$440 Million Cruise Ship Showdown + Supreme Court DIGs Death Penalty Case

What happens when cruise lines dock at “stolen” Cuban property? In Havana Docks v. Royal Caribbean, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that using confiscated Havana docks triggers massive liability under the LIBERTAD Act — even after the original property interest expired. Justice Thomas’s majority opinion drops a history lesson from 1905 to the Cuban Revolution.

Plus: The Court DIGs (dismisses as improvidently granted) the Hamm v. Smith death penalty case after 23 relists — a messy Atkins v. Virginia intellectual disability fight with borderline IQ scores.

And a quick hit on states suing states: Florida & Texas vs. California on driver’s licenses and Justice Thomas’s fiery original jurisdiction dissent.

Originalist takes on property rights, cruel and unusual punishment, and why the Court sometimes says “never mind.”

Creators and Guests

Host

Laura Beth Latimer

Laura Beth Latimer is an attorney at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Center for the American Future. Before moving into public-interest work, she spent four years as a felony prosecutor in the Bell County District Attorney’s Office.

Guest

Clayton Calvin

Clayton Calvin is an attorney with the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for the American Future. He has worked on a variety of constitutional matters, focusing mainly on separation-of-powers and federalism issues and narrowing the scope of administrative power. Prior to joining the Foundation, he worked with Colorado’s Independence Institute on constitutional and budget issues, and worked independently to limit qualified immunity and to defend the constitutional right to earn a living.

Guest

Nathan Seltzer

Nathan Seltzer is an attorney with the Center for the American Future. Prior to joining the Texas Public Policy Foundation, he worked with The Justice Foundation on pro-life and limited-government issues.

What is Rightly Decided?

Rightly Decided is a legal podcast from the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Center for the American Future, whose attorneys defend the Constitution through legal opposition to government overreach.