Civics on the Rocks

Steve commits murder, Anne pursues him to the full extent of the law, and Mack is on a mission from God. REFERENCES So, by warrant here, we’re talking about honest-to-gosh legal warrants: Legal Information Institute. “Warrant.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/warrant We need to make a distinction because there are administrative warrants: Legal Information Institute. “Administrative Warrant.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/administrative_warrant So, the executive branch: Legal Information Institute. “Executive Branch.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/executive_branch You need to have probable cause: Legal Information Institute. “Probable Cause.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/probable_cause Article III judge: Constitution Annotated. “Article III.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/article-3/ For search and seizure: Legal Information Institute. “Search and Seizure.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/search_and_seizure In the Fourth Amendment: Constitution Annotated. “Fourth Amendment.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ A lot of times, it is for a civil thing: Legal Aid Society of Northeaster New York. “The Differences Between Criminal Court and Civil Court.” Updated August 4, 2022. LawHelp.org. https://www.lawhelp.org/resource/the-differences-between-criminal-court-and-ci ICE, the organization: https://www.ice.gov/ They’ve got to be out in a public place, and then they’re authorized by their own agency to detain them: Diaz, Jaclyn. “What ICE Agents Can and Cannot Legally Do During Arrests.” Updated September 19, 2025. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/09/05/nx-s1-5517998/ice-arrest-rules-explained It’s not just search everything: United States Courts. “What Does the Fourth Amendment Mean?” https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/what-does-fourth-amendment-mean Writs of assistance: Britannica Editors. “Writ of Assistance.” Updated 2020. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/writ-of-assistance The in-between time between the Seven Years War (the French and Indian War)…: Britannica Editors. “Seven Years’ War.” Updated March 23, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Seven-Years-War …and the run-up to the Revolution: Wallace, Willard M. “American Revolution.” Updated March 20, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution So famous Supreme Court case, Mapp vs. Ohio, 1961: Oyez. “Mapp v. Ohio.” https://www.oyez.org/cases/1960/236 When did administrative warrants come into play: Arthur, Andrew R. “Going Back to the Past to Explain ‘Administrative Warrants,’ Immigration Enforcement.” February 5, 2026. Center for Immigration Studies. https://cis.org/Arthur/Going-Back-Past-Explain-Administrative-Warrants-Immigration-Enforcement I kind of wonder how the Revenue Cutter Service operated: Vergun, David. “Coast Guard Celebrates 235 Years Protecting Nation’s Waterways.” August 1, 2025. Joint Base San Antonio. https://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/4261826/coast-guard-celebrates-235-years-protecting-nations-waterways/ Like an early DOGE or something: Fields, Gary. “A Year After Trump’s DOGE Cuts, Workers Whose Lives Were Upended Ask What Was Saved.” March 27, 2026. PBS News. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/a-year-after-trumps-doge-cuts-workers-whose-lives-were-upended-ask-what-was-saved While Civics on the Rocks didn't actually find an answer to this question, we’re sure they had something that gave them paper authorization, because otherwise they’re kind of pirate-y. Feel free to look for it for yourselves: National Archives. “Records of the United States Revenue Cutter Service (USRCS).” Reviewed January 11, 2023. https://www.archives.gov/research/military/coast-guard/revenue-cutter-service And it’s not a letter of marque or reprisal: Mulligan, Steve P. “Letters of Marque and Reprisal (Part 1): Introduction and Historical Context.” February 26, 2025. Congress.gov. https://ww

VOTE IN THE MARCH 3 TEXAS PRIMARY ELECTION. In this episode, we head back to Texas and discuss why this isn’t as off a year as you might think. Also, if you haven’t done it yet, VOTE! References March 3 are the primaries in Texas: Texas Secretary of State. “March 3, 2026 Primary Election Law Calendar and May 26, 2026 Primary Runoff Election Law Calendar.” https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/laws/advisory2025-17-mar-3-2026-primary-elec-law-cal-and-may-26-2026-primary-runoff-elec-law-cal.shtml We had a whole episode on primaries: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-2szpe-1544115 It’s an election among the Republican candidates for office to decide who is going to be the Republican candidate in the general election, and then you have the Democratic candidates for office—same deal: Drusch, Andrea. “How Does the Primary Election Work in Texas?” February 16, 2026. San Antonio Report. https://sanantonioreport.org/how-does-the-primary-election-work-in-texas/ Except Iowa: Hull, Christopher C. “Iowa caucuses.” Updated February 1, 2024. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Iowa-caucuses There are open primaries, blanket primaries, closed primaries: USA.gov. “Presidential Primaries and Caucuses.” February 25, 2026. https://www.usa.gov/primaries-caucuses Texas has been characterized as a modified open or a modified closed: Ballotpedia. “Primary Elections in Texas.” https://ballotpedia.org/Primary_elections_in_Texas New York has a closed primary: Ballotpedia. “Primary Elections in New York.” https://ballotpedia.org/Primary_elections_in_New_York Whereas in Minnesota, they have same day voter registration: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. “Register on Election Day.” https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/register-to-vote/register-on-election-day/ In Texas, you have to have registered in advance: VoteTexas.gov. “Texas Voter Registration Information.” https://www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/ Fact check—For the general election, you can vote for any party regardless of how you voted in the primary. However, you have to vote the same party in primary run-offs as you did in the primary. You do NOT have to vote in the primary in order to vote in a primary run-off: Ingram, Keith. “Election Advisory N. 2020-05.” February 11, 2020. Texas Secretary of State. https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/laws/advisory2020-05.shtml Since Mack mentioned voter ID cards, we’d like to provide some additional information we have learned about since recording this podcast. Due to redistricting, several voter ID cards have not been issued in time for the primary election. This does not affect you if you are registered. You can still vote even without a voter ID card: Pope, Pachatta. “Voter Registration Cards Delayed by Redistricting, But Not Needed to Vote.” February 15, 2026. KSAT. https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2026/02/16/voter-registration-cards-delayed-by-redistricting-but-not-needed-to-vote/ Things like equal protection…: Constitution Annotated. “Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection and Other Rights.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/ …and due process still apply: Constitution Annotated. “Amdt14.S1.3 Due Process Generally.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt14-S1-3/ALDE_00013743/ In Texas, there was the White primaries case: Oyez. “Smith v. Allwright.” https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/321us649 They have changed the rules about postmarks on the mail-in ballots: Contreras, Natalia. “Postal Service Changes Mean Texas Voters Shouldn’t Wait to Mail Voter Registrations and Ballots.” January 21, 2026. VoteBeat.org. https://www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/01/21/usps-postal-service-postmark-mail-ballot-voter-registration-deadline/ If you are eligible to do a mail-in ballot in Texas: VoteTexas.gov. “Voting by Mail Eligibility Requirements.” https://www.votetexas.gov/voting-by-mail/eligibility-requirements.html There is a way to check if your ballot was received: VoteTexas.gov. “Track My Ballot and Correc

Steve points out the squishiness, Mack plays Devil’s advocate, and Anne declares war on Switzerland. REFERENCES The executive power shall be vested in a President: Constitution Annotated. “ArtII.S1.C1.1 Overview of Executive Vesting Clause.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S1-C1-1/ALDE_00013790/ President shall also be Commander in Chief of the armed forces: Legal Information Institute. “Commander in Chief Powers.” Cornell Law School. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/commander_in_chief_powers Article I, Section 8, Clause 11, like we all know: Constitution Annotated. “Clause 11 War Powers.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-8/clause-11/ There’s this other part that says the President shall make sure that the laws be faithfully executed: Constitution Annotated. “ArtII.S3.3.1 Overview of Take Care Clause.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S3-3-1/ALDE_00001160/ Other than, what is war: Merriam-Webster. “War.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war Going back to the Barbary pirates: Office of the Historian. “Barbary Wars, 1801–1805 and 1815–1816.” https://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829/barbary-wars In the Navy Act: Bisno, Adam. “President Washington Signs the Naval Act of 1794.” March 20, 2019. Naval History and Heritage Command. https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/origins-of-the-navy/washington-naval-act-1794.html The famous six frigates: Naval History and Heritage Command. “U.S. Navy’s Six Original Frigates.” https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/original-frigates.html Or an amendment later: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. “An Act for the Protection of Commerce of the U.S. in the Mediterranean, Passed by the Senate February 1, 1802.” https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/artifact/act-protection-commerce-us-mediterranean-passed-senate-february-1-1802 The Law of the Sea: National Ocean Service. “What is the Law of the Sea?” https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lawofsea.html The U.N. Charter has a “you can act in self-defense”: Codification Division Publications. “Chapter VII—Action With Respect to Threats to the Peach, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression.” United Nations. https://legal.un.org/repertory/art51.shtml Armed conflict versus war: Save the Children. “What is Conflict and War?” https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/what-we-do/conflict-war When did we declare war on Vietnam: Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Was the Vietnam War Technically a War?” https://www.britannica.com/question/Was-the-Vietnam-War-technically-a-war Was there a formal declaration of war: United States Senate. “About Declarations of War by Congress.” https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/declarations-of-war.htm George H. W. Bush said he did not believe he needed that authorization from Congress to proceed because it was a United Nations action: Keller, Kate. “An Unlikely Hardliner, George H. W. Bush Was Ready to Push Presidential Powers.” May 14, 2018. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unlikely-hardliner-george-h-w-bush-was-ready-push-presidential-powers-180969017/ Did Congress ever make a ruling on it: United States House of Representatives. “House Passage of the 1991 Resolution Authorizing the Use of Force Against Iraq." https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail?id=35252 The Vietnam war doesn’t happen without Congress at some point voting for the money for it to happen: Hughes, Ken. “The Myth That Congress Cut Off Funding for South Vietnam.” April 28, 2010. History News Network. https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/the-myth-that-congress-cut-off-funding-for-south-v A coalition of allies: CNN Editorial Research. “Gulf War Fast Facts.” Updated July 24, 2025. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/world/middleeast/gulf-war-fast-facts You had the Quasi-War with France, which was kind of weird: Office of the Historian. “The XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War with France, 1798–1800.” https://history.stat

In this episode, we tackle war crimes. Please note that we record episodes in the month before they are posted—just in case you are wondering why we aren’t talking about one big event in particular. REFERENCES People have desecrated corpses throughout history: Breed, Allen G. “Desecration of the Dead is as Old as War Itself.” January 13, 2012. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/nation-world/2012/01/14/desecration-dead-old-war-itself/15184013007/ Like a flag of truce: Little, Becky. “How Did the White Flag Become a Symbol of Surrender?” Updated May 27, 2025. History.com. https://www.history.com/articles/when-did-the-white-flag-become-associated-with-surrender Don’t kill the messenger: Frank, David. “Chapter 19 – The Classical Origins and Modern Expressions of ‘Don’t Shoot the Messenger’.” September 4, 2025. Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/dont-shoot-the-journalists/classical-origins-and-modern-expressions-of-dont-shoot-the-messenger/97A99431730AA8701715ECB376467643 The Defenestration of Prague: Britannica Editors. “Defenestration of Prague.” May 16, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/event/Defenestration-of-Prague-1618 One of the things that began the Thirty Years’ War in Europe: Britannica Editors. “Thirty Years’ War.” Updated January 6, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/event/Thirty-Years-War It ends with the treaty called the Peace of Westphalia: Gesley, Jenny. “The Peach of Westphalia.” October 24, 2017. Library of Congress. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2017/10/the-peace-of-westphalia/ The world today is composed of nation states: Comstock, Nancy. W. “Nation State.” 2024. EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/politics-and-government/nation-state Basically, at some point Europe colonized almost the entirety of the world: Becker, Bastian. “European Overseas Colonies and Their Colonizers Over Time [Interactive map].” September 18, 2023. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/european-overseas-colonies-and-their-colonizers?time=earliest This is probably not the video Steve was referencing, but it illustrates the point that everyone goes to war: ABC News (Australia). “Dozens Killed in Tribal Fighting in Papua New Guinea [Video].” August 23, 2023. https://youtu.be/EhVpKBJESB8?si=3pIXT2kaNlcmKxQp The most famous being the Hauge conventions: HCCH. “Conventions and Other Instruments.” https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions Most of the modern war crimes were as a result of World War II: Penrose, Mary Margaret. “Post-World War II Developments: Genevea Conventions.” December 10, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/war-crime/Post-World-War-II-developments The Napoleonic Wars gave rise to some: Britannic Editors. “Napoleonic Wars.” November 24, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Napoleonic-Wars The Geneva Convention in 1864: International Committee of the Red Cross. “Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field. Geneva, 22 August 1864.” https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/gc-1864 A list of war crimes, right now: BBC. “War Crimes.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/war/overview/crimes_1.shtml How to treat prisoners of war: United Nations. “Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.” August 12, 1949. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/geneva-convention-relative-treatment-prisoners-war Respecting flags of truce: Arnold, Roberta. “Flags of Truce.” May 2006. Oxford Public International Law. https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e297 In ’49, Geneva conventions: International Committee of the Red Cross. “Geneva Conventions of 1949, Additional Protocols and Their Commentaries.” https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/geneva-conventions-1949additional-protocols-and-their-commentaries A lot of rules about treatment of noncombatants: United Nations. “Geneva Convention

Steve, Mack, and Anne dig into the power dynamics of these United States. REFERENCES What about Washington, D.C.? Duignan, Brian. “What State Is Washington, D.C. In?” June 13, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/what-state-is-washington-dc-in Federalism is… Legal Information Institute. “Federalism.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/federalism We should start with the Tenth Amendment: Constitution Annotated. “Tenth Amendment.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-10/ When James Madison and the first Congress under the Constitution were drafting a Bill of Rights: NCC Staff. “On This Day: James Madison Introduces the Bill of Rights.” June 8, 2023. National Constitution Center. https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-james-madison-introduces-the-bill-of-rights There were 12 proposed amendments: National Archives. “Bill of Rights.” Reviewed August 13, 2020. https://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/bor Mel Brooks and History of the World: https://youtu.be/I48hr8HhDv0?si=i9tGvexOWMqa99Km So, in Article 1, Section 8, are the powers of Congress: Constitution Annotated. “Article I Legislative Branch: Section 8 Enumerated Powers.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-8/ Article 1, Section 9, are powers denied to Congress: Constitution Annotated. “Article I Legislative Branch: Section 9 Powers Denied Congress.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-9/ Article 1, Section 10, are powers denied to the states: Constitution Annotated. “Article I Legislative Branch: Section 10 Powers Denied States.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-10/ During the revolution, we were basically a confederation: National Archives. “Articles of Confederation (1777).” https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/articles-of-confederation The states always had power, and originally it was royal charters: Yale Law School. “Colonial Charters, Grants, and Related Documents.” https://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/statech.asp They were all British, the original 13: Ray, Michael. “In What Order Were the 13 American Colonies Established?” July 2, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/In-What-Order-Were-the-13-American-Colonies-Established Maryland—go Catholics: History.com Editors. “The Settlement of Maryland.” Updated May 28, 2025. History.com. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-25/the-settlement-of-maryland The acts of Parliament that got everybody head up: American Battlefield Trust. “The Acts That Fueled Rebellion.” January 1, 2024. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/acts-fueled-rebellion Parliament declares Massachusetts to be in rebellion: The Falmouth Historical Society. “250 Years Ago: Parliament Declares Massachusetts to be in a State of Rebellion!” https://www.thefhs.org/250-Rebellion Part of that was going through the shared experience of the French and Indian War: Office of the Historian. “French and Indian War/Seven Years’ War, 1754–63.” https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/french-indian-war The Empire is the part you’re living in: Britannica Editors. “British Empire.” December 1, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Empire Like Jonathan Edwards: Schafer, Thomas A. “Jonathan Edwards.” October 1, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jonathan-Edwards They were real assholes: Mayer, Alicia. “Dominating the Unsaved: The Different Other and Cultural Imperialism in the New England Puritan Way.” April 9, 2024. Center for the Study of World Religions. https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/news/2024/04/10/dominating-unsaved-different-other-and-cultural-imperialism-new-england-puritan-way There were Tories: Britannica Editors. “Loyalist.” January 31, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/loyalist Not even the Epstein files: Quinnipiac University. “63% Of Voters Disapprove of the Trump Administration's Handling of the Jeffrey Epstein Files, Quinnipiac University