In this twenty-third episode of Learned Hands, the Official Podcast of the Westerosi Bar Association, Maester Merry, Clint from Laws of Ice and Fire, and special guest Akash J. Saran, J.D., ask: Does any leader at the Wall have 'good' immigration policies? How do they compare to those in the real world? Our analysis this week includes:We describe how the Free Folk are similar to refugees, asylees, and immigrants.Special guest Akash gives us a full rundown of the history of US immigration laws.Merry and her Law Hounds deliver a passionate defense of amnesty.Clint does his best accent work, probably ever.The team does a deep dive of Jon Snow's immigration policies.Learned Hands interrogates the legitimacy of the Wall itself.An update on the Westerosi Bar Association and the 2021-2022 Pledge drive.A musical cold open.Seriously, the accents are bananas.Supplemental reading: 

 Bumpers by Sanrixian. Intro & Outro music courtesy Sid Luscious & The Pants. None of this should be construed as legal advice OBVIOUSLY.  

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Episode 23: "When I Tried To Cross The White Wall; The Free Folk, Refugees, and the Wall."

Welcome to Learned Hands! In this podcast, Maester Merry & Clint, two real world attorneys explore the legal and ethical dilemmas posed by the fictional world of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.

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After Shows

In this very special Hands on Episode, Merry, Clint, and Adriana Lady Counselor of the Summer Isles, Archmaester of Pedantic Sophistry, and Founding Member of the Governor Santiago Singh Appreciation Society cover the second act of the seventh book of the BEST SCI FI SERIES EVER, Persepolis Rising from the Expanse.

This episode includes:Adriana tells us why Governor Singh is her favorite character, even if he is a villain who is addicted to making bad decisions.A deep dive into how this book explores the theme of sacrifice, the political, and the personal, and the both. Theorizing about whether or not Singh was set up to fail (SPOILER: yes).Drummer and Avasarala talk about what it means to die for something or die for nothing. It's incredible.Holden absolutely rinses Singh on political philosophy and the importance of choice.Merry highlights the book's focus on how ideology is malleable. Clint gives the appreciation for Saba, Our Revolutionary King.Support the show

Hands on the Expanse: Persepolis Rising Part II, feat. Adriana Lady Counselor of the Summer Isles

In this very first edition of the second season of Hands on HotD, Merry and Clint cover the two competing Green and Black Trailers released today for HBO's niche arthouse property HOUSE OF THE DRAGON - Season 2

In this episode:We break down the Black Trailer and the Green Trailer in a fun and excessively detailed but non-spoilery way!Merry hits the important themes of both trailers, how they both deal with patriarchy, choice, and a lack of agency.Clint tries very very hard to make several Blood and Cheese puns. Everyone has BIG FEELS about the parallels between Alicent and Rhaenyra, our two main characters.Jace is on the Wall with CREGAN THEE STALLION which means we are finally getting some Starks, baby!We go in depth rapid fire on the cornucopia of imagery we get from the trailers: Harrenhal, Brackens and Blackwoods, the Golden Tooth, the Conqueror's Crown, Rook's Rest, Moondancer, Seasmoke, Meleys, Sunfyre, Syrax, Vhagar, Caraxes and MFing THE ISLE OF FACES. The spoilery section gets hella, hella spoilery and we speculate on what HotD S2 will bring in depth. 
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Hands on HotD: Season 2 Black & Green Trailers 

In this very special Hands on Episode, Merry and Clint cover the first act of the seventh book of the BEST SCI FI SERIES EVER, Persepolis Rising from the Expanse.

This episode includes:Merry and Clint get legitimately choked up talking about the themes of family, mercy, humanity, and beauty. Everyone loves to hate (and love) that big idiot Santiago Singh.Clint gets to talk about Thomas Hobbes and the Leviathan, which is both waking and falling in the narrative.Merry goes long on whether punishment ships are a good idea or a bad idea (spoiler: BAD)We pour one out for Camina Drummer and her husband Saba, just the best fucking people.AVASARALA IS IN THIS PART.We give big middle fingers to Laconia, "benevolent dictatorship", and the concept of a non-human collective.Bobbie Draper. That's it. Bobbie Draper.
 
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Hands on The Expanse: Persepolis Rising Pt. I

In this thirty-ninth episode of Learned Hands, the Official Podcast of the Westerosi Bar Association, Merry & Clint ask: Did Jon Snow's choice to ride south to Winterfell kill the Night's Watch? What responsibility, if any, does Jon have to maintain constitutional norms and structures?

Our analysis this episode includes:We go back to the Wall to discuss what unmakes a government!Discussion of whether Jon's breaking of Nights Watch norms constitutes a crossing of the Rubicon.A dramatic reading of the Shieldhall Speeches with musical accompaniment courtesy LittleWolfBird (find her patreon here)!Merry talking at length about her favorite doomed sad boi and why the show's treatment of the moment was not actually bad.Your Hands debate whether law can be used as a tool to change broken institutions.Clint does some stupid accents and talks about how the Senate sucks (rinse and repeat).Much discussion as to whether or not the Night's Watch was gonna die, and whether they had it comin'.We announce our 2024 dues drive and call for Amicus Curiae!Supplemental reading:Merry's essay: The Last Temptation of Jon Snow Pt. 1, Kill the BoyMerry's essay: The Last Temptation of Jon Snow Pt. 2, The ChoosingAdam Feldman's essay: Jon's Noble Heart and Greater DutyWhy are men obsessed with the Roman Empire?A Lawyer's Role in Contemporary Democracy, ForewardBumpers by Dr. Kavita Mudan Finn. Extensive audio engineering by LittleWolfBird. Intro & Outro music courtesy Sid Luscious & The Pants. None of this should be construed as legal advice OBVIOUSLY. Support the show

Episode 39: "Panic! at the Shieldhall; The One Where Jon Dies"

In this special BONUS EPISODE, we give you a recording of Merry & Clint @ Ice and Fire Con 2023 discussing one of their favorite topics: Legal Issues in the Dance of the Dragons! 

In this bonus recording we cover:Coups!Territorial conquest!The Hour of the Wolf!Primogeniture!The Iron PrecedentAnd more!Merry & Clint also bang their gavels a lot, and Merry makes a joke about blowing her wad. 

Recording and audio engineering by LittleWolfBird! LWB's Patreon. Support the show

Episode 23: "When I Tried To Cross The White Wall; The Free Folk, Refugees, and the Wall."

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