Legal Judg(e)ments Podcast

The Golden Rule

February 26, 2024

In the famous American comic strip, The Wizard of Id, the Golden Rule means “Whoever has the gold makes the rules!” And so it’s been in the construction industry time immemorial. In this episode, Bob Stetson and Brad Croft discuss Tocci Building Corp. v. IRIV Partners and how the Golden Rule shaped recent statutory enactments in the construction industry and judicial interpretations of them.

Righting a Wrong

February 5, 2024

Guest Paul Edelstein joins Bob Stetson to explore the critical issue of self-help evictions and the fight for housing justice. This episode centers on the Solis family from Brooklyn, New York, who faced a harrowing eviction attempt by their landlord, employing tactics like utility shutoffs, demolition work, and false legal notices. Their subsequent ten-year legal journey highlights the stark realities of informal evictions and their impact on society’s most vulnerable. Through the case of Solis vs. Aguilar, Bob and Paul examine the balance between tenants’ rights and landlords’ actions, emphasizing the importance of due process as a cornerstone of liberty and dignity.

Power Play: Chevron, Agencies, and the Constitution

January 22, 2024

Listen to Bob Stetson and returning guest Ben Robbins from the New England Legal Foundation explore the separation of powers in the context of federal administrative agencies, the historical expansion of the administrative state, the Supreme Court’s 1984 Chevron decision, and its implications for the separation of powers through the lens of a new rule by the National Marine Fisheries Council.

The First Amendment in the Internet Era

December 18, 2023

Bob Stetson and his guest, John Elwood, discuss Counterman vs. Colorado, the Supreme Court’s recent decision balancing free speech rights against protection from abuse. Listen as they explore the dynamics of the First Amendment in the age of social media, examining whether online comments can constitute an actual threat or fall under constitutionally protected speech.

When a Regulation Becomes a Taking: A Constitutional Debate Over Property Rights

November 13, 2023

In this thought-provoking episode, Bob and Joshua Thompson, Director of Equality and Opportunity Litigation at the Pacific Legal Foundation, discuss the landmark case of Cedar Point Nursery vs. Hassid and explore the intricate balance between private property rights and public interests. What constitutes a ‘taking’ and how far government regulations can go in the name of the public good?

Big Brother?

October 30, 2023

Bob talks with the Institute for Justice’s Mike Greenberg about a Michigan town’s use of drones to enforce a land use regulation in Long Lake Township v. Maxon.

Life, Liberty, and the Right to Decide: Medical Aid in Dying

October 16, 2023

In the first episode of season 3, O’Melveny & Myers LLP’s John Kappos explains to Bob how his representation of two Massachusetts doctors led to a decision on whether medical-aid-in-dying qualifies as a fundamental constitutional right in Kligler v. Attorney General.