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SEIZED CASH: Americans Struggle to Get Property Back
In America, police and prosecutors can take your cash, your car, or even your home through a legal process called civil forfeiture—without convicting or even charging you with a crime. When they do,…
Insane Political Retaliation in Arizona
When an Arizona educator named “Fernie” Madrid ran for Apache County School Superintendent he had no idea it would lead to stalking, anonymous threatening letters, and even getting assaulted while…
Why is it ILLEGAL to Sell This Box?
Candi Mentink and Todd Collard sell personalized caskets to honor the deceased person’s unique life. They can ship these caskets almost anywhere in the world, but they can’t sell them to people in…
City Tried to CONDEMN Property Over 2 Stray Cats
What happens when the government tries to take well-kept homes and businesses by slapping them with a “blight” label that doesn’t fit? Perth Amboy, New Jersey, tried to do just that—but a court…
Courts Refuse To Protect Property Owners From Insane Fines
In Florida, if a town doesn’t like what you do with your lawn, you could face bankruptcy. Sandy Martinez is stuck with $165,000 in fines for completely harmless code violations, most of it for…
NYC has 1000’s of empty apartments. You’ll never guess why.
New York City is in a housing crisis—and according to official statistics, roughly 26,000 rent stabilized apartments sit vacant. That’s because New York City law makes many units unprofitable to…
Retired LAPD Lieutenant: “Ending Qualified Immunity Will Improve Policing”
What can we do to bring accountability to policing for the sake of both the public and police officers themselves? Today, we’re talking with special guest Jeff Wenniger, a retired LAPD Lieutenant who…
BIG WIN: Town Banned from Warrantless Inspections
IJ just scored a win at a Pennsylvania appeals court that puts renters’ privacy rights on the same level as owners’ for the first time anywhere in the country. It was a wild ride featuring a violated…
Americans Keep Getting Caught Up In Immigration Raids
Leo Garcia Venegas and George Retes were simply trying to work, when they got ensnared by dragnet federal immigration raids. Even though both men identified themselves as U.S. citizens, multiple…
Recent VICTORIES Against Civil Forfeiture
Brian Moore and Cristal Starling both lost their money to civil forfeiture, despite neither being charged with a crime. Both of them challenged those forfeitures and both of them got their money…
She Spent Life Savings on Salon…City Council: “Nope.”
When Khalilah Few wanted to expand her natural hair salon business, she found a long-empty store front in Clayton County, Georgia, and spent her life savings renovating it. But she soon discovered…
How Police Around the Country Are Conducting Mass Surveillance
When you get in your car, you might be tracked by a network of AI-powered surveillance cameras. These cameras upload their information to a central database, where government officials around the…
A Pipeline Demanded Their Land for Pennies. They Fought Back.
When the government, or even a private company, takes your land using eminent domain, the law promises you just compensation. But what about the thousands of dollars you spent on legal fees fighting…
Plane Seized Over Six-Pack of Budweiser. Seriously.
Can the government take a $95,000 plane because a passenger used it to transport a six pack of Budweiser? The Alaska Supreme Court says yes but the U.S. Constitution says no. Today we chat with IJ…
Cop’s Lies Sent Innocent Girls to Prison…Still Employed.
In this episode, we bring you the disturbing story of St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker, whose lies led to the wrongful prosecution of dozens of people—and put an innocent teenage refugee in…
Another Game Warden Caught Spying: “This is a real problem”
Dalton Boley thought he found a refuge for him and his children in 10 acres of woods by his Alabama home. That is, until government officials started showing up on the land without a warrant.I’m Kim…
The Scrappy Squad on a Mission to Free Cities
You shouldn’t need a law degree to start a barber shop, but entrepreneurs across the country face steep fees, delays, and confusing requirements before they ever even open. That’s why, in addition to…
ARRESTED for Telling Trespasser to Get Off Porch (BOGUS Warrant)
The Constitution requires a warrant before police can search you or your property. But what if that warrant is based on third-hand information? That’s what happened to IJ client Michael Mendenhall,…
Feds’ Surveillance Scandal: “Cash me if you can”
A new financial surveillance dragnet is sweeping up ordinary cash transactions at small businesses near the US-Mexico border. The federal government has placed onerous new requirements on businesses…
Judges: Activist, Minimalist, or Something Else?
You might think constitutional lawsuits work like this: Find an unconstitutional law, challenge it in court, and if the law is truly unconstitutional, the court will strike it down. But in reality, a…
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Beyond the Brief has published 91 episodes since August 2019, covering topics in Documentary, Society & Culture.
Beyond the Brief is currently highly active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 32m.
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