Florida (FL) Constitutional Law CLE Course Catalog

This program looks at an actual case of a weaponized legal system, what the Supreme Court called a “crusade,” by exploring the Cold War trials of Harry Bridges. Experienced intellectual property lawyer Peter Afrasiabi, who authored the definitive book on the Harry Bridges trials from National Archive and FBI FOIA records, takes one of the four trials Bridges was subjected to, and looks at how the legal system was contorted to produce what was persecution by prosecution, identifying along the way some of the issues that led the Supreme Court to so conclude.

What is “slavery,” what is “involuntary servitude” and where do courts draw the lines between forced labor, physical coercion and civic duties that sometimes require free labor? The answers lie in part on the meaning of the Thirteenth Amendment. In the latest installment of “The Curious Lawyer” series, Peter Afrasiabi takes a deep dive into this amendment, reminding us what it protects and illustrating its impact on the other constitutional protections we enjoy. Whether you are a budding constitutional scholar or simply looking for interesting facts to share at a cocktail party, this constitutional law series is for you.

Does the Fourth Amendment - which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures - bar law enforcement agencies from using online search histories, text messages, thermal tracking, GPS data or cellular phone pings to find and prosecute individuals? In the latest installment of “The Curious Lawyer” series, Peter Afrasiabi takes a deep dive into each of the ten amendments in the Bill of Rights, reminding us what each amendment protects and illustrating its impact on the other constitutional protections we enjoy. Whether you are a budding constitutional scholar or simply looking for interesting facts to share at a cocktail party, the Bill of Rights series is for you.

You’ve probably heard of the Supreme Court’s “shadow docket,” but do you know how it can be used to affect the Court’s rulings? In the next installment of this popular series, Peter Afrasiabi reviews the origins and current usage of the “shadow docket,” including some proposed reforms to the practice. Peter also discusses the broader topic of transparency at the Court in light of the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion, the use of live audio feeds of oral arguments during COVID and other recent developments.

Did you know that the U.S. Supreme Court had decided only two cases interpreting the Second Amendment prior to 2008? Since then, and starting with the Supreme Court’s Heller decision, the Second Amendment has become a hotbed of activity at the High Court and in the lower federal with important decisions coming down nearly every year. In the latest installment of “The Curious Lawyer” series, Peter Afrasiabi takes a deep dive into each of the ten amendments in the Bill of Rights, reminding us what each amendment protects and illustrating its impact on the other constitutional protections we enjoy. Whether you are a budding constitutional scholar or simply looking for interesting facts to share at a cocktail party, the Bill of Rights series is for you.