Best California Fair Political Practices Commission Podcasts (2025)

1
Trade Wars, Economic Chaos, and Law: Unpacking Trump's Trade Tactics with Alan Sykes 32:52

3d ago32:52

32:52

Joining Pam for this week's episode is Stanford Law Professor Alan Sykes, a leading expert on the application of economics to legal problems whose most recent scholarship is focused on international economic relations. In short, he is an international trade and law expert—and the right person to help us understand today's chaos. The discussion cove…

1
Trump’s Forced Deportations to El Salvador Prisons, Detentions, and Fear on College Campuses 33:43

22d ago33:43

33:43

Do asylum seekers in the U.S. have rights? Can the U.S. government forcibly deport them to a prison in El Salvador without due process? What about green card holders attending college? Since taking office, President Trump has focused on legal and undocumented immigrants alike, from Venezuelan asylum seekers to visa and green card college students—i…

1
Accountability in Government: Glenn Fine on the Crucial Role of Inspectors General, the Government's Watchdogs 28:18

1M ago28:18

28:18

How do we prevent or catch mismanagement, corruption, and waste of taxpayers' dollars in federal agencies? On January 24, 2025, days into his second administration, President Trump fired Inspectors General from 17 different federal agencies, including the Department of Labor. If no one is watching, does that mean there's nothing to see? In this epi…

1
Gaza Conflict: Governance, Rebuilding, and Legal Challenges 29:39

1M ago29:39

29:39

International Law expert Allen Weiner joins Pam for a comprehensive overview of the legal challenges and humanitarian concerns in one of the world's most contentious regions, looking at the Israel/Gaza conflict and the delicate balance between military strategy and civilian safety. Allen and Pam explore the principles of proportionality in warfare,…

1
Suing DOGE: Musk, Trump, and an Imperial Presidency 28:38

2M ago28:38

28:38

A coalition of privacy defenders led by Lex Lumina and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a lawsuit on February 11 asking a federal court to stop the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from disclosing millions of Americans’ private, sensitive information to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). As the federal …

1
Trump's Pardons: Political Violence, Hate Groups, and the Rule of Law 30:37

2M ago30:37

30:37

What are the legal implications of the unprecedented mass pardoning of the January 6th rioters? What does it say about American rule of law? President Biden’s DOJ prosecuted nearly 1,600 of the January 6, 2021, rioters—many for acts of shocking violence against police and government offices. On January 20, newly sworn-in President Trump, in one of …

1
Criminal Justice in Divided America: Can Democracy Survive a Broken Justice System? 30:57

3M ago30:57

30:57

Criminal law expert and Stanford Law Professor David Sklansky joins Pam Karlan to discuss his book Criminal Justice in Divided America: Police, Punishment, and the Future of Our Democracy, published in January. In this episode, they explore what he sees as the failures of America’s criminal justice system—from overly harsh sentences and prosecutori…

1
Special Counsel Smith's Report on Trump's Interference in the 2020 Election 30:04

3M ago30:04

30:04

In this episode, Pam Karlan is joined by Stanford Law School Professor David Sklansky, a leading criminal law expert, for a wide-ranging discussion of Smith’s report, the evidence against the president-elect, and more. In the early hours of January 14, 2024 the Department of Justice released its long-awaited election interference report against Pre…

1
California Burning: LA Fires, Climate Change, and Insurance Nightmares with Environmental Lawyer Debbie Sivas 29:43

3M ago29:43

29:43

The fires in Los Angeles, fueled by drought and the notorious Santa Ana winds, have wreaked devastation on the largest county in the United States, taking at least 10 lives and destroying thousands of structures as of January 10—with much of the Los Angeles metropolis, suburban neighborhoods like Pasadena and Pacific Palisades engulfed in smoke, an…

1
Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Policy Shifts under Trump: A Tutorial on the Global Economy and Trade 29:01

4M ago29:01

29:01

Just weeks before he was elected president of the United States, during a conversation at the Economic Club of Chicago, Donald Trump declared, “The most beautiful word in the dictionary is ‘tariff.’ And it’s my favorite word.” As the president-elect takes to the bully pulpit, leaders of nations threatened with new tariffs are calling Trump or even …

1
The Presidential Pardon Power, from Biden and Trump to Ancient Kings 26:20

4M ago26:20

26:20

Presidential pardons are in the headlines again after President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter. But the vast majority of presidents have used this awesome power, which was enshrined in the Constitution at the founding of the country and dates back to 7th Century English monarchs. What are the issues at play with modern presidential pardons? W…

1
Exploring AI in Healthcare: Legal, Regulatory, and Safety Challenges 48:19

5M ago48:19

48:19

Artificial Intelligence holds the potential to transform much of our lives and healthcare professions are embracing it for everything from cost savings to diagnostics. But who is to blame when AI assisted healthcare goes wrong? How is the law developing to balance the benefits and risks? In this episode, Pam and Rich are joined by health policy exp…

1
Crime, the Opioid Crisis, and Gun Violence: New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin on How Action at the State Level Is Making a Difference 47:58

5M ago47:58

47:58

Matt Platkin, who was the youngest-ever AG in the country when he was appointed in 2022, discusses some of his public safety initiatives such as the ARRIVE Together program, which pairs mental health professionals with law enforcement to improve responses to mental health crises. Among other pressing issues facing New Jersey, Platkin also addresses…

1
Racism in Property Deeds: Stanford Team Develops AI Tool to Identify and Map Racial Covenants 30:00

6M ago30:00

30:00

Stanford Law's Daniel Ho and computer science/law student Mirac Suzgun discuss the enduring impact of racially restrictive covenants in real estate with host Rich Ford. Though unenforceable since 1948, these clauses are a lingering reminder of housing segregation and racism in the United States, as Professor Ho's own experience of discovering a cov…

1
Killing in Self Defense: The Legal Complexities of Abuse-Related Crimes and the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Women's Criminal Convictions 29:59

6M ago29:59

29:59

How are victims of intimate partner violence meant to protect themselves—and, often, their children—without winding up dead, in hospital, or prison? It’s a situation that many find themselves in. Approximately 15 percent of women in the United States are victims of intimate partner violence, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. But …

1
Challenging Originalism: Putting the Electoral College, Presidential Immunity, and Recent SCOTUS Decisions into Historical Context 32:15

7M ago32:15

32:15

Is the president above the law? Is the Electoral College democratic? In this episode, historian Jonathan Gienapp critiques the mainstream use of originalism, arguing that it often neglects crucial historical context, overlooking the complexities of original public understanding. The conversation dives into recent court cases, highlighting tensions …

1
Election Stress Test: Can America's Electoral System Weather 2024? 26:52

7M ago26:52

26:52

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Nate Persily forecasts complications along with it. Persily, a Stanford law professor and a leading expert in election law and administration, says the coming election cycle could pose unprecedented challenges for voters and election officials alike. “We are at a stage right now where there's a lot of a…

1
High Court, High Stakes: The Massive Weight of Recent Supreme Court Rulings 39:51

8M ago39:51

39:51

The Supreme Court's latest term was marked by decisions of enormous consequence. However, the way the Court has communicated about these rulings far undersells the gravity they carry. While “expressing itself in extremely modest terms,” Professor Jeffrey Fisher says, the current Supreme Court has “[handed] down decisions that have enormously conseq…

1
How Lawyers Can Undermine Russian Sanctions and Ukraine War Effort 27:37

8M ago27:37

27:37

The bedrock of the legal profession is a commitment to upholding the rule of law. Unfortunately, as Stanford Law researchers discover in the complex world of international sanctions, lawyers can often facilitate non-compliance and evasion. It’s been two years since Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. And yet, businesses are still skirting sanctio…

1
The Future of Environmental Regulation Following SCOTUS’ Overruling of the Chevron Doctrine 27:54

9M ago27:54

27:54

Do courts have the expertise to decide on important environmental law issues? Pam Karlan and Rich Ford speak with environmental law expert Debbie Sivas, director of the Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford, about recent Supreme Court decisions affecting environmental and administrative law--including the Court's decision to overturn decades of sett…

1
David Sklansky on Judge Cannon's Controversial Case Dismissal and Trump's Legal Battles 34:32

9M ago34:32

34:32

Will the three remaining cases against former president Donald Trump ever get to trial? After Judge Cannon's controversial dismissal of charges in the classified documents case—and the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision—the question is not so obvious. In this episode, criminal law expert David Sklansky joins Pam and Rich to discuss thes…

1
Jennifer Chacón Discusses the Failures of U.S. Immigration Policy and How the Law is Developing 28:20

10M ago28:20

28:20

Control of the border and illegal immigration are again in the headlines and the centerpiece of a divisive presidential campaign. Here to help make sense of recent legal successes and failures is immigration law expert Jennifer Chacón, the Bruce Tyson Mitchell Professor of Law at Stanford. The author of the new book, Legal Phantoms: Executive Actio…

1
Former Federal Judge Michael McConnell Discusses Presidential Immunity and Trump Cases with Pam Karlan 31:30

10M ago31:30

31:30

Should presidents be immune from prosecution? If yes, under what circumstances? Stanford Professor Michael McConnell, a former federal judge, joins Pam Karlan for a discussion on presidential immunity, the Constitution, and former president Trump's cases. In this insightful episode, they discuss the implications of the Supreme Court's stance on cri…

1
Justice for All? Why We Have an Access to Justice Gap in America—And What to Do About It 34:57

11M ago34:57

34:57

Is legal representation in the U.S. only for the rich and corporations? That's a question that we'll explore in this episode of Stanford Legal with guests David and Nora Freeman Engstrom, two leading authorities on access to justice and the legal profession. They'll explain the roots of the challenge, how unauthorized practice of law rules contribu…

1
The Legacy of Brown v. BOE: Success or Failure? 31:29

11M ago31:29

31:29

In this episode, Rich and Pam discuss the successes and failures of Brown v. Board of Education with their colleague, Rick Banks. Marking the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, they look at its impact on Jim Crow segregation and the ongoing challenges in achieving educational equality in the U.S. Banks offers a critical analys…

1
Stanford's David Sklansky on Trump's Many Trials 27:42

12M ago27:42

27:42

Criminal law expert and former federal prosecutor David Sklansky joins Pam and Rich to discuss the New York trial and other cases against former president Trump. From state prosecutions to federal cases, they analyze the defense and prosecution strategies and implications of each trial, shedding light on the legal challenges facing Trump, the first…

1
AI in Government and Governing AI: A Discussion with Stanford’s RegLab 32:07

12M ago32:07

32:07

Joining Pam and Rich for this discussion are Professor Daniel Ho and RegLab Fellow Christie Lawrence, JD ’24 (MPP, Harvard Kennedy School of Government). Dan is the founding director of Stanford’s RegLab (Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab), which builds high-impact partnerships for data science and responsible AI in the public sector. The …

1
Representing Clients at the Supreme Court 37:14

1y ago37:14

37:14

Professor Easha Anand, co-director of the Stanford Law School Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, joins Professors Pam Karlan and Richard Thompson Ford, along with Gareth Fowler, JD '24, for a discussion about three cases that she argued before the Court this term, the people behind the case titles, and what it takes to represent them at the highest c…

1
"Beware Euphoria: Unraveling America's Drug War" 30:43

1y ago30:43

30:43

Dive into the complex history of America's drug war with George Fisher, former Massachusetts Attorney General and acclaimed scholar of criminal law. In his latest book, "Beware Euphoria," Fisher explores the moral and racial dimensions of drug prohibition, challenging conventional narratives. Join the conversation on Stanford Legal as Fisher discus…

1
Bill Gould on Dartmouth Basketball and the Changing Game of Unions and College Athletics 33:16

1y ago33:16

33:16

Pam Karlan and labor law expert and former NLRB chair William Gould IV explore the quickly changing arena of college athletics including the push for student-athlete unionization, the debate over compensation, and other issues at the intersection of sports and academia. From the Dartmouth College men's basketball team's union election to the broade…

1
Are Frozen Embryos Children? A Discussion of the Alabama Decision on Embryo Rights and the Future of IVF Pregnancies in the US 34:37

1y ago34:37

34:37

When does life begin? In this episode of Stanford Legal, co-hosts Rich Ford and Pam Karlan dig into the recent decision by the Alabama Supreme Court that has sent shockwaves through the fertility treatment community. The ruling, which considers frozen embryos as children under state law, has wide-ranging implications for in vitro fertilization (IVF…

1
Tackling Mass Incarceration in the US 30:01

1y ago30:01

30:01

Why does the U.S. have the highest incarceration rate in the industrialized world, with individuals, communities, and taxpayers paying a steep price for lengthy prison terms for even nonviolent offenders? Michael Romano, a criminal justice lawyer who founded and directs the Three Strikes Project at Stanford Law School, the first law school program …

1
The Constitution, Trump, and the Struggles of US Courts to Interpret History with Jack Rakove 25:47

1y ago25:47

25:47

Important questions regarding Trump: can he be prosecuted for criminal wrongdoing when he was serving as president, whether the two impeachment trials matter, and if Colorado’s decision to disqualify him from the state’s primary ballots is constitutional. Pulitzer Prize winning historian Jack Rakove joins Pam and Rich for a discussion on the U.S. C…

1
Droughts, Failing Infrastructure, and Water 28:04

1+ y ago28:04

28:04

Drinkable water is a precious commodity. But as population growth, aging infrastructure, drought, and climate change pose challenges to freshwater quality and quantity in America, the safety and amount of water in parts of the U.S. is in question. With more than 140,000 separate public water systems in the country, how can federal, state, and local…

1
Does Inequity in U.S. Patent Inventorship Matter? A Discussion on Inequality in the Patent System and how it Impacts Innovation 21:37

1+ y ago21:37

21:37

Women and minorities continue to be underrepresented in patent issuing and less often are granted credit for their innovations. We examine why this is, the impacts it has, and what can be done about it. Patents, and the protection of inventor rights, was deemed important enough that when the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788 it included what i…

1
Texas Abortion Restrictions, Medicated Abortions, and Reproduction Rights in a Post-Roe US 30:23

1+ y ago30:23

30:23

In June, 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court delivered an historic and far reaching decision overturning Roe v. Wade and turning abortion law to the states. Less than two years on, we are seeing just how that decision is playing out as women navigate a divided country with a patchwork of reproductive rights. The recent example of Kate Cox, a Dallas-area mo…

1
Mass Shootings and Guns: Examining the Court’s Interpretation of the Right to Bear Arms and the Consequences of Gun Laws in the US 28:53

1+ y ago28:53

28:53

In this episode, Pam Karlan and Rich Ford explore recent 2nd Amendment Supreme Court cases, the evolution of gun laws, and the implications of increased gun accessibility in the U.S. Joined by John Donohue, an empirical researcher who is an expert on firearms and the law, they discuss the proliferation of guns and automatic weapons, which make the …

1
From Sumptuary Laws to Senate Suits: Dress Codes in History and Today 27:37

1+ y ago27:37

27:37

From the recent Senate dress code controversy to landmark legal cases, explore the nuanced intersection of the law and fashion, gender identity, and cultural expression. Join Pam Karlan and Rich Ford to delve into the intricate world of dress codes and the law, examining their historical roots and contemporary implications.The discussion begins wit…

1
Stanford Legal Podcast Trailer: Law Matters, we're here to help make sense of it 3:49

1+ y ago3:49

3:49

After a hiatus, Stanford Legal returns to your podcast feed. Start with our first episode back, where hosts Pam Karlan and Rich Ford sit down with criminal law expert David Sklansky to unpack the numerous indictments against Donald Trump. But that's not all: our upcoming episodes will explore a range of pressing legal topics from AI to the Supreme …

1
Expert Insights on Trump Indictments from David Sklansky 28:17

1+ y ago28:17

28:17

The many indictments against Donald Trump, former president and current Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential contest, have left many scratching their heads. Is the Florida documents case more important than the Georgia election interference one? Is it all just political theatre, or is this serious? Here to help make sense of it is forme…

1
This Thursday: Stanford Legal Returns with Expert Insights on Trump Indictments from David Sklansky 1:41

1+ y ago1:41

1:41

Join us this Thursday for the return of Stanford Legal, with a new episode featuring criminal law expert David Sklansky, who will break down some of the most serious charges against former president--and 2024 presidential hopeful-- Donald Trump. Sklansky, a former prosecutor and co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, lends his experti…

1
Stanford Legal is Back: Law Matters, we're here to help make sense of it 3:49

1+ y ago3:49

3:49

After a hiatus, Stanford Legal returns to your podcast feed. In our first episode relaunching November 9th, join hosts Pam Karlan and Rich Ford as they sit down with criminal law expert David Sklansky to unpack the numerous indictments against Donald Trump. But that's not all: our upcoming episodes will explore a range of pressing legal topics from…

1
Mishandling of Top-Secret Government Documents and the Mounting Legal Challenges Facing Donald J. Trump with David Sklansky 36:40

2+ y ago36:40

36:40

Criminal law expert David A. Sklansky discusses the August 8 search by the FBI of Donald J. Trump’s Florida residence and the legal implications of news reports that the former president took more than 700 pages of classified documents, including some related to the nation’s most covert intelligence operations, to his private club.…

1
The New Supreme Court and Its Blockbuster Term with Pamela Karlan 28:04

2+ y ago28:04

28:04

Pam Karlan, one of the nation’s leading experts on law and voting and the political process, discusses the new conservative-majority Supreme Court—and the potential consequences of its blockbuster term, including the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.By Stanford Law School

1
The Fight to Save the Town: Reimagining Discarded America with Michelle Wilde Anderson 27:55

2+ y ago27:55

27:55

Urban law expert Michelle Wilde Anderson discusses her new book, The Fight to Save the Town: Reimagining Discarded America, which looks at how local leaders are confronting government collapse in four blue-collar American communities—and the progress they are making against some of the seemingly intractable problems of poverty.…

1
What have we learned so far from the January 6 hearings, with Robert Weisberg 27:59

2+ y ago27:59

27:59

What have we learned from the Congressional hearings into the January 6 storming of the Capitol and then-President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election? Join Stanford criminal law expert Professor Robert Weisberg for a discussion of the hearings—what we learned and who might face criminal charges.…

1
Lost, Not Stolen: The Conservative Case that Trump Lost and Biden Won the 2020 Presidential Election with Michael McConnell 28:02

2+ y ago28:02

28:02

While polls of Republican voters still show strong support for former president Trump, some of the most powerful testimony against him during the January 6 Congressional hearings have been by members of his administration and party. In this episode we hear from Stanford Law Professor Michael W. McConnell, a former judge on the U. S. Court of Appeal…

1
Money, Guns, and Lawyers: The Uniquely American Epidemic of Mass Shootings 27:26

3y ago27:26

27:26

Nearly ten years after the massacre of 26 students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the world has been shocked by another American school shooting—this one at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas where 19 students and two teachers were gunned down on May 24. That came barely a week after the racially motivated massacr…

1
Law Firms and Russian Profits with Robert Daines 27:03

3y ago27:03

27:03

Since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of the world’s leading companies, from investment banks to consumer goods, have shuttered their Russian operations. But Law firms have been slower to respond. Join us for a discussion with business law expert Robert Daines who has been leading an effort to expose leading American and British law …

1
Overturning Roe and the Future of Abortion in the U.S. with Bernadette Meyler 27:42

3y ago27:42

27:42

In an unusual leak from the U.S. Supreme Court, a draft memo shows the Court has decided to overrule Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal throughout the U.S. What does this mean for women seeking abortions in the U.S.? Are other rights, like same-sex marriage under threat? And what does this say about the p…

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California Fair Political Practices Commission Podcasts

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