The tributes to Gordon Wood have been pouring in, and as promised, we spend this episode with him and his peerless body of work. Professor Steven Calabresi, Gordon’s neighbor, friend, and colleague, joins us, and how appropriate that is, as Steve and Akhil produced a tribute weekend at Yale Law School that reviewed and celebrated his lifetime of work. Now we remember the man, the teacher, and most of all, the towering scholar, as we review some of his most important ideas, his methods, and his inspiration for so many who have read, and who will read, the greatest books ever written about the American founding period. A giant has been lost, but his memory will be a blessing for many generations to come. CLE credit is available for lawyers and judges from podcast.njsba.com.

There’s some highly questionable behavior going on in an area of Missouri, where a fringe group seeks to establish a whites-only enclave. Objectionable? We think so. Unconstitutional? Therein lies an opening to a whole host of questions. Government action versus private action. When is private action beyond private purview? When does state action overlap into private domains, and where are the lines? Where do these rules come from? How can we think about new issues that may arise? Akhil has thought about this, and written about it, so now we offer you a framework to think about such questions as they arise, now and in the future. And, sadly, a giant was lost this week. We offer some thoughts, with more to come. CLE credit is available for lawyers and judges from podcast.njsba.com.

It is an honor to introduce the initial episode of our new sister podcast: The Blessings of Liberty, hosted by Jeffrey Rosen, president emeritus of the National Constitution Center and Professor of Law at GW. Prof. Rosen begins with a bang, as he holds a discussion with US Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, including two books newly authored or contributed to by Justice Gorsuch. We precede this with our own interview of Jeff Rosen, discussing the mission of his new podcast and his special passion for history, the Constitution, and the American idea. Meanwhile, listen, too, for a special EverScholar opportunity for our loyal podcast audience. CLE credit is available for lawyers and judges from podcast.njsba.com.