Civil Discourse Podcast

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  S03, E07: McGahn Subpoena

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie discuss the House of Representatives' appeal to have a subpoena for former White House Counsel Don McGahn enforced. They ruminate on the future of this situation and the potential affects on House subpoenas in the future.

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  S03, E08: Price to be Paid

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie discuss civility in political discourse, as it relates to Senator Schumer's remarks regarding the Supreme Court. A plea for more civility follows the discussion of a "price to pay."

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  S03, E09: 501 (c) 3 Taxes for Non Profit Organizations

  Nia Rodgers and Patricia Sobczak

  Nia is joined by guest Dr. Patricia Sobczak to discuss the rules surrounding non-profit organizations and their tax status. Dr. Sobczak also gives advice about giving money to charity.

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  S03, E10: The Census

  Nia Rodgers and Nina Exner

  Nia and Dr. Nina Exner discuss the Census and how the data is used. Nia and Nina discuss the difficulties of counting every American, as well as the ways in which other types of sampling data is taken and how the statistics are adjusted to give an overall picture of the American population.

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  S03, E11: The Gold Standard

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie discuss the gold standard, what backs American currency, and the beginnings of the national economy. They also explore the philosophical questions around debt and currency as social interaction.

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  S03, E12: Russian Politics

  Nia Rodgers, John Aughenbaugh, and Judyth Twigg

  Nia and Aughie are joined by Dr. Judyth Twigg of the VCU Political Science department. Dr. Twigg specializes in global public health issues and all things Russia, and gives Nia and Aughie a primer on current Russian politics. Later in the episode, Dr. Twigg connects politics to the coronavirus in Russia, and makes some predictions about Russia's political future.

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  S03, E13: President Adjourns Congress

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie discuss the Constitutional powers granted to the President to adjourn Congress or call a session of Congress. There are very narrow circumstances under which a President may adjourn Congress. Only once has a President called Congress into session.

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  S04, E01: Marbury Starts Us Off

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie are spending the next several weeks focusing on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). This episode explains the case Marbury v Madison, which led to judicial review, and sets the tone for the importance of the SCOTUS going forward. Learn about the maneuvering of Madison, Marshall, Adams, and Jefferson as the third branch of government finds its feet.

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  S04, E02: SCOTUS on Zoom

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie discuss the new rules for oral arguments as the Court adjusts to meeting under social distancing guidelines. Mention is made of the problems created by using Zoom-like software to hold arguments (and the flush heard around the legal world).

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  S04, E03: Summer of SCOTUS: Writ of Certiorari

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  In this episode, Nia and Aughie discuss the application for a hearing before the Supreme Court, called a writ of certiorari. Aughie details the division of labor, brief building process, and clerk work of the Supreme Court, leading to the Justices' decisions about taking a case.

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  S04, E04: Summer of SCOTUS: Georgia

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  In this episode, Aughie and Nia discuss the Georgia v Public Resource case decided before the Supreme Court, October term, 2019. The holding: Under the government edicts doctrine, the annotations beneath the statutory provisions in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated are ineligible for copyright protection (SCOTUSblog).

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  S04, E05: Summer of SCOTUS: Guns of New York

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Aughie and Nia discuss this Second Amendment case, originally opposing the travel ban on guns outside of going to firing ranges, as set by New York City. The case is eventually declared moot (as the city rescinded the law), but there is a lingering question of the lower court's application of SCOTUS Second Amendment precedent.

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  S04, E06: Summer of SCOTUS: Bostock

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie discuss the meaning of "sex" as written into Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, considering how it may pertain to being fired for being homosexual or transgender. They also talk at length about the concepts of Constitutional textualism, as interpreted by several justices.

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  S04, E07: Summer of SCOTUS: Pipelines, Sanctuary Cities, and Guns, Oh My!

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  In this episode, Nia and Aughie discuss three SCOTUS rulings: the pipeline ruling under the Appalachian Trail, the sanctuary city ruling, and the declination to take a Second Amendment case from the ten proposed. Each of these rulings have long-term implications for federal and state powers.

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  S04, E08: Summer of SCOTUS: Seila Law, June Medical, and Espinoza

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  In this long episode, Nia and Aughie talk about three Supreme Court rulings: Seila Law, June Medical, and Espinoza. The Seila ruling considers whether a government official can fine companies, when that official's position may or may not be constitutionally guided. The June Medical ruling concerned the question of undue burden for women seeking abortions. Nia and Aughie disagree on the third ruling, Espinoza (regarding charitable donations and religious schools), but do so civilly.

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  S04, E09: Summer of SCOTUS: Religious Employment

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  In the rulings for these two cases, Aughie and Nia wrestle with the competing interests of the 1st Amendment's causes regarding religion, civil rights, and moral exceptions for employers. In the first case, the SCOTUS ruling upholds the moral or religious exemption from being required to cover their employees' contraception. In the second case, the question of the ministerial exception is explored.

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  S04, E10: Summer of SCOTUS: Faithless Electors

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Aughie and Nia follow up an earlier podcast (Electoral College) with the rulings that were pending at that time. In a unanimous decision, the SCOTUS held that electors must follow the rules their states have set out for voting in the electoral college. The SCOTUS also held that states could punish electors that "go rogue". Discussion ensued on the long term effect this may have on the functioning of the Electoral College.

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  S04, E11: Summer of SCOTUS: McGirt

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie grapple with SCOTUS rulings and questions of racism and Congressional neglect as they pertain to treaties with Native American tribes. In this case, the SCOTUS ruled that the Creek Nation's 1833 and 1856 treaties with the federal government are still in place, bringing into question who has authority over the eastern portion of the state of Oklahoma.

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  S04, E12: Summer of SCOTUS: Taxes

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Aughie and Nia discuss the SCOTUS rulings concerning access to President Donald Trump's tax records, and whether U.S. Presidents can claim absolute immunity from the state criminal process. In the instance of Vance, the SCOTUS ruled that the President does not have immunity from a state criminal subpoena. In the instance of Mazars, the SCOTUS ruled that the Congress must present a compelling case to a judge (and outlined questions that should be asked) to justify their subpoenas.

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  S04, E13: Summer of SCOTUS: DACA

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Aughie and Nia discuss the SCOTUS ruling in the case involving the Trump Administration's attempt to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The SCOTUS ruling focused on the Administrative Procedures Act, and whether the Trump Administration properly applied the necessary procedures to rescind DACA.

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  S04, E14: Summer of SCOTUS: Wrap Up

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie explore themes from the summer of SCOTUS, from the effects of COVID-19 to who wrote the most opinions. Themes include up and downsides to oral arguments, John Roberts' voting record, rulings all over the ideological spectrum, voting and opinion writing, and the future docket of the Court.

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  S05, E01: Copyright and the Courts

  Nia Rodgers, John Aughenbaugh, and Hillary Miller

  Aughie and Nia welcome Hillary Miller in the first of three episodes exploring the legal aspects of copyright and trademark law. In this episode, the three focus on copyright law as applied by the courts.

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  S05, E02: Trademarks in the United States

  Nia Rodgers, John Aughenbaugh, and Hillary Miller

  Nia and Aughie welcome Hillary Miller to discuss trademark protections in the United States. The discussion ranges from logos to regular words used in business marks.

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  S05, E03: Booking

  Nia Rodgers

  Aughie and Nia welcome back Hillary Miller for the last in the three part series dealing with the Supreme Court's decisions on trademark and copyright law of the recent term. In this episode, they discuss the use of "regular" words in trademark law in light of the Booking.com decision.

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  S05, E04: Mudslinging

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie begin to explore the election season with an episode on campaign rhetoric. This discussion of lines crossed and regretted utterances circles back to the concept of civilized political speech and the potential negatives of mudslinging.