Miami Law Explainer

As former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin awaits sentencing for the murder of George Floyd, Miami Law’s criminal law expert and former special assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Sundby explains the process. Recorded on April 23, 2021.

The Biden Administration's $2.2 trillion infrastructure plan promises to prioritize longstanding and persistent racial injustices by transitioning to a more democratic energy system, including electrical grid and public transit. Miami Law's Fredman Foundation Practitioner in Residence at the Environmental Justice Clinic Abigail Fleming walks us around the biggest obstacles to energy justice. Recorded on April 16, 2021.

Cancel culture is rapid-fire ostracization in the time of social media mob mentality. Stories of people drummed out of their organizations over positions taken sometimes decades earlier fill the headlines and chyrons of cable news. Compliance expert Marcia Narine Weldon explains the good, the bad, and the ugly of today's phenomenon. Recorded on March 31, 2021.

Not unexpectedly, federal and state courts are awash in suits versus former President Trump and his minions. Litigation and dispute resolution expert Sergio Campos guides us through the waves. Recorded on March 25, 2021.

South Carolina recently introduced a bill to allow death by firing squad, while Virginia passed legislation to abolish the death penalty. Thirteen of the 17 federal executions carried out in the last 60 years were under the Trump presidency. Death penalty expert Scott Sundby tracks where we've been and where we are going. Recorded on March 11, 2021.

President Biden has cut off U.S. support for offensive operations in Yemen and related arms sales to Saudi Arabia, making good on a campaign promise. But relations in the region are complicated, at best. Miami Law international and comparative constitutional law expert Pablo Rueda-Saiz explains the moves. Recorded on March 1, 2021.

No other company in the world ramped up as exponentially as Amazon in the face of the pandemic, adding more than 400,000 workers globally between January and October 2020. With the explosive growth came a wave of efforts to organize by employees. Labor expert and former New York Attorney General Section Chief Andrew Elmore clocks in to unpack the union box. Recorded on March 8, 2021.

Tragically, 2020 saw another year of killings of Black people by police and wannabes, including the murders of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, father of five George Floyd in Minneapolis, and 26-year-old Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. The deaths prompted nationwide outrage and a national conversation about the crisis in our criminal justice system. Donald Jones, author of three books on race, equity, and social disadvantage, takes a big look. Recorded on March 1, 2021.

Democrats want to ax the filibuster to max accomplishments in the Biden era; Republicans need to save it to block the new administration's agenda. Constitutional expert Charlton Copeland brings us Filibuster 101. Recorded on February 22, 2021.

In the opening days of the new administration, President Biden took his first big swing at criminal justice reform with an executive order aimed at ending private prison contracts. Innocence Clinic Director Craig Trocino takes a wide look at the prospects. Recorded February 18, 2021.

Based on a single charge of incitement of insurrection against the U.S. government and lawless action at the capitol, the historic second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is underway. Constitutional scholar Caroline Mala Corbin leads us through the maelstrom. Recorded February 11, 2021.

Retail traders took on Wall Street, kneecapping behemoth hedge funds, driving up the value of several low-performing stocks. International tax expert and longtime marker watcher Stanley Langbein reads the ticker. Recorded on February 4, 2021.

Amazon's hosting server kicked Parler off following the January 6 attack on the capitol. Parler suffered another setback when it failed to convince a federal judge to force Amazon to reinstate the site. Antitrust expert John Mark Newman untangles the argument. Recorded on January 29, 2021.

Fallout from the attack on the capitol reverberated throughout the world, including swift reaction from corporate America in the form of political contributions. Frances Hill, a campaign finance reform expert weighs in on the consequences. Recorded on January 21, 2021.

COVID-19 has exposed the depth of this country’s rental housing crisis. Miami Law’s Tenants’ Rights Clinic Director Jeffrey Hearne joins us to talk about the quandary and the solutions. Recorded on November 12, 2020.