A Nominal Administration

The Biden Administration is poised to forgive a lot of loans but forget a few legal constraints. Richard Epstein and Adam White parse the legal issues, including the issue of whether federal courts would (or should) have jurisdiction to hear a case at all. Then they move to the Justice Department’s investigation of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago document stash, for which the Administration is not in a forgiving or forgetful mood. What does Judge Cannon’s special master order mean, and what will it accomplish?

Tanned and well rested, Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss the latest controversies surrounding the former president and the current justice department. And they consider Congress’s own investigation. It’s been a long hot summer.  

Days after the Senate Judiciary Committee finished its confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Richard and Adam debate whether these hearings are a tradition that has outlived its usefulness.  

In today’s episode, Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss the Supreme Court’s recent decisions in the OSHA and HHS vaccine mandate cases. Then they pan back to a broader discussion of the Roberts Court and the administrative state, before finishing with a quick preview of the Court’s newly-granted cases on race-based college admissions.

In today’s episode, a discussion of the Supreme Court’s recent decision regarding the Texas abortion statute becomes a debate about “standing” and other jurisdictional doctrines. Richard and Adam also discuss the late Professor Alexander Bickel—he’s one of Adam’s favorites, but Richard has some, well, disagreements.

Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss the lawsuit challenging OSHA’s vaccine mandate, and the Fifth Circuit’s initial order against the administration. Then they turn to the Supreme Court, which just heard oral arguments on New York’s near-prohibition against keeping and bearing concealed handguns outside the home.

Richard and Adam discuss the two biggest cases of the Court’s new term (so far), on abortion and guns, and close with some thoughts on the bigger picture.

Richard and Adam close the book on the Trump years — except for the whole post-presidential impeachment thing. And Richard elaborates his case for regulating Twitter as a “common carrier.” Looking ahead to what the new Biden Administration might bring about, they both already disagree with some of the Administration’s day-one policies. Does the end of Trump’s era, and the beginning of Biden’s, mark the end of Richard’s and Adam’s own “reasonable disagreements” with each other? Surely not! But the disagreements will be fewer and farther between.

A day after rioters stormed the Capitol to disrupt Congress’s certification of Joe Biden’s election, Richard and Adam reflect on yesterday’s tragic effects, and the path forward. They also discuss the Democratic Party’s victories in Georgia, winning control of the Senate; and President-elect Biden’s nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General.

President-elect Biden has begun to announce his intended nominations for Cabinet seats and other high-level posts. In today's episode, Richard and Adam analyze several of those picks, with an eye to what this means for foreign policy, climate regulation, and other specifics, and a broader view of what to expect from the administrative state overall. And they end with brief thoughts on post-election litigation, from the failed Pennsylvania lawsuit to the Texas Attorney General's new one. We'll be back after the holidays.