Tracing Precedent
Tracing Precedent
Lauren Giella
An in-depth look at today's pressing policy issues and the Supreme Court cases that inform them
Episode: Filling a Vacant Seat
After a long hiatus, I am back to give you an update on the battle to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat. I will talk about the steps of a confirmation process,  give a brief introduction to Trump's nominee Amy Coney Barrett, and outline the reasons why this confirmation process is more consequential than others before.   Check out the Instagram for more information and to comment or DM any questions or issues you would like me to talk about next. 
Oct 2, 2020
20 min
Episode 5: Court Packing
In the latest episode, I look into the history of packing the court, or adding justices to the Supreme Court. This issue was discussed in the October Democratic debate and remains an important question going into 2020. Where in the Constitution does it say how many justices must sit on the court? Check out the episode to fid out.  Source: Time,  The New York Times, The Washington Post, Democracy Journal
Dec 12, 2019
6 min
Episode 4: The Second Amendment
In this episode, we look into the first Second Amendment case argued before the Supreme Court in over a decade. But this is a strange case to discuss because it might be a huge waste of time for the SCOTUS. Check it out! Sources: Oyez, The New York Times,  SCOTUS Blog, Oregon Public Broadcasting, NPR Audio from Oyez
Dec 11, 2019
14 min
Episode 3: Trump's Impeachment Tweet
On Monday, President Trump tweeted about using the Supreme Court to challenge the House Democrats' impeachment proceedings. This is not the first time he has invoked the high court over this matter. But can the SCOTUS do anything? What exactly is the SCOTUS' role in impeachment hearings? Find out on this week's episode.  Sources: Research information from Slate, The Hill, CNN, Oyzer and The New York Times Trump's tweet
Dec 6, 2019
8 min
Episode 2: The Equal Rights Amendment
Does the U.S. Constitution have explicit protections from discrimination based on sex? The answer might surprise you. Listen in for the history of the Equal Rights Amendment and what recent state elections could mean for its future.  Sources:  Audio clips from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver  Research information from Vox and The New York Times
Nov 26, 2019
15 min
Episode 1: LGBTQ Workplace Discrimination
In the first episode, I dive into Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC, one of three LGBTQ discrimination cases argued last week and the first transgender discrimination case to be argued in front of the of Supreme Court.  Credit to Vox Today Explained Podcast, SCOTUS Blog, NPR, Slate, Oyzer and the Detroit Free Press for source information 
Oct 18, 2019
34 min