Drunk Law School

What do you do if after fleeing from an oppressive regime in your home country of Paraguay and coming to the United States for a better life, you discover that the former head of the police force—a man who tortured and murdered your brother for political dissidence—had also fled to the U.S.A.? You dust off a two hundred year old law about piracy and GET. YOUR. BAG.

To read about why the term "alien" is marginalizing and explor...

On this episode of Drunk Law School, we ask a very important question—can the government ban vegetable gardens?

Drink: Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc

If you're new to the fight for racial and economic justice, or if you're looking for reading material, places to donate, and materials with which to educate yourself, please see below.

Opportunities for White People in the Fight for Racial Justice

Where to Donate   

Black Lives ...

Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!

Drink: Maker's Mark Old Fashioned

Please contact officials in Wisconsin and demand justice for Jacob Blake by clicking here. Donate to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund by clicking here.

If you're new to the fight for racial and economic justice, or if you're looking for reading material, places to donate, and materials ...

Other title candidates for this episode, which spends a little bit of time discussing international law (the actual topic), included:

• "JENSEN!!!!!"
• Internassional Relations
• "I will eat your ass!"
• "I wonder what's inside your butthole"

Please contact officials in Wisconsin and demand justice for Jacob Blake by clicking here. Donate to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund by clicking here. 

If you're new to the fight for ...

"Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say 'YES'!" -- Winston Zeddmore

Drinks: Ruby Red Grapefruit White Claw

Please contact officials in Wisconsin and demand justice for Jacob Blake by clicking here. Donate to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund by clicking here.

If you're new to the fight for racial and economic justice, or if you're looking for reading material, places to donate, and materials with which to educate yourself, pl...

The year is 1789. Back in those days, having actual slap fights in public was considered bad form, and somebody usually died in a duel (looking at you, Alexander Hamilton). So if you're John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and you want to have a slap fight but not actually, where do you go? The Supreme Court, of course!

Drinks: Bulleit Bourbon Kentucky Mule and Bee's Knuckles (combine 2 oz. bourbon, 1 oz. honey syrup, 1 oz. fresh lemon ...

Content warning: gore

Daniel cut his thumb off, and we read the case that most students learn on their first day of criminal law. Spoiler alert: shit is fucked up.

Drinks: Corona Extra

Please contact officials in Wisconsin and demand justice for Jacob Blake by clicking here. Donate to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund by clicking here.

If you're new to the fight for racial and economic justice, or if you're looking for reading material, p...

We're off this week prepping for season two (and year two, in Megan's case) so we wanted to try something different. This is our first drink-mixing audio guide, where we'll teach you how to make the Love Grows, a cocktail invented by our show and featured in our last episode.

If you want to read about the Pimm's Cup, click here.

If you're new to the fight for racial and economic justice, or if you're looking for reading material, p...

" 'I didn't mean to hurt anyone,' said the guy who definitely meant to hurt someone." - Ancient Iowan Proverb

Drink: Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes), an original Drunk Law School recipe.

Disclaimer: Neither of us is a lawyer. We don't know that much about the law and are trying our best. It's possible that we get stuff wrong on this show, and nothing heard in the podcast should be taken as a perfectly accurate description of st...

Warning: this episode contains strong language not suitable for young listeners.

Section 1983 allows all of us to sue if our rights have been violated. But what if those rights don't exist? In 2009, the Supreme Court decided to find out.

Drinks: Hailstorm mint juleps, as made by John Dabney (further reading here).

Further reading for this episode:

• What Is Qualified Immunity, and What Does It Have to Do With Police Reform?

Content warning: police brutality and anti-Black violence.

Before you can sue a police officer under Section 1983, you have to pass a test—essentially demonstrating that your claim is good enough to proceed. It used to be that this test had four seemingly simple parts. But then Chief Justice Rehnquist came along. And the question is this—was William Rehnquist a reasonable man?

Drinks:  The Baldy and Blood Hound as originally c...

Content warning: general discussion of police brutality against Black people.

What if we told you that, at least partly, the reason that police brutality persists so strongly in America today is corruption in President Nixon's Air Force? Drunk Law School is back with the first episode of a special three-part series on qualified immunity, Under Color of Law, with the case that created qualified immunity as we know it: Harlow v. Fitz...

The murder of George Floyd reinvigorated a national reckoning over police violence against Black people. And often, victims have no way to get justice. The reason? A hazy, convoluted legal doctrine known as "qualified immunity."

Drunk Law School will return on Monday, July 20, with Under Color of Law: a special three-part series that explores the origin of qualified immunity and how it intersects with police brutality.

In...

With a name like "Learned Hand," you're either destined for greatness or being bullied at school a lot. Maybe both. But at least someone can finally tell us what the fuck duty is.

Drinks: Clementine Margaritas -- mix 2 oz. Espolón Reposado Tequila, 1 oz. fresh lime juice, .5 oz clementine juice, and .5oz simple syrup with ice. Shake and serve in a salt-rimmed glass.

Disclaimer: Neither of us is a lawyer. We don't kn...

After speaking with God and getting a little "higher" on life, a somewhat deranged and certainly narcissistic preacher from Maine named Frank Sandford decided to establish an outpost of his following, known as The Kingdom, in modern-day Israel. Things went more or less to plan—he established a chain of command between his followers and God by putting himself at the head (not culty), established "tiers" of followers (definitely not ...

A warning to listeners: this episode contains somewhat graphic descriptions of bodily harm from a construction accident.

"Mr. Worldwide to infinity
You know the roof on fire
We gon' boogie oogie oggi, jiggle, wiggle and dance
Like the roof on fire
We gon' drink drinks and take shots until we fall out
Like the roof on fire
Now baby give a booty naked
Take off all your clothes, and light the roof on fire

"For want of a comma, we have this case." — Judge David J. Barron, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

Drinks: Pilsner Urquell and ice cream

Disclaimer: Neither of us is a lawyer. We don't know that much about the law and are trying our best. It's possible that we get stuff wrong on this show, and nothing heard in the podcast should be taken as a perfectly accurate description of standing case law. Nothing in this ...