The Defiant Citizen

Gary Mullins | The Publius Project
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The Defiant Citizen is a podcast for ordinary Americans who still believe the republic belongs to them. Drawing from philosophy, the American founding, and the ideas of Publius, each episode explores the principles citizens must understand to preserve a free society. Through philosophical discussions, breakdowns of the Restoration Papers, and real-world analysis of current events, the show challenges listeners to reclaim the spirit of self-government. Because a republic does not survive on institutions alone. It survives when its citizens refuse to become subjects.

  1. Oct 4

    Judgment, Not Rule

    Episode 16: Judgment, Not Rule - When Did the Supreme Court Become the Final Word? The Supreme Court is the highest court in America. But is it the highest authority? In this episode of The Defiant Citizen, Gary Mullins takes a plain-English look at the role the Founders actually intended for the federal judiciary, and the important difference between judicial review and judicial supremacy. Why did the Founders make federal judges so independent? What did Alexander Hamilton mean when he said the courts possessed “neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgment”? And if the Supreme Court itself has overturned constitutional decisions it once treated as binding precedent, should we really treat every Court interpretation as though it were the Constitution itself? We’ll look at the history behind Article III, including the English Star Chamber and colonial concerns about judges dependent on the Crown; the Supreme Court’s own history of reversing precedent; nationwide injunctions and Trump v. CASA; and several reforms aimed at preserving an independent judiciary without turning it into an unelected governing body. This isn’t an argument for weak courts. It’s an argument for courts strong enough to defend individual liberty, independent enough to stand against political pressure, and restrained enough to remember that they were given judgment, not rule. The Supreme Court is the highest court in America. The Constitution is the supreme law. Based on Restoration Paper No. 15: The Constitutional Judiciary — Judgment, Not Rule from The Publius Project.

  2. Aug 5

    The President Isn't a King - And Congress Isn't a Spectator

    Episode 15: The President Is Not a King—And Congress Is Not a Spectator America does not need a weak president. We need one strong enough to enforce the law, defend the country, manage the executive branch, and act decisively when the moment demands it. But the president was never meant to become the law. In this episode of The Defiant Citizen, Gary Mullins examines how Congress slowly surrendered many of its own responsibilities—war powers, spending authority, emergency powers, regulation, and major policy decisions—and helped create the modern imperial presidency. The episode also explores executive orders, agency power, presidential pardons, the Fifth Amendment, congressional oversight, and the simplest test for any presidential power: Would you still support it if it were placed in the hands of the president you trust least? Based on Restoration Paper No. 14: The Limited Executive, this episode argues for something America desperately needs: A strong president.A limited executive.A Congress willing to do its job. Read the full Restoration Paper and subscribe at PubliusProject.com.

  3. Jul 18

    Get the Hell Out of Washington

    Episode 14: Get the Hell Out of Washington Congress was never supposed to be a lifetime career. In this episode, Gary examines how temporary public service became permanent political power. From endless fundraising and party control to incumbency, lobbyists, and the growing divide between Washington and Everyday America, this is a blunt look at how Congress stopped being a citizen legislature. The answer is not complicated: Serve. Represent. Go home.

  4. Jul 5

    Who Gets to Decide?

    Episode 13: Who Gets to Decide? In this episode of The Defiant Citizen, Gary Mullins takes a real-world look at federalism — not as a dusty civics term, but as one of the most important safeguards of American liberty. Using examples from Little Rock, the national drinking age, marijuana policy, COVID restrictions, public schools, and today’s national political warfare, this episode asks the constitutional question politicians hate: Who has the authority to decide? Federalism is more than “states’ rights.” It is the vertical separation of power between Washington, the states, local communities, and the people. And when that balance breaks down, every national election starts to feel like a fight for control over everyone else’s life. This episode is the companion discussion to Restoration Paper No. 12: The Architecture of Federalism — The Division of Authority Between Federal and State Governments. Read the full Restoration Paper series at www.publiusproject.com.

  5. Jun 18

    Why We Distrust Power

    Episode 12: Why We Distrust Power Most Americans can tell you there are three branches of government. Far fewer can tell you why they exist. In this episode, we explore one of the most important—and least understood—ideas in the American constitutional system: the separation of powers. The Founders did not divide government because they trusted politicians. They divided government because they didn't. Drawing on their experiences with monarchy, history's warnings about concentrated power, and their understanding of human nature, they built a system designed to make government compete with itself before it could act on the people. We'll examine how the system was intended to work, a moment in American history when it worked exactly as designed, and what happens when constitutional safeguards begin to erode. Along the way, we'll explore why political gridlock may not be a flaw at all, but a feature—and why liberty often depends on government moving slower than we'd like. If freedom survives because power is divided, what happens when those divisions begin to disappear? That's the question. Welcome to The Defiant Citizen.

  6. Jun 3

    Flawed Men, Enduring Ideas

    Episode 11: Flawed Men, Enduring Ideas Phase II of the Restoration Project begins here. For generations, Americans have argued about what the Founders believed, what they meant, and which modern political movement they would support. But before we can understand the Constitution, we have to understand something even more important: What assumptions were the Founders making about human nature when they built the American system? In this episode, Gary Mullins explores the foundation beneath the Constitution—the belief that human beings are capable of both greatness and corruption, and that government must be designed accordingly. You'll learn why the Founders intentionally built a slow and restrained system of government, why checks and balances exist, and why liberty requires constant vigilance. You'll also confront one of the most common objections raised against the Founders: their personal flaws and contradictions. Can flawed people create enduring ideas? From Washington and Jefferson to Lincoln, Roosevelt, and other influential figures throughout history, this episode examines why judging ideas solely by the imperfections of their creators may leave us with nothing worth preserving. Topics Covered: The Founders' view of human natureWhy the Constitution was built around restraintSeparation of powers and checks and balancesThe danger of concentrated powerSlavery and the Founders' contradictionsHabeas corpus and civil libertiesWhy flawed people can still create lasting institutionsThis episode serves as the gateway into Phase II: The Founders' Framework, where we'll begin examining the principles that shaped the American Republic and whether they still have something to teach us today. The Defiant Citizen is the podcast companion to The Publius Project—a nonpartisan exploration of citizenship, constitutional government, and the restoration of the American Republic.

  7. May 13

    The Cost You Never See

    Episode 10: The Cost You Never See What if the biggest cost of government isn’t what you pay… but what you stop trying to do? Episode 10 explores the hidden “mental tax” of the modern managed state — the delays, approvals, paperwork, compliance systems, and endless hoops that slowly train ordinary Americans to hesitate instead of build. Through real-world stories of permits, small businesses, contractors, denied applications, and everyday bureaucracy, this episode examines how a culture of citizens gradually becomes a culture of applicants. Not through force or dramatic crackdowns… but through friction. Quietly. Constantly. Until people begin regulating themselves before the system ever has to. Building on Restoration Paper No. 9, The Cost of the Managed State, and the companion essay From Citizen to Applicant, this episode asks a difficult question: What happens to a free society when people stop asking “What can I build?” and start asking “Am I allowed?” This is an episode about initiative, responsibility, self-government, and the invisible cost of living inside systems that slowly discourage action itself. If you’ve ever looked at an idea and thought, “Yeah… probably not worth it,” this episode is for you.

  8. Apr 29

    It's a Great Big Club...And We Ain't In It!

    Episode 9: It's a Great Big Club..And We Ain't In it! You don’t have representation. You have the illusion of it. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on how the system actually works—and why your vote doesn’t carry the weight you think it does. From the “Wealth Primary” that decides who gets to run…to the donor networks that shape decisions behind the scenes…to the closed loop that protects the people inside it… this isn’t a broken system. It’s a system that’s doing exactly what it was built to do. The question is— who was it built for?

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About

The Defiant Citizen is a podcast for ordinary Americans who still believe the republic belongs to them. Drawing from philosophy, the American founding, and the ideas of Publius, each episode explores the principles citizens must understand to preserve a free society. Through philosophical discussions, breakdowns of the Restoration Papers, and real-world analysis of current events, the show challenges listeners to reclaim the spirit of self-government. Because a republic does not survive on institutions alone. It survives when its citizens refuse to become subjects.

Information

  • Creator
    Gary Mullins | The Publius Project
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Gary Mullins | The Publius Project
  • Show Website
    The Defiant Citizen