Passing Judgment

Host and Loyola Law School professor Jessica Levinson takes a quick tour through the nuts and bolts of what it takes to make sure your vote counts in the 2020 election. 

Elections in America are decentralized. The U.S. Constitution gives states the power to run elections and so it is important to know the laws in your state. 

Jessica walks you through what is different about voting this election, spoiler alert -- a pandemic and a president who is actively trying to undermine our election process. Jessica talks about everything from registering to vote, to getting a vote by mail ballot, to returning that ballot. 

For more information, read Amber Phillips' great piece in the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/17/how-to-make-sure-your-vote-is-counted/?itid=ap_amberphillips  

Sound engineer - Andrei Padilla

What is it like to be a state lawmaker?

Join host Jessica Levinson and California State Senator Ben Allen for a wide-ranging discussion about being a lawmaker in 2020. Senator Allen talks about why he ran, what most surprises him about the job, his favorite part of being an elected official, the power of lobbyists, the influence of money and politics, mandatory vaccinations, and much more.

Host Jessica Levinson talks with Los Angeles Times political reporter Seema Metha about the 2020 presidential campaign. 

Jessica and Seema chat about these questions and more.

Are voters more polarized than ever before? Are social media and cable television to blame? 

Do Republicans have a choice between following President Trump or following public health experts? 

Why do evangelical voters continue to support President Trump? 

Will the Supreme Court become a focal point of the 2020 election? 

Who is Biden likely to pick as his VP candidate?

How has Pres. Trump changed what is means to be a journalist?

President Trump signed four executive actions in the wake of Congress' failure to come to a resolution regarding COVID-19 relief for Americans.

President Trump's actions are both much more narrow than he alleged and likely stand on legally shaky grounds. Specifically, Trump's actions may violate the separation of powers and invade Congress' power to tax and spend.

Host Jessica Levinson walks through the political and legal implications of Trump's actions on unemployment benefits, an eviction moratorium, student loan deferrals, and payroll tax deduction deferrals.

Sound engineer - Andrei Padilla

Join host Jessica Levinson as she details which potential election catastrophes keep her up at night. 

Sound engineer extraordinaire - Andrei Padilla

Join host Jessica Levinson and guest Eric Segall. Eric is a professor at Georgia State University College of Law and an expert on the Supreme Court.

How does the Supreme Court make its decisions? Does the Court function as intended?

In this episode, Eric makes the provocative argument that the Supreme Court is not really a court, and that judges make their decisions on little more than their ideological views.

Vice President Joe Biden is about to choose his running mate. He has pledged that he will pick a woman. But who? 

Host Jessica Levinson talks about whether or not a presidential candidate's running mate makes any real difference in a presidential campaign and who Biden might pick as his running mate. 

Jessica runs down the top contenders including Senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Tammy Duckworth, former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, and Congresswomen Karen Bass and Val Demings.

Sound engineer-Andrei Padilla.

President Trump just signed an executive order directing the Department of Commerce not to count undocumented immigrants for the purposes of drawing congressional district lines.

Host Jessica Levinson walks you through everything you need to know about Trump's decision to weaponize the census.

For more, read Jessica's recent pieces on NBC.com

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-census-order-unconstitutional-coronavirus-distraction-ncna1234564

Chief Justice John Roberts as a junior woodchuck?

When does a judge go "Christopher Walken" on you?

Come for the My Cousin Vinny references, stay for an in-depth look at the most powerful court in the land - the Supreme Court - with Professor Garrett Epps.