Ask a Judge: What is Pro Se?

What is the process when a person wishes to represent themselves in court? How common is it? Is it true that a person who represents themselves "has a fool for a client?" Today in our "Ask a Judge" series, attorney and magistrate Amy Lin Meyerson and "small town lawyer" Ray Williams give tips for those who have no choice but to address the court on their own behalf. Here is the American Bar Association's virtual legal advice clinic (staffed by human legal minds, not AI!): https://abafreelegalanswers.org/ DONATE TO THE PODCAST HERE! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We would like to encourage you to check out Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel. Hosted by veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler, this is a rich and immersive travel podcast and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

You've been hearing about it in the news, but what exactly is the Strait of Hormuz? And as for those blockades...how do they work? DONATE TO THE PODCAST HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We would like to encourage you to check out Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel. Hosted by veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler, this is a rich and immersive travel podcast and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

We haven't always had a federal income tax, and in the beginning, it only applied to the very richest Americans. So how did we end up with the permanent income tax we have today, with all its complicated rules about everything from pre-tax income to deductions and credits? And what does it actually pay for?   DONATE TO THE SHOW! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes, news happens in the real world, and suddenly a political or civics topic becomes very top of mind for members of the public.  And when that happens, we at Civics 101 often say, hey…we have an episode about that. DONATE TO THE SHOW! One of those conversations happened this week, after a tweet from President Trump related to the war in Iran had some conservative, traditionally pro-Trump voices evoking a specific part of the Constitution - the 25th Amendment. Back in 2022, we made an episode breaking down the 25th Amendment, and it’s pretty thorough about its history and what it means. So, given that it’s on folks’ minds right now, we’ve decided to drop that episode again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we bring you a story from our sister podcast Outside/In, produced and reported by Marina Henke. DONATE TO THE PODCAST! In 2009, the state of Maine ordered farmer Dan Brown to stop selling his raw milk. It kicked off a five-year legal battle that stoked the flames of Maine’s dairy wars. But, after Farmer Brown lost his case and hung up his milking hat, things quieted down.  Twenty years later, raw milk has surged back into the zeitgeist. Influencers are saying it tastes like ice cream, RFK Jr. is taking shots of it at the White House, and Gwyneth Paltrow is putting it in her coffee. All of which makes for a pretty obvious question… What’s the appeal? Is raw milk some kind of superfood? Or something to avoid at all costs?  Featuring Dan Brown, Andy Bisson, Danny Bisson, Nicole Martin, Pamela Ruegg, and Mary McGonigle-Martin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this country, the states run elections. Congress is empowered to step in; the president is not. So what does it mean for the president to call on a political party to "take over." Is that allowed? What would that mean? And why is this happening now? DONATE TO THE PODCAST! We talk with Sarah Cooper from the Carter Center to understand who is in charge and whether anyone else can take charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four years ago we made an episode about how the president has very limited powers when it comes to lowering the price of gas. Turns out, we hadn't considered every possibility. Today, we talk about how a president can make gasoline more expensive, by waging conflict in the middle east. Our guest is Robert Rapier, chemical engineer, investment writer, and energy sector expert. He came back on the show to tell us about the logistics of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, and whether there are any ways out of this. Click here for our other episode on the price of gas, and read Robert's article here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we take a field trip to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where Nick explains why he's like this via an obsession with 1776, the movie based on the musical based on the true events that launched a nation. Our nation. Also, Nick and Hannah get real using Dido as inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices