The Law, such as it is

An exploration of a broken, if beautiful, institution, the law, and tradition, America. Season one told the story of a case, LESSIG v. NYT. Season two begins the story about a country, America, and values that country has betrayed.

Episode 8 - System Error 11/09/2021

Episode 8 - System Error Lessig talks to Rob Reich, Jeremy M. Weinstein and Mehran Sahami about their new book, SYSTEM ERROR — which unpacks the effect of technology on culture and policy, and redirects how we might respond. /episode/index/show/lessig/id/21106778

Episode 7 - David Vine 09/30/2021

Episode 7 - David Vine American University Professor David Vine has developed a powerful critique of the war mentality that America takes for granted. We argue about whether we should be a “welfare state.” Why don’t we argue about whether we should remain a “warfare state.” In this episode, he discusses two of his books, The United States of War and Base Nation, and what lessons they teach us now. /episode/index/show/lessig/id/20648909

Episode 6 - Daniel Immerwahr 09/23/2021

Episode 6 - Daniel Immerwahr A discussion with Daniel Immerwahr about his book, How to Hide An Empire. The United States is not comprised solely of states. As well as states, our nation includes territories. This book tells the story of the role and place of those territories in the history of the United States. #Empire America /episode/index/show/lessig/id/20570240

Episode 5 - Zephyr Teachout 09/16/2021

Episode 5 - Zephyr Teachout A discussion with Zephyr Teachout about her book, Break ‘Em Up. Zephyr is the most important thinker on the Democratic left. This conversation continues from the last about how markets have been transformed from engines of freedom to systems of control. #Competition /episode/index/show/lessig/id/20482205

Episode 4 - Barry Lynn 09/09/2021

Episode 4 - Barry Lynn A discussion with Barry Lynn about his new book, Liberty from All Masters. There is a kind of competitive market that the American story presumes — competitive, every actor having limited power over us. This book tells the story of the undoing of that market. #Competition /episode/index/show/lessig/id/20396171

Episode 3 - Stephen Kinzer 09/02/2021

Episode 3 - Stephen Kinzer A discussion with Stephen Kinzer about his book, Overthrow. Overthrow tells the story of the many times the United States has intervened directly and militarily to change the course of government in other nations. #Empire America /episode/index/show/lessig/id/20335340

Episode 2 - Edward Snowden 08/26/2021

Episode 2 - Edward Snowden A discussion with Edward Snowden about his new book, Permanent Record. In 2013, Snowden revealed to the world the extent of the US government’s mass surveillance program. This book tells the story of Snowden’s life and the decision to sacrifice as he did to let us know this truth. #Privacy /episode/index/show/lessig/id/20182529

Episode 1 - Andrew Bacevich 08/19/2021

Episode 1 - Andrew Bacevich A discussion with Andrew Bacevich about his new book, After the Apocolypse. Bacevich is America’s most thoughtful conservative skeptic about the scope of America’s military empire, and the urgent need to redirect our focus. #Empire America /episode/index/show/lessig/id/20108996

Season 2 Intro 08/12/2021

Season 2 Intro This is an introduction of this season and ideas that the season will explore. Anti-empire, privacy, and competition: these ideas, or as I will call them, values, represent the best of who we’ve been; they are also values we’ve betrayed. These conversations are part of the research for a possible new book. Explore the ideas with me, and with your feedback, help me think them through. /episode/index/show/lessig/id/20108831

EP 4 - Case Closed 07/01/2020

EP 4 - Case Closed In a surprising twist, the New York Times changed its headline and lede. In this episode, Lessig explains the decision to withdraw the case. /episode/index/show/lessig/id/15044522

EP 3 - Triggered 02/24/2020

EP 3 - Triggered Why this matters to me, and why regardless of cost, it is not something I can let go. /episode/index/show/lessig/id/13284284

EP 2 - The Facts 01/29/2020

EP 2 - The Facts An account of what happened and just why the publication by the Times was false. /episode/index/show/lessig/id/12933077

EP 1 - Intro 01/11/2020

EP 1 - Intro An introduction to the purpose and scope of the podcast, and into the basic facts of the case that has inspired it, Lessig v. NYT. /episode/index/show/lessig/id/12677588

The Law, such as it is

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