# Ninth Circuit Says Hiring a Hitman Isn't Always a Crime of Violence?! Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-line-podcast-pacific-northwest-politics-and-constitutional-commentary-3000152/ninth-circuit-says-hiring-a-hitman-isn-t-always-a-crime-of-violence Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-line-podcast-pacific-northwest-politics-and-constitutional-commentary-3000152/ninth-circuit-says-hiring-a-hitman-isn-t-always-a-crime-of-violence.md Podcast: [Left Coast News](https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-line-podcast-pacific-northwest-politics-and-constitutional-commentary-3000152) Published: 2026-07-29T20:19:37+00:00 Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/behindtheline/episodes/Ninth-Circuit-Says-Hiring-a-Hitman-Isnt-Always-a-Crime-of-Violence-e3mneu9 Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/3b0e86f8/podcast/play/123500937/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-29%2F2c0a1705-9382-abba-d251-6dc7505d2b33.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/behind-the-line-podcast-pacific-northwest-politics-and-constitutional-commentary-3000152/episodes/ninth-circuit-says-hiring-a-hitman-isn-t-always-a-crime-of-violence Duration seconds: 555 ## Resource The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a ruling that has left legal experts and everyday Americans scratching their heads. In this episode, we break down how a federal appeals court concluded that murder-for-hire is not always categorically a "crime of violence" under federal law, and why a hyper-technical legal doctrine known as the categorical approach led to this controversial decision. We'll examine the facts of the case, the court's reasoning, the difference between what actually happened and what the law requires judges to analyze, and why this ruling has sparked serious concerns about common sense, public safety, and the direction of the federal judiciary. Is this simply judges applying the law as written? Or has the legal system become so consumed with technicalities that it has lost sight of justice? Join the discussion and let me know where you stand in the comments. #NinthCircuit #CrimeOfViolence #MurderForHire #FederalCourt #CourtRuling #JudicialActivism #PublicSafety #Constitution #RuleOfLaw #LegalNews #TrueCrime #Politics #Law #RebelRadio #BehindTheLinePodcast ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/behind-the-line-podcast-pacific-northwest-politics-and-constitutional-commentary-3000152/episodes/ninth-circuit-says-hiring-a-hitman-isn-t-always-a-crime-of-violence/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-line-podcast-pacific-northwest-politics-and-constitutional-commentary-3000152/ninth-circuit-says-hiring-a-hitman-isn-t-always-a-crime-of-violence.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.