Before HB 1264, NH was the only state that didn't require voters to be residents This bill basically says, if you want to vote, you have to be a resident, and therefore, you have to pay the same fees and taxes that all other residents pay Events Freecoast Liberty Outreach Meetup Rochester - 3rd Thursday   NH History Colonial New Hampshire and its seals I will be using all new style calendar dates to avoid confusion. Old style had the first day of the year as March 25th, Lady Day. In 1752, English speaking countries switched from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar, which changed the beginning of the year to January 1. That year Wednesday September 2nd, was followed by Thursday September 14th.. Between 1623-1640 when NH was “independent” it had no seal since John Mason only had a grant and had no charter. The 4 towns of NH operated autonomously and didn't need a seal. 1641-1679 NH was united with Massachusetts and used the Massachusetts Seal In 1680, when John Cutt became “president” of NH, separate from Massachusetts, a new seal was made. Only one impression of that seal has been found, but it is in bad condition 1682 Edward Cranfield seal Feb 1685 James II ascended the throne and threw a wrench into how the colonies were organized. In October 165 James II commissioned Joseph Dudley President, to rule over the Territory and Dominion of New England, consisting of Massachusetts Bay, Maine, New Hampshire and the Narragansett Country, or King's Province. In May 1686 the separate governments of the provinces united into the Dominion of New England were superseded by the central government so established, and their respective seals had no authority. (boo) Later that year, Sir Edmund Andros took over as President and the dominion enlarged to include New Plymouth and Rhode Island. Connecticut was added in 1687 New York and East and West Jersey added in 1688. In Boston April 1689 news from England reported that James II was overthrown and Andros himself was overthrown by a popular uprising. From then until March 1690, was without any government, either by appointment of the Crown or by its own people, so the towns were obliged to take care of themselves! (gasp!) Unfortunately, In March 1690 NH towns were for the second time, in Massachusetts jurisdiction and afterwards sent their representatives to the General Court in Boston. Luckily it was short lived. March 1692 Samuel Allen was appointed governor of NH. New seal made. Allenstown is named after him. Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont was made governor in 1699. He was the first of many governors that were joint governors with Massachusetts until 1741. Each Seal of New Hampshire in the Colonial Era had whatever the Seal of the Union of Great Britain Inscribed in Latin was with some variance on “The Seal of the Province of New Hampshire in New England.” In 1775 the colony developed a separate colony seal with a fish on the left and a pine tree on the right with 5 arrows bundled in the middle to signify the 5 counties at the time and the 2 major industries on NH at the time. In 1776 after independence was declared the seal had the words, “Vis Unita Fortior” until the adoption of the state constitution in 1784. It means “Strength united is stronger.” Suggestions/Feedback Do you have a topic that you would like for us to discuss? A correction and additional piece of information that we may have overlooked, please send it in to freecastpodcast@gmail.com While you are here, follow us on Twitter @freecastpodcast and like our Facebook page.

Senator Ted Cruz on his education bill and Notre Dame Cathedral Paris fire and Bill Weld wants to primary President Trump? Let's see how that will work out for himSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Krikorian, Executive Director for the Center For Immigration Studies, joins Seth to talk about his tour of the southern border. Bill Weld's comments to Steve Hilton on why he is exploring a Republican challenge to Trump in 2020. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's flagship Lions of Liberty podcast, Marc is joined by editor-at-large at Reason magazine, Matt Welch! Matt details his background in journalism and politics, and how they've interweaved to shape his views today. Marc and Matt go on to discuss the concept of bias in journalism, the direction and purpose of the Libertarian Party, and just what is Bill Weld up to with his run against Donald Trump?  For show notes head over to LionsOfLiberty.com/389 Become mighty and learn to code at Mathbot.com! Be sure to check out another great podcast, Free Man Beyond the Wall with Pete "Mance Rayder" Raymond!     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, troublemaking and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

John McAfee is on the run again... from authorities and for president. What's in the News with stories on buying guns with buy-back money, voluntary conservationism, judicial mobile phone protection, Bill Weld, universal home visits for newborns, and secession. And Yet Another Bad Cop on a bit of justice while protecting the thin blue line.     WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES John McAfee, who sought the Libertarian Party Presidential nomination in 2016, is on the run from authorities... again. This time, he says a grand jury in Tennessee has charged him with felonies due to his not paying taxes to the Internal Revenue Service for 8 years, nor has he filed any returns. McAfee is now fleeing the United States on a boat and is adamant that he will conduct his presidential campaign in exile.     WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In not all heroes wear capes news, a Missouri man sold his firearms made out of scrap metal and garbage to a gun buy-back program…  and then used the money to buy a real gun.   In voluntaryism news, the creator of the online video game Fortnite, Tim Sweeney has made good on his promise to protect undeveloped and bio-diverse land in the picturesque western Carolina mountains for future generations.    In even a broken watch news, a California judge has ruled that American cops can't force people to unlock a mobile phone with their face or finger. The ruling goes further to protect people's private lives from government searches than any before and is being hailed as a potential landmark decision.   In OG Libertarian news, former Gov. William F. Weld is heading to New Hampshire soon and don't count him out of the 2020 mix — either as a Libertarian or a Republican.   In cradle to grave news, if Oregon Governor Kate Brown has her way, the Beaver State will become the first to require universal home visits for newborn children in the care of their own parents.   In secession news, there is a very real chance that New York State may split from New York City.     AND YET ANOTHER BAD COP As happens every once in a while, there is a ton of news in a single week showing a bevy of bad cops. This week, though, there is a case that was a big surprise to me, as it shows a cop actually getting his just deserts for murdering a man. That's pretty rare and great to see. However, three other got away scot-free for defending the thin blue line.

Merry Christmas ya Liberty animals! It's time once again for our annual "Naughty or Nice" show, where we go through various names in the political realm and and determine whether they have been "naughty" or "nice" for Liberty in 2018! Marc is joined by Brian, Odie, JB and sort-of by Rico, as they pass judgment upon Donald Trump, Rand Paul, Kim Jong Un, Arvin Vohra, Alexandria Occasio-Cortez, Matt Stone and Trey Parker and more!  Don't forget to check out the bonus show on Patreon where we dive into more Libertarian Party such as Bill Weld, Nicholas Sarwark , Joshua Smith and more For show notes head to Lions of Liberty.com/380 Be sure to check out another great libertarian podcast, Free Man Beyond the Wall! Check out Sounds Like Liberty's amazing project, FreedomSong365.com! For a free market alternative to health insurance, check out Health Excellence Plus to take control of the costs of your medical care.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the craziest episode of the year, this week welcomes in the annual Lions of Liberty Spooktacular Halloween Jamboroo, 2018 edition! The Lions toss back adult beverages and enter a parallel dimension populated with Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, The Clintons, Brett Kavanaugh, Donald and Melania Trump, Stormy Daniels, Elizabeth Warren, Kanye West and Alexandra Alexia Cortez. And Bernie Sanders even makes an appearance! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When spreading the gospel of freedom, should we hide our end game to gain sunshine converts? What's in the News with stories on the age of consent, fireworks cop calls, wasted tax money, and some Libertarian Party convention news. Finally, and Ask Me Anything segment on insurance and defensive voting. This episode is brought to you by ZenCash, a cryptocurrency that infuses privacy, anonymity, and security done right. Also brought to you by Free Talk Live, providing you with fresh, pro-liberty content 7 days a week on more than 180 radio stations across the country.       WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES I am sick to death of libertarians, or probably more accurately, supposed libertarians, who somehow think we should hide who we are, essentially lying about our stances, and then, at some undefined, opportune time, we spring the truth on people about what libertarianism truly is. Sadly, I hear this sort of tactic mostly from people who can't define libertarianism in any literate manner to begin with, which makes it even sadder.     WHAT'S IN THE NEWS  In the age of consent news, a 27-year-old Cleveland man faces between 15 and 30 years in prison for allegedly producing child pornography. But no children were harmed by his actions: The man merely took consensual, sexually suggestive pictures of his 17-year-old girlfriend when he was 20.  In some good or bad cops news, Des Moines, Iowa, police received hundreds of fireworks-related complaints, but authorities didn't issue a single citation.  In some good or bad cops news, Des Moines, Iowa, police received hundreds of fireworks-related complaints, but authorities didn't issue a single citation.  In some Libertarian Party news, the LP held it's biennial convention last week and, as is to be expected, some good and some bad come from it.  An interesting tidbit to come out of the convention is that Arvin Vorha lost his bid to be reelected as Vice-Chair for the LP.   And, finally, post-convention, my good friend Tom Knapp created a new site, whoisbillweld.com. It will be, I hope, an ever-expanding expose on Bill Weld, his anti-libertarian, and anti-freedom positions, and why he should not be president.     ASK ME ANYTHING  It's been a while since I've done an AMA segment, so here we go! Today we'll talk about insurance to start off with then move into defensive voting.  

I've had some major life changes the last few weeks that are really rustling my jimmies but will likely be a blessing in disguise. How can you help? What's in the News with stories on Bill Weld, hemp legalization, government waste, slavery in France, and New Hampshire it's like this too. Also, a Herding Cats segment on a PorcFest XV recap! This episode is brought to you by ZenCash, a cryptocurrency that infuses privacy, anonymity, and security done right. Also brought to you by Free Talk Live, providing you with fresh, pro-liberty content 7 days a week on more than 180 radio stations across the country.  WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES As you guys know, I rarely use this section for personal things, but there is something going on in my life that really has my jimmies rustled, but it may be a huge blessing in disguise. WHAT'S IN THE NEWS  In Bill Weld news, he is making it more and more obvious every day that he wants to be the next Libertarian presidential nominee. Last week he sat down with The Washington Post for an interview. In hemp news, the US Senate votes to legalize hemp after a decades-long ban under marijuana prohibition, and it's about goddamned time. In government waste news, Marin County California pissed away $17,500 in taxpayer money to kill a grand total of 23 rodents. That is $760 per dead rodent. Damn, I'm in the wrong business. I've killed several the last few months for free! In slavery news, France has reinstated a mandatory national service program for all 16-year-olds in the country. In New Hampshire, It's Like This Too News, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is drawing a line in the sand against the U.S. Supreme Court decision that opens New Hampshire businesses to the sales tax requirements of other states. HERDING CATS So, PorcFest is over, and holy shit was it amazing.

Alfie Evans has been murdered by the state, and this one hit me really hard. What's in the news with stories on more government murder, Bill Weld, busybodies, cops quitting at record levels, and cop corruption. Finally, an And Yet another Bad Cop segment on even more government murder. This episode is brought to you by ZenCash, a cryptocurrency that infuses privacy, anonymity, and security done right. Also brought to you by NordVPN, the fastest, easiest to use service to protect your online presence that I've ever seen.   WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES I have been absolutely gut-punched by this latest murder by the British government, so much so that I almost didn't talk about this on my show, but I felt I had to do it. I don't know if I was gut-punched because the pictures of this little, beautiful boy reminded me of my son at that age, or if it was the fact that the British government has now been allowed to get away with this twice recently, or what, but this has been really tough on me. I'm talking about, of course, the latest case of a small child, Alfie Evans, less than two years old, being forced to die in a British hospital by the rulers of the country.   WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In more government is murder news, at least 33 people were killed and 41 wounded after coalition airstrikes, led by Saudi Arabia, hit a wedding party in northwest Yemen. In riding my coattails news, after my report on Bill Weld last week, Reason Magazine chimes in with their own article titled, "Bill Weld Lays Groundwork for 2020 Libertarian Presidential Run." In busy body news, a woman called the police to complain about a man's pro-gun t-shirt. In good riddance to bad apples news, in England, police officers are quitting their jobs at one of the highest rates since records began.  In the rulers getting richer news, a former New York City cop spilled his guts, telling Manhattan jurors about years worth of bribes he and his fellow officers received for doling out gun permits — everything from cash, prostitutes and expensive watches to baseball memorabilia and exotic vacations.     AND YET ANOTHER BAD COP I try to save this segment of my show for the worst of the worst cases of police actions, and this episode is no different.  In May of last year, two West Milwaukee police officers broke down the door to Adam Trammell's home, confronted him as he stood naked in his shower, and tasered him 18 times until he died. This month, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has decided that the two cops responsible for this horrifying incident will not be charged.

Bill Weld is back and is schmoozing the LP. Let's not forget how toxic this statist is. What's in the News with stories on 800 percent tax increase, government forced indoctrination, communism is bad, speech stopped in preschool, and a cop trolling for dates. Finally, an Ask Me Anything segment where I answer your burning questions. This episode is brought to you by ZenCash, a cryptocurrency that infuses privacy, anonymity, and security done right. Also brought to you by NordVPN, the fastest, easiest to use service to protect your online presence that I've ever seen.   WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES At the end of the 2016 campaign, I made a prediction. I said that Bill Weld would be back to run for president for the Libertarian Party. Well, he is certainly giving every indication that he is, and that is just further proof that the Libertarian Party is a disaster and irrelevant. Not because he is running, mind you, but the fact that powerful, prominent members of the LP are all over him slobbering on his knob like he's the great savior of the party. Some of the people are people I had a modicum of respect for. Well, one way to quickly lose any respect I have for you is to support a statist in libertarian clothing like Bill Weld.   WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In taxation is theft news, a city in Maryland raised the property tax on businesses by 800 percent, in, a bid to attract more businesses. How backward can you be? In government indoctrination centers news, California is about to implement new abortion- and homosexuality-promoting sex education lessons, and one school district has told parents they have no choice but to expose their children to them. In no shit Sherlock news, living under communism makes countries poorer and less healthy for decades, according to a landmark new study. Researchers testing historical connections between cultures found that whether a country had been under communism was the biggest factor for those with lower health, income, and educational levels. In more government indoctrination center news, students attending Pentucket Workshop Preschool in Georgetown, Massachusetts are not allowed to call each other "best friends."  In an abuse of authority news, New Jersey State Trooper Eric Richardson reportedly threatened female motorists with tickets and arrest until they agree to go out with him.   ASK ME ANYTHING It's that time again, where I answer a few of your questions! I've already answered all of my current questions from supporters since they get their questions answered first. This episode I'll be tackling some other questions.

Happy Thanksgiving Week! I'm thankful for you, my awesome listeners, but I'm also thankful for so much more. What's in the News with stories on Bill Weld, debtors prison, fake news news, big brother, Sessions being sued, AUMF, busted for hibiscus, victimless crimes, and libertarian charity. And, and Ancap Apps segment on the best VPN service I've ever used! WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES It's Thanksgiving week in the United States, and I realized while trying to decide what I was going to talk about in this segment that this segment is usually very negative in nature. So, today, I wanted to do something a bit differently. With all of the bullshit going on in the world, it is always healthy to take a step back and realize that we still have a lot to be thankful for. And I am so fortunate to have tons to be thankful for, and I want to share that with you today. WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In O.G. Libertarian news, Libertarian Party vice presidential nominee, Bill Weld, acts like he's still bullish for the LP just shortly after helping raise tons of money for Republicans in Massachusetts. And, of course, overly pragmatic Reason Magazine is eating up the horse shit he feeds them.  In debtors prison news, a Colorado Springs woman who has a newborn child was jailed for 27 days because she couldn't pay an unrelated pretrial court processing fee of $55 despite a judge's order that she be released on her own recognizance, a civil lawsuit says. In debtors prison news, a Colorado Springs woman who has a newborn child was jailed for 27 days because she couldn't pay an unrelated pretrial court processing fee of $55 despite a judge's order that she be released on her own recognizance, a civil lawsuit says. In big brother news, The House Judiciary Committee has approved (27 to 8) the USA Liberty Act, which reforms as it reauthorizes Sec. 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes the surveillance of communications from non-U.S. residents. Next stop is a vote on the House floor. The US Senate proposed a similar USA Liberty Act as well. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) introduced the Liberty Act bill which will reauthorize the controversial Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. This gives US intelligence agencies permission to spy on and store internet metadata and communications of foreign people living outside the US, along with communications of US citizens which get “swept up” in the data collection In cannabis news, a 12-year-old girl in Colorado is suing Attorney General Jeff Sessions over what the lawsuit claims is an unconstitutional federal prohibition on medical marijuana. Alexis Bortell, who uses a strain of cannabis oil called Haleigh's Hope to keep seizures at bay, said that she hopes the lawsuit will at least normalize medical marijuana. Her best hope, she said, is that it will legalize it nationwide. In war is hell news, in a rare exercise of its war-making role, the House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly passed a resolution explicitly stating that U.S. military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its war in Yemen is not authorized under legislation passed by Congress to fight terrorism or invade Iraq. In not-cannabis news, Audrey and Edward Cramer, of Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania, were reported to police by their Nationwide insurance agent for allegedly having marijuana plants on their property. The couple says that on Sept. 20 police stormed their house, harassed them, took their plants and arrested them, while Audrey Cramer was still in her underwear. The problem for police is that the plants they confiscated were Kenaf hibiscus plants, not marijuana. In even more victimless crime news, a single mother of 6 from the notoriously poor city of Stockton, California recently made headlines after selling an undercover agent… a $12 plate of ceviche, Mexican food. In Pax Libertas Productions news, I have a huge favor to ask of you guys. Brian McQuade, the host of Resist the Empire, and I are trying to raise $1,000 for the charity Starlight Children's Foundation, and we could use your help!  ANCAP APPS For years I've recommended Private Internet Access to people who wanted a private VPN service to protect their data and traffic on the internet. PIA is a good service, and I used it for many years, but I have found one that is even better and offers better privacy and services.  NordVPN is a VPN service that has all of the features of PIA, plus many more. First, you can pay for NordVPN using Bitcoin for some added protection of your privacy.  PIA allowed for this also, so this is a plus. Some of the features of NordVPN are just awesome though.

Halloween comes a day early this year as special guest host Gary Johnson throws a Halloween party with all sorts of special guests, including Bill Weld, Frederica Wilson, Kim Jong Un, Donald Trump and many, many more! Eventually, the Lions return for an episode of “Libertarians in Living Rooms Drinking Liquor”, as Marc, Brian, Rico and JB discuss Gary Johnson's crusade against the two party system, and just how “private” companies like YouTube, Amazon, Facebook really are.  Enjoy this spooky, scary, Liberty Halloween! For show notes head to LionsOfLiberty.com/319 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Secession is in the news again, and more than just Catalonia. Why is this good news? What's in the News with stories on a new libertarian country idea, police union outrage, Free Ross news, Equifax gets a government contract, Bill Weld shows his true colors, and body camera footage kept in the dark. Also, a Statists Gonna State segment on guns in America and a Herding Cats segment on two upcoming libertarian events. This episode is brought to you by Tom Woods's Liberty Classroom, helping you to become a smarter and more informed libertarian than ever before, for just 24 cents a day. WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES After Brexit, there have been several secession movements pop up and several have actually made strides at breaking off from other countries. Sure, you've seen the news and the videos about the independence efforts in Catalonia, but have you heard about the recent movements in Cameroon and Kurdistan? Let's talk secession! WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In the new world news, Bitcoin Jesus, Roger Ver, is partnering with Olivier Janssens to create a new country, the world's first sovereign voluntaryist country. They have titled the project Free Society, and are looking to join forces with a willing government and purchase the territory from them. According to Jansenns, they have amassed over $100,000,000 dollars to create the country. In cockroaches hate the light news, the head of the Salt Lake Police Association has watched the country's outrage over the videos showing a nurse getting arrested for refusing to draw a man's blood without a warrant and has decided the correct response is to complain that the public got to see what its officers did. As an aside, sadly, William Gray, the truck driver who nurse Wubbels was protecting in this incident dies from the injuries he suffered in the crash. In Free Ross news, Ross Ulbricht has surrendered his claim to 144,336 BitCoins, or what amounts to $48 million to the Federal government through their civil asset forfeiture program. In I couldn't make this shit up news, the IRS will pay Equifax $7.25 million to verify taxpayer identities and help prevent fraud under a no-bid contract issued last week, even as lawmakers lash the embattled company about a massive security breach that exposed personal information of as many as 145.5 million Americans. In I told you so news, lifetime member of the Libertarian Party and the OG libertarian (according to Gary Johnson anyway) Bill Weld will be heading up a big fundraising event in Cambridge, MA for... the state Republican Party. And he is throwing his support to GOP US Senate candidate Beth Lindstrom and Governor Charlie Baker in the 2018 election. He will join Baker, Mitt Romney, and Jane Swift as the featured draw by the state Republican Party, which is looking to use its former leaders to raise money. In watching the watchers news, North Carolina lawmakers have made is much more difficult to investigate our rulers by passing a bill exempting body camera footage from public records requests. The law put law enforcement agencies and judges in charge of deciding what footage may be released. STATISTS GONNA STATE As you're all aware, there was another horrific mass shooting recently, this time in Las Vegas that took the lives of 59 people. I honestly have no desire to go over the specifics of this situation because there are plenty of shows that have discussed it and there is so much news out about it. However, as usual, there were immediate calls for banning guns when this happened.  Hillary Clinton blamed silencers yet no silencers were used. Everyone screamed to ban automatic rifles although those have been banned for decades and there also was no automatic weapon used in this case. Washington state is proposing a bill that would ban most purchases of military-style weapons — such as semi-automatic AR-15 rifles — and outlaw large capacity magazines. Magazines would be limited to 10 rounds of ammunition or less. Even in New Hampshire, a Democratic representative is calling for banning bump stocks.  So, let's look at some hard facts about guns in America. HERDING CATS Two awesome liberty events are coming up in February almost back to back, including one of my favorite liberty events of the year.  

In today's episode of Lions of Liberty, Marc welcomes 2016 Libertarian VP candidate Judd Weiss back to the show to discuss his experiences with the Gary Johnson campaign and the Libertarian Party in the 2016 Election cycle. In the show, you'll hear: Judd explains his history as a supporter and friend of Gary Johnson, and why he chose to support and run with John McAfee in 2016. Judd details some of the strange behavior he began to notice from some individuals who he would later learn were under the employ of the Gary Johnson campaign. Judd breaks down some of the spending of the Gary Johnson campaign, and ponders why such a disproportionate amount of campagn money went to Johnson's campaign manager, Ron Nielson. Judd reveals some of what he saw behind the scenes at the 2016 Libertarian Convention, including shenanigans involving Alicia Dearn's endorsement of Bill Weld. Judd pulls no punches in hi [...] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you practicing agorism without even knowing it? Also, What's in the News with stories on jury nullification, the drug war, Clinton investigations, Brexit and Bill Weld, an Ancap App update and a trailer for a new show coming to the Pax Libertas Productions network. WHAT'S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES  Agorism is a topic I've wanted to […] The post The Agorism Works Edition – TLF049 appeared first on The LAVA Flow Podcast.

Jesse and Brittany discuss their weekend trip to Nashville and her weird theories about gingers. This episode is heavy on the binary choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The COWARDS like Paul Ryan and Jason Chaffetz who are not “supporting” or endorsing Donald Trump, but are voting for him. Racist robocalls from former Donald... The post #254 – “Nashville Trip, Donald Trump and His COWARD Supporters, More Trump Racism, Bill Weld Practically Endorses Hillary Clinton, Racist Pro-Trump Robo-Calls, Hell House Churches are A$$hole of Today. appeared first on I Doubt It Podcast.

The Gamification of Arcade City Edition The new Arcade City app is now out. Is it all just a game? Also in this fortnight's episode, The Gamification of Arcade City Edition, What's in the News with articles on Bill Weld, pot user gun bans, anti-gun New Jersey, TSA nonsense, the FBI's war on encryption, and […] The post The Gamification of Arcade City Edition – TLF045 appeared first on The LAVA Flow Podcast.

Remso talks to blogger at large, Lina Bryce, as the two discuss why Republican Lina has chose to ignore Donald Trump and instead vote for the Libertarian ticket of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld. This is an episode you don't want to miss! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-remso-martinez-experience/support

Jesse and Brittany discuss her smiling in a bar. Listener voicemails from Marvin and John cover the media's softball questions and our use of the label “radical Islamic extremists.” Kevin Swanson, Phil Vander Ploeg, and Senator David Perdue, all demonstrate why Christianity gets a bad rap. Corey Lewandowski is fired by Donald Trump and Gary... The post #226 – “Brittany's ‘Mixed-Signals', Media Soft Balls, Simplifying w/ Radical Islam?, Christians – Kevin Swanson, Phil Vander Ploeg and David Perdue, Corey Lewandowski is FIRED! CNN Hosts Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, and Americans Give!” appeared first on I Doubt It Podcast.

Remso throws his support behind Gary Johnson....... not so much for Bill Weld. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-remso-martinez-experience/support