The Legal Eagle Files

KCRW

4.8 (67)
NEWS

Is that even legal? Journalist Madeleine Brand and law professor Jessica Levinson deliver a smart and witty take on the legal issues of the day — and how they affect you.

06/09/2020

Suing police officers for excessive force, defunding law enforcement

Host Madeleine Brand and law professor Jessica Levinson discuss how much force police officers are allowed to use, what recourse people have when they want to bring forth excessive force claims, and when the U.S. president can send the military to states. They also cover the debate around defunding police departments.

32 min
06/02/2020

Could you sue President Trump if he targeted you on Twitter?

In this episode of The Legal Eagle Files, KCRW host and journalist Madeleine Brand and law professor Jessica Levinson discuss some big legal issues related to President Trump’s use of Twitter. They also discuss the Supreme Court’s answer to a California church that sought to invalidate Governor Gavin Newsom’s restrictions for places of worship.

31 min
06/01/2020

How aggressive can law enforcement be with protesters?

In this special episode of The Legal Eagle Files, KCRW host and journalist Madeleine Brand and law professor Jessica Levinson discuss the rights of protestors and duties of law enforcement officers.

14 min
05/26/2020

The Department of Justice or the Department of Trump?

In this episode of The Legal Eagle Files, KCRW host and journalist Madeleine Brand and law professor Jessica Levinson discuss the politicization of the Department of Justice. Brand and Levinson talk about why the DOJ should be an independent agency, what Attorney General Bill Barr’s actions with respect to the stay-at-home orders, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, and the Mueller report mean for that independence.

39 min
05/19/2020

The electoral college, goats gone wild, and Trump’s financial records

In this episode of The Legal Eagle Files, KCRW host and journalist Madeleine Brand and law professor Jessica Levinson discuss two of the biggest cases before the Supreme Court this term. One involves President Trump’s financial records and the other addresses members of the Electoral College who go rogue.

36 min
05/12/2020

Shedding light on the Supreme Court, the most private and powerful institution in government

In this episode of The Legal Eagle Files, KCRW host and journalist Madeleine Brand and law professor Jessica Levinson shed some light on the most private and powerful institution in our government: the Supreme Court.

35 min
05/05/2020

Voting during a pandemic

In this episode of The Legal Eagle Files, KCRW host and journalist Madeleine Brand talks with law professor Jessica Levinson about how states can act now to ensure that voters can safely exercise their right to vote in November. They also chat about Madeleine's twin passions: an online spelling-game and an exercise bike.

34 min
04/28/2020

Abortion rights during coronavirus

In this episode of The Legal Eagle Files, KCRW host and journalist Madeleine Brand talks with law professor Jessica Levinson about why — and how — certain states have tried to use COVID-19 to ban abortions. They also discuss a significant abortion case the Supreme Court is deciding this term. And they discuss their adventures working from home and parenting.

42 min
04/28/2020

Government power in a global pandemic

In the debut episode of The Legal Eagle Files, KCRW host and journalist Madeleine Brand talks with law professor Jessica Levinson about how much the government can limit individual rights during a pandemic, and how this might change our relationship with the government.

49 min

9 Episodes

4.8

out of 5

67 Ratings

Nice job!

06/25/2020

Syntax Babe

I’m not a lawyer. But like so many following the news these days I struggle to get myself up to speed—just so that I can understand what’s going on. This podcast will really help! Question: is the most recent episode from 9 June or will they be brought up to date? Would love your take on Michael Flynn’s shenanigans...
I look forward to this podcast every week

06/25/2020

RSteif

It’s worth skipping the first 5-10 minutes, since it is just chit-chat. But after that, this is an amazing podcast - especially for this draw-dropping year of 2020. #GoJessica
Don’t miss this one!

05/21/2020

The Legal Pigeon

If you’re a lawyer (like me) whose practice mostly doesn’t allow you to engage with the most interesting and important legal issues of this era or you’re an engaged (non-lawyer) citizen who’s looking for a source of smart, funny, easily understandable analysis of the most important legal issues of our time, this podcast must be in your library.
Strongly recommended

05/12/2020

Go4Mike

This podcast is great. Madeleine and Jessica take modern legal issues and break them down in layman’s terms. Their casual banter strikes the right balance between informative and entertaining. I love this show.

Is that even legal? Journalist Madeleine Brand and law professor Jessica Levinson deliver a smart and witty take on the legal issues of the day — and how they affect you.