Democracy in Five Minutes

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**Democracy in Five Minutes**

In each episode of Democracy in Five Minutes, your host, Paul Manna, will explore a key aspect of democracy and what you can do to participate in and protect democratic processes. Occasional longer-form installments will incorporate ideas from additional guests. The opinions expressed on this podcast are Paul Manna’s (or those of his guests) and do not necessarily reflect the views of his employer. You can read more about Paul on his home page: https://sites.google.com/view/paulmanna.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 9. What is due process? May 09, 2025

Show notes

We hear a lot lately about the right to "due process." Where does this right come from and why is it important?

Episode 8. When presidents defy the courts May 03, 2025

Show notes

What if federal judges rule against the president and the president simply ignores them? Is there anything the courts can do?

Episode 7. Courts and democracy Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

Amidst President Trump's flurry of actions during his first 100 days in office that have affected numerous policy areas, people have increasingly turned to the courts to challenge many of his decisions. To what extent are federal courts acting consistently with democratic principles and the Constitution when they render decisions that place checks on presidential power?

Episode 6. Tariffs, guardrails, and presidential power Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

This week's episode explores the broad tariffs that President Trump has assessed on the nation's trading partners. How has the president been able to enact such dramatic policy changes so rapidly? Why isn't Congress playing more of a role? Are there guardrails in place that can limit potential economic damage from these protectionist policies?

Episode 5. Executive Orders vs. guardrails Apr 04, 2025

Show notes

Last week's episode explored how different institutions of American democracy provide guardrails that prevent leaders from abusing power. Today's discussion continues that theme and considers when people might mobilize those guardrails in response to presidents using Executive Orders. What are Executive Orders and what do they allow presidents to do? What harm can guardrails prevent when presidents try to use Executive Orders in ways that exceed the authority of their office?

Episode 4. Institutions as guardrails for democracy Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

Institutions create important checks on ambitious politicians. That can frustrate elected officials and the people at times because these checks slow government down. Still, there are good reasons why democracies constrain individual leaders from acting without oversight. How do these guardrails work? What happens if they become weak or leaders undermine them?

Episode 3. The people in "we the people" Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

If democracy means rule by the people, then one thing democratic systems need to figure out is: Who are the people? Who counts? Who might not count? These questions are critical because how a democracy answers them can influence who has power and how they get to exercise it.

Episode 2. Democracy or republic? Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

Some call the United States a democracy and others push back and say no, it's a republic. What's the difference? Does it matter?

Episode 1. Introduction to Democracy in Five Minutes Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

This brief (even less than 5 minutes!) installment provides an overview of the goals and format for the podcast. Please reach out if you have ideas for future episodes. I would love to hear from you at pmanna at wm dot edu.

(Music credit: Beautiful Classical Music Theme by TheoJT -- https://freesound.org/s/698280/ -- License: Attribution 4.0.)

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