Checks & Balances - Checks & Balances

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Latest Episodes:

“We Don’t Just Have One Constitution. We Have Fifty-One.” w/ Justice Clint Bolick Aug 19, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

Justice Clint Bolick of the Arizona Supreme Court joins Gregg Nunziata on Checks & Balances to discuss the power of state constitutional law. Justice Bolick explains why state courts often have the final word on protecting individual rights, discusses four key principles necessary to safeguard the rule of law, and offers young lawyers a roadmap for making a difference.

Follow along now on Substack, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Resources:

* Justice Bolick’s op-ep: “I don’t need to be a Supreme Court justice. But Arizona needs the system that got me here.”

* Justice Bolick’s commentary: “The Assault on the Independent Judiciary.”

* Justice Bolick on the country’s core four constitutional principles: https://arizonatalks.org/voices/2026-07-on-americas-250th-protecting-core-constitutional-principles

* Justice Bolick on state constitutions and the protection of rights: https://americanhabits.org/state-constitutions-and-the-protection-of-rights/.

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Stephen Richer on How Elections Actually Work Aug 12, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

Stephen Richer, the former Recorder of Maricopa County, AZ, joins Gregg Nunziata on Checks & Balances to discuss how elections actually work in the United States of America. Stephen walks Gregg through the mechanics of election administration across the country, explains why our decentralized election system enhances security, and offers concrete ways Americans can get involved to protect the integrity of our electoral process.

Follow along now on Substack, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Resources:

* Society for the Rule of Law Institute’s amicus brief in Watson v. RNC.

* Society for the Rule of Law Institute Board Member Richard Bernstein’s articles on Watson v. RNC: here and here.

* Stephen Richer and Gregg Nunziata’s Checks & Balances article on election laws.

Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

The Past, Present, and Future of the Conservative Legal Movement Aug 05, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

John Malcolm—the Vice President of the Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law at Advancing American Freedom—joins Gregg Nunziata on Checks & Balances to discuss the conservative legal movement, the most recent Supreme Court term, and the arguments now dividing the right. Plus: what he learned debating at the Oxford Union.

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Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

The Answer Can't Always Be Yes Jul 28, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

Greg Jacob—counsel to Vice President Mike Pence during January 6th and a veteran of the Office of Legal Counsel—joins Gregg Nunziata on Checks & Balances to make the case that exercising restraint is at the heart of the rule of law. They discuss life in public service, the state of legal academia today, and the law journal The Green Bag’s latest foray into board games.

Follow along now on Substack, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

Why the Supreme Court Needs Humility Jul 22, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

Donald Ayer—Deputy Attorney General under George H.W. Bush and a founder of the Society for the Rule of Law—joins Gregg Nunziata on Checks & Balances to make the conservative case against a conservative Court. They discuss the catastrophes the Court avoided this term, the threats it quietly advanced, and why genuine conservatism is rooted in Burkean humility rather than radical change.

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Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

"It Doesn't Just Survive on Autopilot" Jul 15, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

The presidential historian and executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, joins Gregg Nunziata on Checks & Balances for a discussion about the fragility of republics, the norms Washington invented from scratch, why every 50-year anniversary seems to land in a moment of crisis, and what it takes to keep the American experiment going at 250.

Follow along now on Substack, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Note: This episode was recorded on June 12, 2026.

Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

What If Trump Seizes the Ballots? Jul 08, 2026

Gregg Nunziata talks with Richard Bernstein, former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, about the Supreme Court’s blockbuster term—election law, tariffs, the National Guard, and birthright citizenship—and whether the Court would stop a president who tried to seize ballots in the 2026 election.

Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

Bonus Episode: Why 1776 Still Matters at America's 250th Birthday Jul 06, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

Dr. Edward Larson, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, historian, and legal scholar,joins Gregg Nunziata on the Checks & Balances podcast. Dr. Larson argues that the real story of 1776 isn’t the Declaration of Independence—it’s the wave of new state constitutions that first established popular sovereignty and rule of law. Dr. Larson discuss the Founders’ fears about executive power and political parties, and close with the contested Election of 1800—and what it can still teach us about a peaceful transfer of power.

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Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

The Justice Department is Broken. Here's How We Fix It. Jun 30, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

The former Acting Attorney General and former US Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, Stuart Gerson,joins Gregg Nunziata on the Checks & Balances podcast for a discussion about the erosion of DOJ independence, why he believes the damage today is worse than Watergate, and what it will take to restore the rule of law.Follow along now on Substack, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

For future episodes, subscribe to Checks & Balances.

Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

Corruption Blooming Like Algae in the Reflecting Pool Jun 24, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

The former White House "Ethics Czar," U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, and co-founder and Executive Director of the Democracy Defenders Fund, Norm Eisen, joins Gregg Nunziata on the Checks & Balances podcast for a discussion about corruption, what real reform would require, how the courts are holding up, and finding common cause across the ideological divide.

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Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

David French: The Executive Branch Is Becoming an 800-Pound Gorilla Jun 19, 2026

Checks & Balances is a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

The New York Times opinion writer and co-host of the legal podcast Advisory Opinions, David French,joins Gregg Nunziata on the Checks & Balances podcast for a discussion about the conservative legal movement, executive power, why the judiciary is the last branch standing, and America’s 250th anniversary. Follow along now on Substack, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

Judicial Independence is the Cornerstone of Democracy Jun 09, 2026

Judge J. Michael Luttig joins Gregg Nunziata, Executive Director of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute, for the inaugural episode of the Checks & Balances podcast. They discuss why judicial independence is the fundamental cornerstone of democracy, the rule of retired judges, and the unprecedented rule-of-law challenges facing the country today.

Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

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