The Counsel - podcast cover

The Counsel

CAFE
Join a team of experts — from former prosecutors to legal scholars — as they break down the complex legal issues shaping our country today. Twice a week, Elie Honig and other CAFE Contributors examine the intersecting worlds of law, politics, and current events. Twice a week, a CAFE contributor – Joyce Vance, Barbara McQuade, Asha Rangappa, Rachel Barkow, and Elie Honig – will examine the intersecting worlds of law, politics, and current events. New episodes out Wednesdays and Fridays. From CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Episodes

Note from Asha 1/22: Meta's Pay to Play Gambit

Asha Rangappa is a Senior Lecturer at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. Before that, she served as a Special Agent in the New York Division of the FBI, specializing in counterintelligence investigations. She is also a legal and national security analyst at CNN and an editor of Just Security. For a transcript of Asha’s note and the full archive of contributor notes, head to CAFE.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 22, 20259 min

Note from Elie 1/14: Jack Smith, Paper Tiger

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Jan 14, 20259 min

Note from Elie 1/10: The Trump Hush Money Sentencing: A Felon, Unpunished

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Jan 10, 202510 min

Note from Barb 1/8: Only One President is a Felon

Barb McQuade is the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, a law professor at the University of Michigan, and a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. For a transcript of Barb’s note and the full archive of contributor notes, head to CAFE.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 08, 20257 min

Note from Elie 1/7: TikTok's Last Stand

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Jan 07, 202510 min

Note from Elie 1/3: Your Legal Questions Answered

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Jan 03, 202518 min

Note from Elie 12/20: The GOP's Criminal Case Against Liz Cheney Is a Total Mess

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Dec 20, 20248 min

Note From Joyce 12/18: Birthright Citizenship

Joyce Vance, co-host of the CAFE Insider podcast, is a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, a University of Alabama Law School professor, and an MSNBC legal analyst. For a transcript of Joyce’s note head to CAFE.com. To access the full archive of Contributor Notes and other exclusive content, become a CAFE Insider today at CAFE.com/insider. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 18, 20248 min

The Daniel Penny Trial (with Rikki Klieman)

In this excerpt of CAFE Insider, Elie Honig and defense attorney Rikki Klieman discuss the jury deliberations in Daniel Penny’s trial, the former marine accused of killing Jordan Neely, a homeless Black man, in a subway cart. In the full episode, Elie and Rikki break down the charges and what the verdict means. This is the latest installment in a series of special episodes exclusively for members of CAFE Insider. Each week, Elie Honig and special guests will tackle one major legal or policy issu...

Dec 13, 202410 min

Note from Elie 12/12: The Bizarre Infatuation with Luigi Mangione Won’t Help Him Beat a Murder Case

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Dec 12, 20249 min

Note From Barb 12/11: The Art of the Counterpunch

Barb McQuade is the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, a law professor at the University of Michigan, and a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. For a transcript of Barb’s note and the full archive of contributor notes, head to CAFE.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 11, 20247 min

Presidential Pardons & the Death Penalty (with Rachel Barkow)

In this excerpt of CAFE Insider, CAFE Contributors Elie Honig and Rachel Barkow discuss how President Biden and former president Trump have used the pardon power. In the full episode, Elie and Rachel break down President Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, and President Biden’s track record with the death penalty. This is the latest installment in a series of special episodes exclusively for members of CAFE Insider. Each week, Elie Honig and special guests will tackle one major leg...

Dec 06, 20247 min

Note from Rachel 12/4: The President’s Impoundment Authority

Rachel Barkow is the Charles Seligson Professor of Law at NYU School of Law and the Faculty Director of the Zimroth Center on the Administration of Criminal Law at NYU. From 2013 to 2019, she served as a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission. From 2010 to 2020, she was a member of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Policy Advisory Panel and co-chaired Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s transition committee on police accountability in 2021. She is als...

Dec 04, 20248 min

Note from Elie 12/3: Joe Biden’s Pardon of Hunter Is So Much Worse Than It Needed to Be

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Dec 03, 20249 min

Trump’s Puzzling Free Speech Proposals (with Lee Bollinger)

Two years ago, Donald Trump unveiled five free speech initiatives he aims to implement in his next presidency. Are they a bold defense of the First Amendment, or do they pose risks to the very freedoms they aim to protect? In the full episode, First Amendment lawyer and former president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, joins Elie Honig to examine the legal and constitutional implications of these proposals and what they mean for the future of free expression in America. In a free excerpt f...

Nov 22, 20246 min

Note from Elie 11/22: The Trump Hush Money Case Nears its Sorry End

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Nov 22, 202410 min

Note From Joyce 11/20: The Harsh Reality of Trump on Immigration

Joyce Vance, co-host of the CAFE Insider podcast, is a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, a University of Alabama Law School professor, and an MSNBC legal analyst. For a transcript of Joyce’s note head to CAFE.com. To access the full archive of Contributor Notes and other exclusive content, become a CAFE Insider today at CAFE.com/insider. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 20, 20248 min

The OLC Memos & Presidential Immunity (with Trevor Morrison)

What’s going to happen to Jack Smith’s criminal cases against president-elect Donald Trump? In this excerpt of CAFE Insider, Elie Honig and Trevor Morrison explain why they agree with the Office of Legal Counsel’s 1973 and 2000 memos on presidential immunity. Trevor Morrison is a law professor and Dean Emeritus at New York University School of Law. In the full episode, Elie and Trevor look at the political context behind the policy and how it will affect Trump’s pending federal, state-level, and...

Nov 15, 20248 min

Note from Elie 11/15: Trump’s Nomination of Matt Gaetz Is a Sign of Dark Intentions

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Nov 14, 20247 min

Note From Barb 11/13: Unpardonable

Barb McQuade is the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, a law professor at the University of Michigan, and a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. For a transcript of Barb’s note and the full archive of contributor notes, head to CAFE.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 13, 20247 min

Note from Elie 11/08: Trump's Gamble Pays Off As Cases Fade Away

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Nov 08, 202410 min

Note from Rachel 11/5: Tough on Crime Politics is Alive and Well

Rachel Barkow is the Charles Seligson Professor of Law at NYU School of Law and the Faculty Director of the Zimroth Center on the Administration of Criminal Law at NYU. From 2013 to 2019, she served as a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission. From 2010 to 2020, she was a member of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Policy Advisory Panel and co-chaired Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s transition committee on police accountability in 2021. She is als...

Nov 05, 20249 min

Note from Elie 11/01: How Not to Contest the 2024 Election

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Nov 01, 20248 min

Note from Asha 10/30: When Murder Becomes a Foreign Policy Tool

Asha Rangappa is a Senior Lecturer at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. Before that, she served as a Special Agent in the New York Division of the FBI, specializing in counterintelligence investigations. She is also a legal and national security analyst at CNN and an editor of Just Security. For a transcript of Asha’s note and the full archive of contributor notes, head to CAFE.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 30, 20249 min

Note from Elie 10/25: How the 2024 Election Will Reshape the Supreme Court

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Oct 25, 20249 min

Note From Joyce 10/23: Will My Vote Still Count?

Joyce Vance, co-host of the CAFE Insider podcast, is a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, a University of Alabama Law School professor, and an MSNBC legal analyst. For a transcript of Joyce’s note head to CAFE.com. To access the full archive of Contributor Notes and other exclusive content, become a CAFE Insider today at CAFE.com/insider. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 23, 20248 min

Note from Elie 10/18: Kamala Harris is, Indeed, a Cop

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Oct 18, 20248 min

Note From Barb 10/16: Disinformation at the Eye of the Storm

Barb McQuade is the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, a law professor at the University of Michigan, and a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. For a transcript of Barb’s note and the full archive of contributor notes, head to CAFE.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 16, 20248 min

Note from Elie 10/11: Kathy Hochul’s Dilemma

Elie Honig is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and co-chief of the organized crime unit at the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted more than 100 mobsters, including members of La Cosa Nostra, and the Gambino and Genovese crime families. He went on to serve as Director of the Department of Law and Public Safety at New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. He is currently Special Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler and a CNN legal analyst. For a transcript of Elie’s note and the full archi...

Oct 11, 20248 min
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