Ep 10. Rule of Law

In season 7 episode 10 of "The Circus" titled "Rule of Law," the focus is on the legal battles surrounding the 2020 presidential election. With multiple lawsuits being filed by President Trump and his campaign team, the episode examines the role of the courts in determining the outcome of the election and the integrity of the democratic process.

The episode begins by highlighting the Trump campaign's efforts to challenge the election results in key swing states. Viewers are taken behind the scenes of various courtrooms where legal teams are arguing their cases, sometimes in front of unsympathetic judges. As we see throughout the episode, the Trump campaign's court cases face significant obstacles, with judges frequently dismissing cases due to lack of evidence or faulty legal arguments.

Despite these setbacks, the episode does not shy away from highlighting the potential consequences of the Trump campaign's legal efforts. Interviews with election law experts provide context on the various strategies being employed by the Trump campaign, including allegations of voter fraud and the use of vague legal language to challenge the legality of votes. Viewers are left to grapple with the possibility that the legal battles could ultimately undermine the legitimacy of the election results and further divide the country.

One of the strengths of the episode is its focus on the people involved in the legal battles. Interviews with members of the Trump campaign and Democratic legal teams are mixed with footage of voters and poll workers impacted by the legal challenges. As a result, viewers get a sense of the human toll of the election's aftermath, particularly for those who may feel their votes are being invalidated or their work at the polls being questioned.

The episode also touches on the broader implications of the legal challenges for democracy. Through interviews with historians and political scientists, viewers are reminded that questioning the legitimacy of elections has been a long-standing tactic for authoritarian leaders. As such, the legal challenges to the election results have the potential to weaken public trust in democratic institutions, and even create an opening for more authoritarian forms of governance.

One particularly powerful sequence in the episode involves a march in Washington D.C. by Trump supporters protesting the election results. Although the march was touted as a demonstration to support Trump and to demand election integrity, the episode highlights racist and anti-democratic language used by some of the marchers. While the majority of the episode focuses on the legal battles, this sequence is a sobering reminder of the larger cultural and political factors driving the Trump campaign's challenge to the election results.

Overall, "Rule of Law" is an informative and thought-provoking episode of "The Circus" that examines the legal battles surrounding the 2020 presidential election in detail. Through interviews with key legal experts and footage from courtrooms across the country, viewers get a sense of the complexity and high stakes of the legal battles. Additionally, the episode raises important questions about the health of democracy in America and the potential consequences of undermining public trust in democratic institutions.