Your Weekly Constitutional

We all know about the duel. It didn't turn out so well for Alexander Hamilton. But it didn't turn out very well for Aaron Burr, either.

What happened to Burr after the Interview at Weehawken? Quite a lot, it seems. Grandiose schemes of conquest. Conspiracy. And the most famous trial for treason in all of American History.

Listen in and find out how it all ended up.

The Ten Commandments. It seems that we've been arguing about them ever since Moses brought them down from the mountain. Lately, we've been arguing about whether posting them in public schools, public parks and other public spaces violates the First Amendment. It's one of those constitutional issues that just keeps coming back. Dare we call it - eternal?

Listen in and decide for yourself.

We all know that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves - or did he?

And if he did, well then, how did he do it? Where, precisely, would a president find the constitutional power to free slaves, which were then considered "property?" Doesn't the Fifth Amendment require compensation when the government takes our "property?"

We're confused. Fortunately, Paul Finkelman clears it all up for us. He's a great storyteller, and it's a fascinating tale. Tune in! Or, rather, download!

Habeas Corpus - "the ancient writ" -- enshrined in the Magna Carta and the United States Constitution. Literally translated, it is a command from a judge to a jailer stating, "Produce the body." The body in question is a prisoner, and the judge who issues such a writ is commanding the government to bring that prisoner into court and to justify his imprisonment.

Habeas Corpus is one of the greatest tools a free society has to resist government tyranny, and also the avenue of last resort for those charged with capital crimes. In this episode, we look at one such case, House v. Bell, from Tennessee, in which a man sat on death row for more than 20 years while lawyers used habeas proceedings to try to prove his innocence.

Rape and murder, guilt and innocence, conviction and . . . exoneration? Join us and find out.

It's been more than 150 years, and people are still debating the question.

We'll talk to Donnie Kennedy, co-author of "The South was Right!" who thinks that much more than slavery was at issue.

We'll also talk to James Loewen, who quotes the explanations provided by seceding states themselves in his book, "The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader: The 'Great Truth' About the 'Lost Cause.'"

So saddle up and join us.

Most of us pray. Many of us pray every day - at home, at work, at church, and in school. So what's the big deal about school prayer? Why have the courts put constitutional restrictions on it, at least in public schools?

We'll talk to former Congressman Bill Dannemeyer, who wants to see prayer back in public schools, and with Annie Laurie Gaylor, the Co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, who doesn't.

The First Amendment protects freedom of speech and of the press. But a free press is of limited value without responsible and courageous journalists. Fortunately, such journalists exist, even in tiny little towns tucked away in the mountains. Join us for the story of two such journalists, Jonathan and Susan Austin of the Yancey County News.

Can the government put you in prison just for telling a lie? Even if no money is involved? Even if it's just an old war story?

What if you claim to be a hero? What if you didn't win that medal? What if you've never even served?

Not such an easy question, is it?

E-I-E-I-O.

This one's all about a farm. Roscoe Filburn's farm. And about what happened to Roscoe and to the Commerce Clause when Roscoe decided to grow just a little too much wheat.

Here's a hint: the resulting case, Wickard v. Filburn, may just be the linchpin upon which the whole federal health care debate ends up turning.

Eugenics in America. Selective human breeding. Forced sterilization. You heard that right - in America.

We'll speak with Edwin Black, author of "War Against the Weak," and with Governor Beverly Perdue of North Carolina, who is trying to help the victims of the now-defunct eugenics program in her state.

A fascinating, disturbing episode.