Our legal system is not infallible. The law has protected the institution of slavery. It has inhibited equal rights. It has perpetuated ignorance, intolerance, and wrongful imprisonment. Justice, despite the popular cliché, is far from blind.

But the law has also been a powerful ally to the forces of liberty and equality. It cast off the shackles of the slave. It helped pave the way for equal rights. It has protected vulnerable citizens from ignorance, intolerance, and wrongful imprisonment. Most importantly, it keeps us safe from physical harm. This series offers a practical and accessible primer to the basics (and many contradictions) of US constitutional law.

Join us in this series: Think Olio Goes to Law School for week 4 which will stand alone as a class on "Regulating Business Under a Capitalist Society"

Despite what you might have heard, the United States is not a free-market economy. Minimum wage laws, maximum hours laws, workers compensation, medical leave, wrongful termination lawsuits, sexual harassment protections, “hostile work environment” liability -- all of these things force American businesses to play by a set of hard-won rules established over generations by workers and activists and their allies. We’ll also talk about whether or not corporations are people now.