Comedy

The Political Orphanage

Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.

Latest Episodes:

Crocodile Ransom Laws (Friday Release Valve) Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

It's time for another installment of Friday Release Valve to wrap up Judge Week, including asking a former law professor about laws pertaining to crocodile ransom money! Comedians Myq Kaplan and Liz Glaser join the show to discuss that plus: formal hazmat suits, naked golf carts, and Alabama. Enjoy!

Libertarian Constitutionalism - Featuring: Tim Sandefur Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Is judicial activism bad if it's focused on protecting civil liberties from government incursion? Where do libertarians and conservatives diverge in jurisprudence?

Tim Sandefur is Vice President of Litigation at the Goldwater Institute, and makes the case for judicial engagement in the defense of individual rights.

Originalism - Featuring: Christopher R. Green Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

Originalism is the favored jurisprudence of conservative scions like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. It's predicated on the notion that laws have fixed meanings, determined at the moment of their ratification according to the language of their day. Professor Green is the H.L.A. Hart Scholar of Law & Philosophy at the University of Mississippi. A graduate of Princeton, Yale, and Notre Dame, he has clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals on the Fifth Circuit, practiced as a private litigator, is the author of multiple books, and is a sought-after speaker about Originalism, executive power, and the 14th Amendment.

The Living Constitution - Featuring: David Strauss Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

When the Constitution says "cruel and unusual punishment" does it mean by the standards of the 18th century, or our own? How much latitude should jurists take when interpreting the law? Professor David Strauss of the University of Chicago has argued nineteen cases before the United States Supreme Court, formerly served as Special Counsel to the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate, and sits on the Board of Directors of the American Constitution Society. He joins Heaton to discuss Living Constitutionalism: the school of jurisprudence favored by progressive judges.

Judge Andrew Napolitano on Natural Law Oct 05, 2020

Show notes

Judge Andrew Napolitano is a former Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court, a law professor, and prolific author. He's the Senior Judicial Analyst at Fox News. He joins the show to discuss Natural Law, and the idea that the role of the courts is predominantly to protect individual rights from government incursion.

The Role of Judges Oct 04, 2020

Show notes

It's Judge Week on The Political Orphanage! Where we learn the actual fault lines between judicial theories, and possibly even what "jurisprudence" means. This week we'll hear from preeminent progressive, conservative, and libertarian legal scholars about what actually happens behind the gavel. In this kickoff episode we talk about: * The role of judges * Why it's usually stupid to say "conservative judge" or "progressive judge" * What jurisprudence is * What precedent is

Glorious Asbestos, Quebec (Friday Release Valve) Oct 02, 2020

Show notes

Andrew Young and John Devore join Heaton to sort out the week's best, underserved headlines, including stories about: Quebec, exhuming a dead president to prove a point, a poorly-named town in New York, and further evidence that New Hampshire is amazing.

The Presidential Debate Was Mostly Heckling Sep 30, 2020

Show notes

You can't truly understand last night's Trump vs. Biden debate without hearing from comedians, because so much of the train wreck was performative or outright heckling.

Comedians Turner Sparks, Andrea Jones-Rooy, Michael Kaplan, and Heaton discuss: Was there an actual strategy behind last night's antics? What's the balance of horror to petulance?

The episode is the first joint venture of the brand new World's Smartest Podcasting Network, an alliance of independent comedians with the goal of making politics suck less! Other network shows are: "The Lost in America Podcast" with Turner Sparks & Michael Kaplan, and "Ask a Political Scientist" with Dr. Andrea Jones-Rooy.

We Support Getting Elephants High (Friday Release Valve) Sep 25, 2020

Show notes

Comedian Darryl Charles and sex expert Dr. Timaree Leigh, hosts of DTF: Darryl & Timaree Fun Hour, join the program to sort out the week's underserved headlines. Including: Snake orgies! In defense of pandas! And penis gun antics

The Neurochemicals of Politics Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

Dr. Loretta Breuning of the Inner Mammal Institute joins the show to discuss how status and neurochemicals prompt us to fight in politics, and the evolutionary roots of tribalism.

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