An extremely sad case, especially for man’s best friend (dog-lover discretion is advised!), and a happy case for property rights. First, the Center for Judicial […]

Civil forfeiture is a civil rights nightmare, allowing police and prosecutors to seize billions of dollars’ worth of property annually—cash, cars, houses, bank accounts, and […]

Part of the job description of a journalist is talk to public officials, gather information, and report on it. Unfortunately, that seems to be a […]

One reason we have a Fourth Amendment is to be free from general warrants, permission slips for the government to search, well, everything. Is that […]

On a typical day, police officers pull over more than 50,000 drivers. If you’ve had a recent encounter with police, chances are good it was […]

Anyone who has ever grown enraged after seeing their comment deleted from a Facebook page will find solace in this week’s episode. We examine a […]

A most unusual Fourth Amendment case this week: One cop claims there was a seizure while another says there was not. They disagree because one […]

The freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment is a foundational and cherished right that sets America apart from other constitutional democracies.    Many […]

Emphasizing the justice in our name, IJ recently launched a new project to fight back against zoning laws, Zoning Justice. We’ve been challenging overreaching zoning […]

It’s time for Short Circuit to head for the hills. Two cases from the mountainous Tenth Circuit, one on the Fourth Amendment and another on […]

As our listeners probably know, civil forfeiture is legal practice that lets the government take and keep your property by claiming it’s connected to a […]

We join forces with the law firm of Hogan Lovells to bring you some “legal mumbo jumbo”—an episode recorded at their offices in Washington, D.C. […]

Imagine a SWAT team raids a house—battering doors, breaking windows, and coating everything inside with tear gas residue.  Now imagine the SWAT team had the […]

This episode is a First Amendment 2-4-1. We begin with James Dickey of the Upper Midwest Law Center (and former golf pro). James tells us […]

The Fourth of July holds a central place in American history. The day patriots threw off the shackles of King George. Which is why it’s […]

Everybody knows that the government can’t take property from you just because it doesn’t like you. But what if the government says it actually wants […]

In March 2021, people entered a private security-deposit box company in Beverly Hills, CA, broke open hundreds of boxes, and indiscriminately seized their contents – […]

Is “perceived speech” protected by the First Amendment? That straightforward question goes in a very complicated direction when a truck driver is fired from his […]

In 2005, in the case of Kelo v. New London, the Supreme Court allowed officials to seize and raze an entire neighborhood of well-maintained homes […]

We like to think of America as a land of opportunity and second chances. But what happens when a web of government restrictions prevents someone […]

It’s a Short Circuit Live, recorded at the Institute for Justice’s annual law student conference! Patrick Jaicomo is your host, and he brings along IJ’s […]

If a federal official violates your rights, is it impossible to hold them accountable?  In this episode, we talk with IJ senior attorneys Anya Bidwell […]

Another episode of that podcast that’s not Short Circuit but features Institute for Justice attorneys talking about the law. Anya Bidwell rejoins the panel while […]

On this episode: Berman v. Parker, the Supreme Court’s decision in 1954 to abandon previous constitutional limits on the government’s power to take property from […]

If you’re a fan of our furry friends (actual animals, that is) then this is the episode for you. First, we start with what’s important: […]

First of all: PARENTAL ADVISORY! If you have children nearby you might want to save part of this episode for later. It doesn’t happen until […]

How does history inform our interpretation of the Constitution? In all kinds of ways, it seems, and perhaps in too many of them. We once […]

Your home is supposed to be your castle. But what about the land your castle sits on?  We discuss why it is that most private […]

We take a break from the federal courts of appeals and look into a brave new world—or is it an Orwellian one? Our thoughts—our inner […]

We’re gonna read you the Riot Act. Again. An old friend of Short Circuit returns, the Anti-Riot Act. Perhaps (?) named in homage to its […]