Best Pam And Riley Podcasts (2026)

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Best of Stanford Legal: Trump's Pardons 30:37

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3d ago30:37

30:37

What are the legal implications of the unprecedented mass pardoning of the January 6th rioters? What does it say about American rule of law? President Biden’s DOJ prosecuted nearly 1,600 of the January 6, 2021, rioters—many for acts of shocking violence against police and government offices. On January 20, newly sworn-in President Trump, in one of …

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Best of Stanford Legal: Suing DOGE 28:38

10d ago28:38

28:38

A coalition of privacy defenders led by Lex Lumina and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a lawsuit on February 11 asking a federal court to stop the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from disclosing millions of Americans’ private, sensitive information to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). As the federal …

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Nationwide Injunctions After CASA 43:38

21d ago43:38

43:38

When a single federal judge can freeze a president’s policy nationwide, it raises big questions about checks and balances and democratic accountability. That’s one reason nationwide injunctions have become central to some of today’s most consequential legal battles—and why the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Trump v. CASA matters. At a live reco…

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Crime, Justice, and Trump’s DOJ 33:39

2M ago33:39

33:39

Over a 35-year career at the Department of Justice, Jonathan Wroblewski, JD ’86, watched the country’s stance on criminal sentencing harden, soften, recalibrate, and shift again. One of his early cases at the DOJ, which involved a cross-burning in rural Georgia, sparked a fascination with sentencing policy that shaped the rest of his career. Today,…

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Navigating Uncertainty and Unprecedented Shifts in Federal Health Policy 32:27

2M ago32:27

32:27

“The amount of chaos that’s been introduced into the federal health policy landscape is unprecedented,” says Michelle Mello, professor at Stanford Law School and the Stanford University School of Medicine. That turmoil, she explains, has left major gaps in expertise, trust, and leadership—and states are rushing to fill the void. In this episode of …

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National Guard or Political Weapon? 30:48

2M ago30:48

30:48

When the National Guard shows up in American cities, it’s usually after hurricanes, fires, or floods, not political fights. But recent federal deployments have changed the landscape and raised pressing questions about how far a president’s domestic military powers can go. In this episode of Stanford Legal, host Pam Karlan talks with Professor Berna…

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Political Enemies and the Weaponization of the DOJ 29:38

3M ago29:38

29:38

When politics drives prosecutions, what happens to the rule of law? Are we in uncharted waters? Stanford Legal host Professor Pamela Karlan sits down with her colleague criminal justice expert Robert Weisberg to unpack the extraordinary federal indictments of former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James—with more pote…

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President Trump’s Tariffs and the Separation of Powers at the Supreme Court 35:36

3M ago35:36

35:36

In April, President Trump declared a national emergency and assumed the power to levy tariffs, introducing uncertainty into global trading by reneging on previously negotiated agreements. One of the attorneys representing the challengers to the president’s decree in Trump v. VOS is Stanford Law Professor Michael McConnell, a constitutional law expe…

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Guns, Money, and Mass Shootings 30:38

4M ago30:38

30:38

Frequent mass shootings are a distinctly American problem, with news of another tragic shooting grabbing our attention every few weeks. Yet policy change is stalled. In this episode, we focus on an important reason for the congressional paralysis—the gun lobby. John Donohue, one of the country’s leading experts on the empirical study of law and pub…

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U.S. Risking its Scientific Research Edge? 31:09

4M ago31:09

31:09

In this episode of Stanford Legal, host Professor Pamela Karlan interviews her Stanford Law School colleague Professor Lisa Larrimore Ouellette about actions by the Trump administration that Ouellette says are undermining scientific research and jeopardizing America’s longstanding global leadership in medicine and innovation. Drawing on an essay sh…

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Redrawing Democracy 44:10

5M ago44:10

44:10

At the urging of President Trump, the Texas legislature has launched a mid‑decade redistricting effort aimed at securing additional Republican seats in Congress. If successful, this effort could have far‑reaching implications for representation and governance—and spur other states to try the same. In this episode of Stanford Legal, two of Stanford …

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Trump’s Executive Orders, Culture Wars, and Civil Rights 33:09

5M ago33:09

33:09

Trump-era executive orders, police hiring standards, and college admissions all converge in a decades-long debate over disparate impact, one of the most misunderstood yet consequential doctrines in civil rights law. In this episode of Stanford Legal, Professor Ralph Richard Banks, faculty director of the Stanford Center for Racial Justice, joins ho…

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Can the Rule of Law Hold? 35:37

6M ago35:37

35:37

In this episode of Stanford Legal, Professor Pam Karlan talks about the growing politicization of the Department of Justice under the Trump administration. Drawing on her experience in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division during both the Obama and Biden administrations, Karlan describes how recent loyalty tests, internal purges, and retaliatory transfer…

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Free Speech Under Fire: Greg Lukianoff Discusses the Battle for Free Expression on College Campuses 33:16

6M ago33:16

33:16

Amid escalating federal pressure on universities, Stanford Law School alum Greg Lukianoff, JD ’00, joins host Professor Pam Karlan for a sharp look at the free speech firestorms engulfing universities like Harvard and Columbia. First Amendment champion, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), and co-author of The Co…

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The Free Speech Chill 32:59

7M ago32:59

32:59

In this episode, Stanford Law Professor Evelyn Douek, a First Amendment scholar and permanent U.S. resident, expands on her recent Atlantic essay, “Can I Teach the First Amendment If I Only Have a Green Card?” She reflects on the paradox of teaching constitutional protections for free speech while watching the U.S. government detain or revoke visas…

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Leveraging Technology to Improve Access to LA Courts 35:43

7M ago35:43

35:43

The LA Superior Court is the largest single unified trial court in the United States, serving the approximately 10 million residents of Los Angeles County—the cases it handles spanning a wide range of legal matters, from civil cases to criminal cases, family law, and juvenile matters. As the state and county have grown, so has demand on the legal s…

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Trump Takes on the Federal Bureaucracy, Putting Administrative Law in the Spotlight 29:01

7M ago29:01

29:01

On February 19 of this year, President Donald Trump issued one of his first executive orders, Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, leaving no doubt his aim to reduce its size and scope. As DOGE got to work firing federal workers—and cutting entire agencies, the president also fired heads of agencies—Democratic and Republican—cleanin…

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AI, Liability, and Hallucinations in a Changing Tech and Law Environment 39:31

8M ago39:31

39:31

Since ChatGPT came on the scene, numerous incidents have surfaced involving attorneys submitting court filings riddled with AI-generated hallucinations—plausible-sounding case citations that purport to support key legal propositions but are, in fact, entirely fictitious. As sanctions against attorneys mount, it seems clear there are a few kinks in …

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The Trump Administration and the Rule of Law Under Pressure 46:11

8M ago46:11

46:11

On March 6, President Trump issued the executive order “Addressing Risk from Perkins Coie LLP,” essentially preventing the firm from doing business with the federal government, stripping its staff of security clearances. It was the first of several presidential orders aimed at law firms that represented clients and/or employed attorneys at odds wit…

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Trade Wars, Economic Chaos, and Law: Unpacking Trump's Trade Tactics with Alan Sykes 32:52

9M ago32:52

32:52

Joining Pam for this week's episode is Stanford Law Professor Alan Sykes, a leading expert on the application of economics to legal problems whose most recent scholarship is focused on international economic relations. In short, he is an international trade and law expert—and the right person to help us understand today's chaos. The discussion cove…

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Trump’s Forced Deportations to El Salvador Prisons, Detentions, and Fear on College Campuses 33:43

9M ago33:43

33:43

Do asylum seekers in the U.S. have rights? Can the U.S. government forcibly deport them to a prison in El Salvador without due process? What about green card holders attending college? Since taking office, President Trump has focused on legal and undocumented immigrants alike, from Venezuelan asylum seekers to visa and green card college students—i…

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Accountability in Government: Glenn Fine on the Crucial Role of Inspectors General, the Government's Watchdogs 28:18

10M ago28:18

28:18

How do we prevent or catch mismanagement, corruption, and waste of taxpayers' dollars in federal agencies? On January 24, 2025, days into his second administration, President Trump fired Inspectors General from 17 different federal agencies, including the Department of Labor. If no one is watching, does that mean there's nothing to see? In this epi…

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Gaza Conflict: Governance, Rebuilding, and Legal Challenges 29:39

10M ago29:39

29:39

International Law expert Allen Weiner joins Pam for a comprehensive overview of the legal challenges and humanitarian concerns in one of the world's most contentious regions, looking at the Israel/Gaza conflict and the delicate balance between military strategy and civilian safety. Allen and Pam explore the principles of proportionality in warfare,…

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Suing DOGE: Musk, Trump, and an Imperial Presidency 28:38

10M ago28:38

28:38

A coalition of privacy defenders led by Lex Lumina and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a lawsuit on February 11 asking a federal court to stop the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from disclosing millions of Americans’ private, sensitive information to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). As the federal …

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Trump's Pardons: Political Violence, Hate Groups, and the Rule of Law 30:37

11M ago30:37

30:37

What are the legal implications of the unprecedented mass pardoning of the January 6th rioters? What does it say about American rule of law? President Biden’s DOJ prosecuted nearly 1,600 of the January 6, 2021, rioters—many for acts of shocking violence against police and government offices. On January 20, newly sworn-in President Trump, in one of …

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Criminal Justice in Divided America: Can Democracy Survive a Broken Justice System? 30:57

11M ago30:57

30:57

Criminal law expert and Stanford Law Professor David Sklansky joins Pam Karlan to discuss his book Criminal Justice in Divided America: Police, Punishment, and the Future of Our Democracy, published in January. In this episode, they explore what he sees as the failures of America’s criminal justice system—from overly harsh sentences and prosecutori…

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Special Counsel Smith's Report on Trump's Interference in the 2020 Election 30:04

12M ago30:04

30:04

In this episode, Pam Karlan is joined by Stanford Law School Professor David Sklansky, a leading criminal law expert, for a wide-ranging discussion of Smith’s report, the evidence against the president-elect, and more. In the early hours of January 14, 2024 the Department of Justice released its long-awaited election interference report against Pre…

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California Burning: LA Fires, Climate Change, and Insurance Nightmares with Environmental Lawyer Debbie Sivas 29:43

12M ago29:43

29:43

The fires in Los Angeles, fueled by drought and the notorious Santa Ana winds, have wreaked devastation on the largest county in the United States, taking at least 10 lives and destroying thousands of structures as of January 10—with much of the Los Angeles metropolis, suburban neighborhoods like Pasadena and Pacific Palisades engulfed in smoke, an…

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Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Policy Shifts under Trump: A Tutorial on the Global Economy and Trade 29:01

1y ago29:01

29:01

Just weeks before he was elected president of the United States, during a conversation at the Economic Club of Chicago, Donald Trump declared, “The most beautiful word in the dictionary is ‘tariff.’ And it’s my favorite word.” As the president-elect takes to the bully pulpit, leaders of nations threatened with new tariffs are calling Trump or even …

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The Presidential Pardon Power, from Biden and Trump to Ancient Kings 26:20

1y ago26:20

26:20

Presidential pardons are in the headlines again after President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter. But the vast majority of presidents have used this awesome power, which was enshrined in the Constitution at the founding of the country and dates back to 7th Century English monarchs. What are the issues at play with modern presidential pardons? W…

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Exploring AI in Healthcare: Legal, Regulatory, and Safety Challenges 48:19

1y ago48:19

48:19

Artificial Intelligence holds the potential to transform much of our lives and healthcare professions are embracing it for everything from cost savings to diagnostics. But who is to blame when AI assisted healthcare goes wrong? How is the law developing to balance the benefits and risks? In this episode, Pam and Rich are joined by health policy exp…

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Crime, the Opioid Crisis, and Gun Violence: New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin on How Action at the State Level Is Making a Difference 47:58

1y ago47:58

47:58

Matt Platkin, who was the youngest-ever AG in the country when he was appointed in 2022, discusses some of his public safety initiatives such as the ARRIVE Together program, which pairs mental health professionals with law enforcement to improve responses to mental health crises. Among other pressing issues facing New Jersey, Platkin also addresses…

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Racism in Property Deeds: Stanford Team Develops AI Tool to Identify and Map Racial Covenants 30:00

1y ago30:00

30:00

Stanford Law's Daniel Ho and computer science/law student Mirac Suzgun discuss the enduring impact of racially restrictive covenants in real estate with host Rich Ford. Though unenforceable since 1948, these clauses are a lingering reminder of housing segregation and racism in the United States, as Professor Ho's own experience of discovering a cov…

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Killing in Self Defense: The Legal Complexities of Abuse-Related Crimes and the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Women's Criminal Convictions 29:59

1y ago29:59

29:59

How are victims of intimate partner violence meant to protect themselves—and, often, their children—without winding up dead, in hospital, or prison? It’s a situation that many find themselves in. Approximately 15 percent of women in the United States are victims of intimate partner violence, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. But …

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Challenging Originalism: Putting the Electoral College, Presidential Immunity, and Recent SCOTUS Decisions into Historical Context 32:15

1+ y ago32:15

32:15

Is the president above the law? Is the Electoral College democratic? In this episode, historian Jonathan Gienapp critiques the mainstream use of originalism, arguing that it often neglects crucial historical context, overlooking the complexities of original public understanding. The conversation dives into recent court cases, highlighting tensions …

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Election Stress Test: Can America's Electoral System Weather 2024? 26:52

1+ y ago26:52

26:52

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Nate Persily forecasts complications along with it. Persily, a Stanford law professor and a leading expert in election law and administration, says the coming election cycle could pose unprecedented challenges for voters and election officials alike. “We are at a stage right now where there's a lot of a…

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High Court, High Stakes: The Massive Weight of Recent Supreme Court Rulings 39:51

1+ y ago39:51

39:51

The Supreme Court's latest term was marked by decisions of enormous consequence. However, the way the Court has communicated about these rulings far undersells the gravity they carry. While “expressing itself in extremely modest terms,” Professor Jeffrey Fisher says, the current Supreme Court has “[handed] down decisions that have enormously conseq…

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How Lawyers Can Undermine Russian Sanctions and Ukraine War Effort 27:37

1+ y ago27:37

27:37

The bedrock of the legal profession is a commitment to upholding the rule of law. Unfortunately, as Stanford Law researchers discover in the complex world of international sanctions, lawyers can often facilitate non-compliance and evasion. It’s been two years since Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. And yet, businesses are still skirting sanctio…

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The Future of Environmental Regulation Following SCOTUS’ Overruling of the Chevron Doctrine 27:54

1+ y ago27:54

27:54

Do courts have the expertise to decide on important environmental law issues? Pam Karlan and Rich Ford speak with environmental law expert Debbie Sivas, director of the Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford, about recent Supreme Court decisions affecting environmental and administrative law--including the Court's decision to overturn decades of sett…

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David Sklansky on Judge Cannon's Controversial Case Dismissal and Trump's Legal Battles 34:32

1+ y ago34:32

34:32

Will the three remaining cases against former president Donald Trump ever get to trial? After Judge Cannon's controversial dismissal of charges in the classified documents case—and the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision—the question is not so obvious. In this episode, criminal law expert David Sklansky joins Pam and Rich to discuss thes…

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Jennifer Chacón Discusses the Failures of U.S. Immigration Policy and How the Law is Developing 28:20

1+ y ago28:20

28:20

Control of the border and illegal immigration are again in the headlines and the centerpiece of a divisive presidential campaign. Here to help make sense of recent legal successes and failures is immigration law expert Jennifer Chacón, the Bruce Tyson Mitchell Professor of Law at Stanford. The author of the new book, Legal Phantoms: Executive Actio…

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Former Federal Judge Michael McConnell Discusses Presidential Immunity and Trump Cases with Pam Karlan 31:30

1+ y ago31:30

31:30

Should presidents be immune from prosecution? If yes, under what circumstances? Stanford Professor Michael McConnell, a former federal judge, joins Pam Karlan for a discussion on presidential immunity, the Constitution, and former president Trump's cases. In this insightful episode, they discuss the implications of the Supreme Court's stance on cri…

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Justice for All? Why We Have an Access to Justice Gap in America—And What to Do About It 34:57

1+ y ago34:57

34:57

Is legal representation in the U.S. only for the rich and corporations? That's a question that we'll explore in this episode of Stanford Legal with guests David and Nora Freeman Engstrom, two leading authorities on access to justice and the legal profession. They'll explain the roots of the challenge, how unauthorized practice of law rules contribu…

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The Legacy of Brown v. BOE: Success or Failure? 31:29

1+ y ago31:29

31:29

In this episode, Rich and Pam discuss the successes and failures of Brown v. Board of Education with their colleague, Rick Banks. Marking the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, they look at its impact on Jim Crow segregation and the ongoing challenges in achieving educational equality in the U.S. Banks offers a critical analys…

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Stanford's David Sklansky on Trump's Many Trials 27:42

1+ y ago27:42

27:42

Criminal law expert and former federal prosecutor David Sklansky joins Pam and Rich to discuss the New York trial and other cases against former president Trump. From state prosecutions to federal cases, they analyze the defense and prosecution strategies and implications of each trial, shedding light on the legal challenges facing Trump, the first…

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AI in Government and Governing AI: A Discussion with Stanford’s RegLab 32:07

1+ y ago32:07

32:07

Joining Pam and Rich for this discussion are Professor Daniel Ho and RegLab Fellow Christie Lawrence, JD ’24 (MPP, Harvard Kennedy School of Government). Dan is the founding director of Stanford’s RegLab (Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab), which builds high-impact partnerships for data science and responsible AI in the public sector. The …

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Representing Clients at the Supreme Court 37:14

1+ y ago37:14

37:14

Professor Easha Anand, co-director of the Stanford Law School Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, joins Professors Pam Karlan and Richard Thompson Ford, along with Gareth Fowler, JD '24, for a discussion about three cases that she argued before the Court this term, the people behind the case titles, and what it takes to represent them at the highest c…

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"Beware Euphoria: Unraveling America's Drug War" 30:43

2y ago30:43

30:43

Dive into the complex history of America's drug war with George Fisher, former Massachusetts Attorney General and acclaimed scholar of criminal law. In his latest book, "Beware Euphoria," Fisher explores the moral and racial dimensions of drug prohibition, challenging conventional narratives. Join the conversation on Stanford Legal as Fisher discus…

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Bill Gould on Dartmouth Basketball and the Changing Game of Unions and College Athletics 33:16

2y ago33:16

33:16

Pam Karlan and labor law expert and former NLRB chair William Gould IV explore the quickly changing arena of college athletics including the push for student-athlete unionization, the debate over compensation, and other issues at the intersection of sports and academia. From the Dartmouth College men's basketball team's union election to the broade…

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Are Frozen Embryos Children? A Discussion of the Alabama Decision on Embryo Rights and the Future of IVF Pregnancies in the US 34:37

2y ago34:37

34:37

When does life begin? In this episode of Stanford Legal, co-hosts Rich Ford and Pam Karlan dig into the recent decision by the Alabama Supreme Court that has sent shockwaves through the fertility treatment community. The ruling, which considers frozen embryos as children under state law, has wide-ranging implications for in vitro fertilization (IVF…