The Garrulous Gavel

Latest Episodes:

How "Rule of Law" Foreign Aid Helps Big Business But Burns Consumers and Employees, with Jason Rathod Oct 26, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, you'll meet Jason Rathod. Jason is a practicing attorney, but he also likes to write lengthy law review articles. He's written about how the United States uses foreign aid to impose our legal system on other countries, something we call "Rule of Law" aid. Jason argues that "Rule of Law" aid actually only exports half of our legal system: the part that is pro-business and pro-capitalism. What is missing are legal protections for consumers and employees, and in particular mechanisms, like class actions, that Jason calls aggregate litigation. In this interview, you'll find out why he advocates for other countries to adopt aggregate litigation rules. You'll also hear Jason's very entertaining story about his unique destination wedding, which included him dancing on top of a horse-drawn carriage as part of a traditional Indian wedding processional through the streets of Cartagena, Columbia!

MORE FROM OUR GUESTS

Their law firm: www.alcalaw.com

Materials on trauma-informed prosecution, from the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution: https://www.prosecution.org/traumainformed-prosecution

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Qualified Immunity and Rights Behind Bars with Samuel Weiss Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we get garrulous with Samuel Weiss, the founder and Executive Director of Rights Behind Bars, an organization that uses strategic litigation to protect and advance prisoners' rights. We tackle the hot-button issue of "qualified immunity"—a controversial legal doctrine that often protects prison guards and police officers from liability for constitutional violations—and talk with Sam about the path to victory in Taylor v. Riojas, one of the very few cases in which a prisoner prevailed on that issue in the Supreme Court. Then, we'll chat with Sam about getting back to his roots in creative writing, and his plans to finish his great unfinished novel.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST Rights Behind Bars website: https://www.rightsbehindbars.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RightsBehind/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RightsBehind/

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Contact us: garrulousgavel@gmail.com

Visit our website: http://thegarrulousgavel.com

Follow the Garrulous Gavel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/garrulousgavel

Owning Our History with Robert Eager Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

This time on the Garrulous Gavel, we sit down with Robert Eager, founder of Own Your History. After retiring from a career as a successful corporate lawyer, Bob reconnected with his education in history, and set out to help the next generation of students grapple with the inequality that has marred much of U.S. history. We'll talk with Bob about the work of Own Your History, coming to grips with his own family's role in slavery and Jim Crow, and why he thinks it's so crucial for students to learn about the gaps between our democratic ideals and the reality of cruelty and discrimination. Then, we'll find out why Bob enjoys collaborating with grad students, and what kinds of support Own Your History needs to sustain its important work.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST Own Your History's website: https://www.ownyourhistory.us/

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Contact us: garrulousgavel@gmail.com

Visit our website: http://thegarrulousgavel.com

Follow the Garrulous Gavel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/garrulousgavel

Accountability for the Capitol Riot with Matt Kaiser Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we speak with former philosophy grad student, and current high-profile Washington, D.C. attorney, Matt Kaiser. Matt represents Congressman Eric Swalwell in a lawsuit against Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Rudy Guliani, and Congressman Mo Brooks, in which Rep. Swalwell argues that those defendants should be held legally responsible for the violent January 6 riot at the Capitol that tried to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election. I talk with Matt about the events of January 6, the goals of the lawsuit, and some of the interesting legal and philosophical issues that it raises. Then, Matt tells us about what it's like to do door-knocking for political campaigns, and why he loves those one-on-one interactions with complete strangers.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Background on the Ku Klux Klan Act: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/blog/looking-back-at-the-ku-klux-klan-act

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Watch The Garrulous Gavel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9IyL1F3M6h-rmG7q2P7XSg

The Mysteries of the Grand Jury with Sara Kropf Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

Our first episode features Sara Kropf, one of the nation's top white-collar criminal defense attorneys. Sara not only represents defendants in high-profile criminal cases, but also authors the Grand Jury Target blog. We hear about grand juries in the news all the time. But what exactly is a grand jury, and what does it do? Sara will explain it to us, and then you can listen in as we chat about two of the biggest grand jury issues in recent years: the grand jury indictment of the Trump Companies and Trump CFO Allan Weiselberg, and the grand jury failure to indict in the Breonna Taylor case. We'll also get Sara's take on the Washington Nationals' chances at landing a playoff spot this year.

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