Lawyer 2 Lawyer

A battle over the banning of AR-15 style rifles will soon present itself before the High Court. In Viramontes v. Cook County, a Second Amendment challenge was brought by Cutberto Viramontes and other plaintiffs to Cook County’s ban on AR-15-style rifles and similar semiautomatic firearms. The Supreme Court will consider whether the Second Amendment protects the right to possess these firearms, a question with potentially nationwide implications which could reshape the legal landscape surrounding assault weapons & the Second Amendment. 

On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, Craig welcomes Professor Andrew Willinger from Georgia State University College of Law. Craig & Andrew spotlight the upcoming AR-15 rifle ban case, Viramontes v. Cook County & SCOTUS, and examine this case before the Supreme Court, the Second Amendment, and the potential impact of a SCOTUS ruling.

The White House ballroom. The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. The proposed Triumphal Arch. These are just a few of President Trump’s controversial Washington, D.C. renovation and "beautification" initiatives of historical sites which has created backlash among historians, preservationists, and the American public, leading to a number of legal battles in the courts.

So, who has the authority to demolish or alter historical sites? And who is going to stop the administration’s destruction before it happens? On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, Craig welcomes Paul Finkelman, Scholar in Residence in Law at Western New England University School of Law. Craig & Paul spotlight historic sites and the Trump administration, and discuss the administration's potential harm to historic properties (the White House ballroom, the Kennedy Center, the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool), the proposed Triumphal Arch, and the legalities surrounding Trump's controversial projects.

President Trump recently banned three major media outlets from the White House including CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, stating that these journalists “threatened national security and/or spread falsehoods” through their coverage.  This led to litigation from these outlets against the Trump Administration, based on violations of the First Amendment/freedom of the press & Fifth Amendment/due process protections. Recently a U.S. District Judge issued a two-week temporary restraining order on Trump's ban restoring the outlets' White House access for now. On October 8th, the TRO will expire, leading many to believe Trump will then enforce a complete ban, unless stopped by a judge. 

On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, Craig welcomes Peter Loge, Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, an Associate Professor, and the founding director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication.  Craig & Peter spotlight the freedom of the press. President Trump's recent ban of journalists from three major media outlets,  the Judge's order to restore press credentials, the First & Fifth Amendment, and the potential impact on the press.

Mentioned in this episode:
Office Hours with Karpf and Loge

Flock Safety is a surveillance technology company that manufactures cameras and  automated license plate readers used by  law enforcement, neighborhoods, and businesses to deter crime, respond to emergencies, and investigate safety incidents.  “Flock cameras” have been a source of controversy in communities across the nation, with critics arguing the constant tracking violates civil liberties and builds massive location histories without warrants, where supporters of flock cameras see it as an essential tool to combat crime. 

On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, Craig welcomes Katie Kinsey, Chief of Staff and Tech Policy Counsel at the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law. Craig & Katie spotlight flock cameras, examine the use and misuse of flock cameras in our communities, and discuss the pushback against surveillance, data privacy laws, the Fourth Amendment, and the potential impact on our citizens.

As we approach the midterm elections, we wanted to spend this episode reviewing the most controversial ways that the current Administration has interacted with the law. We’ve had no shortage of choices to pick from, but we’ve narrowed it down to the top seven headline-grabbing issues over the last two years that stood out to us. 

On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, producer Kate Nutting highlights the top 7 and turns to past episodes to cover the legal issues at the forefront of the nation today. 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Naturalized citizens have served as federal judges, including as Justices of our Supreme Court, for more than two centuries, many with great distinction. Recently Representative Nancy Mace introduced a joint resolution calling for an amendment to our Constitution that would require that federal judges, alongside members of Congress, be born in the United States. Previously, Representative Pete Stauber proposed legislation requiring that all American judges be “natural born citizens” and require sitting judges with dual citizenship to renounce foreign ties.

On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, Craig welcomes Judge Jeremy D. Fogel, formerly of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, as they discuss these proposals that would require federal judges to be born in the United States or qualify as “natural born citizens, and the opposition by a group of bipartisan judges,  Keep Our Republic's Article III Coalition, who are leading the charge against these proposals which create hateful rhetoric and go against the framers of our Constitution’s ideals.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Keep Our Republic's Article III Coalition 

Since the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), public health has been surrounded by controversy. To start, billions of dollars in public health funding were slashed by the Trump administration. With Kennedy at the helm, and these cuts to federal funding, the handling of vaccine recommendations, food safety, and the restructuring of federal public health agencies have all been impacted. 

On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, Craig welcomes Michael R. Ulrich, an Associate Professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health and School of Law, as they spotlight the current state of public health under RFK Jr.'s leadership. Craig & Michael take a look at HHS' overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule, current outbreaks (measles & cyclospora), and the impact of federal funding cuts to public health.

Lawyers. Defenders of our Constitution, but in our current political climate, they are fighting more than ever. On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, Craig welcomes Lauren Stiller Rikleen, executive director of Lawyers Defending American Democracy. Craig & Lauren spotlight the legal community and how lawyers are defending our democracy through initiatives and how they are seeking accountability for those in our profession who have violated their ethical obligations.

Summer is upon us and the Supreme Court of the United States is set to rule on a number of landmark cases including birthright citizenship, transgender athletes, campaign finance limits, and mail-in ballots.

On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, Craig welcomes Steven D. Schwinn, professor of law at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, as they spotlight the summer of  SCOTUS. Craig & Steve discuss the major SCOTUS decisions happening this summer and the potential impact of these rulings.

At the end of June, early July of 2026, the Supreme Court will make a decision on President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship.

On this Lawyer 2 Lawyer episode, Craig welcomes Paul Finkelman, legal historian and professor of law at Albany Law School, as they spotlight birthright citizenship. Craig & Paul discuss the Trump administration’s efforts to end birthright citizenship, the legality of the executive order, the 14th amendment, amicus briefs, and the potential impact of the upcoming SCOTUS ruling on immigration policy.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brief for Professors Gabriel J. Chin, Paul Finkelman, and Erika Lee as Amici Curiae In Support of Respondents