{"podcast":{"title":"Unwritten Law","slug":"unwritten-law-7233280","podcast_index_feed_id":7233280,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/unwritten-law/","website_url":"https://nclalegal.org/media/unwritten-law/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/4e6a8de9-fe92-45b5-9f8f-906c310aa90c/8tfnSzWGybasy_xFa3_tP4Hx.jpg","author":"Mark Chenoweth & John Vecchione","episode_count":129,"summary":"Every day, unelected federal agencies make decisions that affect your job, your business, your speech, your property, and your constitutional rights—often without Congress ever voting on them. From the rules that govern small businesses to the regulations that shape everyday life, the modern administrative state reaches further than most Americans realize. On Unwritten Law, constitutional lawyers Mark Chenoweth and John Vecchione break down the biggest legal battles involving federal agencies, government overreach, and the Constitution. Each episode explores real cases challenging the expanding power of the administrative state, explaining how these disputes affect ordinary Americans, businesses, and the future of limited government. Whether the topic is the Supreme Court, free speech, property rights, due process, jury trials, executive power, or the separation of powers, Unwritten Law explains the legal issues behind today's biggest constitutional debates in clear, accessible language. You'll hear directly from the attorneys litigating landmark cases, as well as clients whose lives and livelihoods have been changed by unlawful government action. Produced by the New Civil Liberti…","last_synced_at":"2026-08-01T16:20:49.476532+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unwritten-law-7233280"},"episode":{"title":"Should SCOTUS Revisit Its 120-Year-Old Vaccine Precedent?","slug":"should-scotus-revisit-its-120-year-old-vaccine-precedent","published_at":"2026-07-29T13:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unwritten-law-7233280/should-scotus-revisit-its-120-year-old-vaccine-precedent","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unwritten-law-7233280","url":"https://unwritten-law.captivate.fm/episode/should-scotus-revisit-its-120-year-old-vaccine-precedent","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/3a73048a-56b1-41fc-8d60-f542f8d32097.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Unwritten Law , NCLA President and Chief Legal Officer Mark Chenoweth and Senior Litigation Counsel John Vecchione discuss NCLA's Supreme Court amicus brief in Boysen v. PeaceHealth , a case asking the Court to revisit Jacobson v. Massachusetts , its landmark 1905 vaccine mandate decision. The conversation examines how Jacobson —which upheld a smallpox vaccination requirement more than a century ago—was relied upon by courts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to uphold modern vaccine mandates. John explains why NCLA argues that today's courts have expanded Jacobson far beyond its original facts, applying it to vaccines that do not prevent transmission and to mandates carrying consequences far more severe than the modest fine at issue in the 1905 case. Mark and John also discuss the constitutional right to refuse unwanted medical treatment, the significance of natural immunity, emergency use authorizations, and why they believe the Supreme Court should clarify the limits of Jacobson now—before another public health emergency forces courts to confront these issues under crisis conditions. The episode explores why Boysen v. PeaceHealth could provide the Court with an important opportunity to define the constitutional boundaries of public health mandates for the modern era.","meta_description":"In this episode of Unwritten Law , NCLA President and Chief Legal Officer Mark Chenoweth and Senior Litigation Counsel John Vecchione discuss NCLA's Supre…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1206,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/unwritten-law-7233280/episodes/should-scotus-revisit-its-120-year-old-vaccine-precedent/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unwritten-law-7233280/should-scotus-revisit-its-120-year-old-vaccine-precedent.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}