Podcasts about your weekly constitutional

At last! A new episode! Well, kinda. We're not yet resuming production (sorry), but Wayne and Stewart got together via Skype to discuss some of 2020's most pressing issues. Their interview was part of WETS' 2020 fall fundraiser--so, if you're inclined to support the station that brings you "Your Weekly Constitutional," please consider making a donation.

Is the ban on military service for transgender people unconstitutional?  Eric Merriam thinks so.  He’s a law professor at the University of Central Florida who has worked for the Air Force both as a Judge Advocate General Corps officer and as a professor at the Air Force Academy.  He thinks the ban, allegedly justified by something called “unit cohesion,” is actually based upon unconstitutional animus aimed at trans people." Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.  

"The Goldwater Rule prohibits psychiatrists and psychologists from diagnosing anyone unless they have examined the patient personally. But some health care professionals insist that another ethical concept trumps the Goldwater Rule: the duty to warn others if a patient is a threat.  The “patient” in question is Donald Trump, and these professionals have decided to warn the world that he is dangerously mentally ill. They’ve even written a book: Rocket Man: Nuclear Madness and the Mind of Donald Trump. We hear from both sides on this contentious issue: Dr. Charles Dike of Yale, who defends the Goldwater Rule, and Dr. John Gartner, who taught for many years at Johns Hopkins, and who is one of the founders of the group Duty to Warn." Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.  

Professor Pat Baker of the University of Tennessee at Martin has noticed something troubling about small private colleges.  They’re closing down.  At an alarming rate.  Why is this?  And is there anything we can do about it?  Well, it turns out that the courts haven’t been very helpful, for a couple of very constitutional reasons." Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.  

 Is it time to stock up on bottled water and toilet paper?  Or is the situation on our southern border something less than a real emergency? Our guest is Andrew Boyle, who works in the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice.  He and Stewart have an enlightening conversation that starts at the very beginning:  What, precisely, constitutes a “national emergency?”  Who gets to declare one?  And what happens then? Specifically, can Donald Trump use the powers granted to the Executive during the current national emergency to build his wall?  He’ll face a fair amount of resistance, and Andrew and Stewart consider the various forms it will likely take." Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.  

"The Schoolhouse Gate.  We’ll speak with Justin Driver, a law professor from the University of Chicago.  Justin is concerned about the extent to which public school students are paddled, searched, stifled and otherwise denied their constitutional rights.  He’s written a book about it, called The Schoolhouse Gate." Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.  

Well, he’s at it again:  Beelzebub and his minions are showing up at public buildings, demanding equal space with other religious displays, like the Ten Commandments.  Our First Amendment Guy, Doug McKechnie, tells us all about it." Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.  

Abraham Lincoln saw us through the greatest constitutional crisis in our history. But he was more than 50 years old when he became our President. How did he spend the first half-century of his life? Mostly, he practiced law. We’ll speak with Steven Wilson, the Curator and Assistant Director of the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum at Lincoln Memorial University.Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.    

"We all learned in grade school that Abraham Lincoln “saved the Union.” But, in saving our nation, did he destroy our Constitution? He did some pretty extreme things, after all, from suspending habeas corpus to signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Were his actions constitutionally justified, or not? We’ll talk to Daniel Farber, who teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, and who presented this year’s R. Gerald McMurtry Lecture at Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law."  Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.   

It’s been over six months since Associate Justice Antonin Scalia passed away, yet still his chair on the Supreme Court bench is empty. Is the Senate’s refusal to consider a successor constitutional? What are the implications for the Court? For the Constitution? Stewart speaks with Nan Aron of the Alliance for Justice about this important but oft-overlooked constitutional standoff."  Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.   Friday afternoon 3:00 PM EDT/Noon PST on Coffee Party Radio

"Have you ever read the Declaration of Independence? Not just the “all men are created equal” stuff - have you read the whole thing? If you have, then you know that most of the Declaration is simply a list of complaints, bad things that the colonists said that the king was doing. And perhaps you’ve noticed that one of those complaints accused King George III of encouraging “domestic insurrections?” Really? What insurrections? And by whom? Rob Parkinson of Binghamton University will tell us all about it."  Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison. Friday 3:00 PM EDT/Noon PST on Coffee Party Radio

"There are lots of bad guys out there. And lots of people who could be bad guys. And other guys . . . well, we're not so sure about them. But can the President simply make a list, sit down in his big chair in the Oval Office, and decide which of these alleged bad guys to kill? We speak with David Adler, the Director of the Andrus Center for Public Policy at Boise State University, an expert on presidential power. David takes us on a fascinating journey, concentrating on the way executive power has dramatically increased during and after the Cold War, and especially after 9/11. You'll want to listen to this one. In the meantime, don't make the President mad."  Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison.  Please listen on Friday 3:00 PM EDT/Noon PST on Coffee Party Radio  

 "Executive Orders have been in the news lately. Some people claim that President Obama goes too far with his Orders. Others are more concerned about the recent statement by Republican candidate Donald Trump that he would use his Executive Orders to limit Muslim immigration to the United States. We’ll discuss it with law professor Eric Posner on our next episode. Your Weekly Constitutional is hosted by Constitutional Law Professor Stewart Harris. Stewart teaches Constitutional Law at the Appalachian School of Law (ASL) in Grundy, Virginia. In 2011, Professor Harris created a public radio show, Your Weekly Constitutional, which is produced at WETS-FM, the NPR affiliate in Johnson City, Tennessee, and syndicated nationally.  YWC is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at Montpelier, the historic home of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison Please join Stewart for this important discussion on Friday 3:00 PM EDT/Noon PST on Coffee Party Radio  

If you're a public radio listener, you've heard of BJ Leiderman. Hundreds of times. He's that fellow whose name is announced at the end of so many great shows, from Morning Edition to Science Friday: "and our theme music is by BJ Leiderman." Did you ever wonder who this guy is? Or how he came up with so many wonderful songs? Stewart did. Then, one day, he received an email message . . . . WARNING: This episode of Your Weekly Constitutional has nothing to do with the United States Constitution. But it has everything to do with public radio, music and fun. And while the Constitution doesn't expressly mention any of those things, well, perhaps it should.

We speak casually of "the Bible" and of "God" as if those words refer to specific entities that have a common definition.    Stewart Harris, professor of law at Appalachian School of Law and the host of Your Weekly Constitutional (website, podcast, Facebook page, Twitter feed), argues that, particularly in a legal setting, this imprecision can lead to huge problems in regards to religion and public life.   Join us for a fascinating discussion about bible, god, and law.

What's your favorite holiday? Christmas? The Fourth of July? Arbor Day? Those are all fine choices, but here at Your Weekly Constitutional we have our own particular favorite: September 17 - CONSTITUTION DAY! Join us for good times with James and Dolley Madison on a sunny day filled with warm breezes, cool drinks and good conversation -- a party in September at Montpelier.

We've got a new partner, and a new format! The new partner is the Home of the Constitution, James Madison's Montpelier, where the Father of the Constitution spent most of his life, and where he designed many of the basic principles of our Constitution. The new format includes new features, such as the Madison Minute, where each week we'll explore some aspect of James Madison's life, family or thought. It also includes This Week at Montpelier, where we'll discuss the many fascinating things happening all the time at the Home of the Constitution, from archaeology to wine tasting. And you'll notice increased technical quality, especially on the Constitutional Quiz with our Quiz Lady, Kelly Carmichael. But the basic focus of the show hasn't changed. We'll still take a major constitutional topic each week and talk with knowledgeable people about it. If it's controversial, we'll try to get all sides. So think of it as Your Weekly Constitutional, Version 2.0. Take a listen and let us know what you think.