Civil Discourse

Latest Episodes:

Vice Presidents, Part 1 Feb 01, 2022

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Nia and Aughie discuss the office of Vice President of the United States. The first of two episodes discusses the evolution of the position.

Presidential Libraries Part 2: Boxes and Boxes Jan 25, 2022

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*Recorded in 2020* Professor Bill Newmann joins Aughie and Nia in the first two episodes of season 9 to discuss visiting presidential libraries. In this second episode, Dr. Newmann explains in detail how get the most out of a visit to the Presidential libraries

Presidential Libraries Part 1: Two Folders Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

*Recorded in 2020* Professor Bill Newmann joins Aughie and Nia in the first two episodes of season 9 to discuss visiting presidential libraries. The first episode covers general research visits and what types of materials a researcher can find in the Presidential libraries.

D.C. Statehood Dec 14, 2021

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Aughie and Nia discuss the potential difficulties of adding the District of Columbia as a state to the United States. Complexities include representation, balancing federal and state needs, and the Constitutional issues.

*Correction: Nia mistakenly says LaFayette planned the city of Washington twice; rather, L'Enfant planned the city. Apologies for the error.

Adding a State to the United States Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

Nia and Aughie discuss how territories and protectorates come to join the United States. The discussion includes the barriers to statehood and the requirements that Congress sets out for proto-states to meet. The latter part of the discussion covers the Equal Footing Doctrine.

Fun with Patents and Trademarks Nov 30, 2021

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Aughie and Nia welcome back copyright librarian Hillary Miller. Hillary walks listeners through the process of applying for a patent. The discussion then moves into some of the more interesting patent and trademark cases.

Do You Want to Know a Secret? Nov 23, 2021

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Nia and Aughie discuss the State Secrets Privilege in court, and the potential problems that arise from invoking that privilege. They weigh the pros and cons of protecting information versus transparency.

Controlled Substances Act Nov 16, 2021

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Aughie and Nia discuss the Controlled Substances Act and the latest changes to Virginia marijuana laws. They also discuss the positives and negatives of enforcement of state drug laws versus national drug laws.

2020 U.S. Census Update Nov 09, 2021

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Nia and Aughie explore more 2020 U.S. Census data. This episode focuses on the racial demographics of the U.S. currently, and projections for future demographics in 20-40 years.

Rats' First Amendment Rights Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

Aughie and Nia discuss the case of Scabby the Rat and the rights of unions to protest in certain conditions. Aughie explains the early history of the National Labor Review Board and its current powers and problems when dealing with labor disputes.

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