Scholar’s Mate is PublicSquare.net’s signature debate show. Two subject matter experts engage each other in civil, intelligent debate on a narrowly defined yes/no question related to public policy, law, religion, or social issues. The show has a segment called “Answer This!” in which the experts get to ask questions of each other directly. There is also a segment called “We Agree!” that focuses on the areas of agreement between the two guests. Each guest is asked to name at least one point on which the two of them agree. The phrase “Scholar’s Mate” refers to a chess maneuver.

Check out our latest episodes below.

Carbon Tax: A Debate

Is a carbon tax an efficient way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Two experts debate the issue. Jordan McGillisManhattan Institute Jordan McGillis is a Paulson Policy Analyst at the Manhattan Institute. Before joining MI, Jordan was the Deputy Director of Policy at the Institute for Energy Research, where his work focused on the intersection of […]

Medicare for All?

Is Medicare ripe for expansion? Two experts debate. Robert A. Book, PhDLibris ResearchRobert A. Book, PhD, is a health economist and Senior Research Director at Libris Research. He is the Robert A. Levy Fellow in Law and Liberty at George Mason University, and he has also served as Senior Research Fellow in Health Economics at […]

Is the Death Penalty Racist?

Is administration of the death penalty racist? Two experts debate the issue. Richard C. DieterDeath Penalty Information CenterRichard C. Dieter is former executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. He has authored 40 reports on the death penalty, the most recent of which, Battle Scars: Military Veterans and the Death Penalty, received the Congressional […]

INF Treaty: U.S. Withdrawal

Does withdrawal from the INF Treaty harm U.S. national security interests? Two experts debate the issue. Michaela DodgeHeritage Foundation Michaela Dodge is Research Fellow for Missile Defense and Nuclear Deterrence at the Heritage Foundation. She worked as Senator Jon Kyl’s senior defense policy advisor and is a doctoral candidate at George Mason University. She is […]

Is the CFPB too independent?

Two policy experts debate whether the CFPB’s independence is a feature or a bug. Christopher Peterson Consumer Federation of America Christopher Peterson is Director of Financial Services and a senior fellow at the Consumer Federation of America and a professor of law at the University of Utah. He previously served in the Office of the […]

Free Speech on College Campuses

Is the threat to free speech on campus overstated? Two experts debate the issue. Joe Cohn Foundation for Individual Rights in Education Joe Cohn is Legislative and Policy Director at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. A former staff attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and law clerk in […]

Transgender servicemembers and military readiness

Does allowing transgender servicemembers impact military readiness? Two experts debate the issue. Aaron Belkin, PhD Palm Center Aaron Belkin is founding director of the Palm Center. He designed and implemented much of the public education campaign responsible for helping end the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 2011. He is the author of How […]

Minnesota Voters Alliance vs. Mansky

Two experts debate the SCOTUS case Minnesota Voters Alliance vs. Mansky, which involves political garb at polling places. Gracia Hillman Howard University Gracia Hillman is vice president for external affairs at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She served as chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, president and CEO of WorldSpace Foundation, senior coordinator for […]

Is Net Neutrality Necessary to Keep the Internet Free?

Is net neutrality necessary to keep the Internet free? Two experts debate the issue. Ryan Clough Public Knowledge Ryan Clough is general counsel at Public Knowledge, where he oversees major organizational legal and policy initiatives. Previously, he was an intellectual property litigator at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP in Denver. Before that, he served as counsel […]

The Regulation 2-for-1 Rule

Is the 2-for-1 regulation rule a good way to reduce over-regulation? Two experts debate the issue. Susan Dudley GWU Regulatory Studies Center Susan Dudley is director of the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center and distinguished professor of practice in GW’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. She served as Administrator of the […]

Mandatory Minimums and Public Safety

Are mandatory minimum sentences necessary to protect public safety? Two experts debate the issue. Lawrence J. Leiser National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence J. Leiser is founder and current president of the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant […]

Is Marijuana Analogous to Alcohol?

Is marijuana analogous to alcohol from a medical perspective? Two doctors debate the issue. David Atkinson, MD University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dr. David Atkinson is assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He completed a child and adolescent psychiatry residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and […]

Basic Income: Better Than Welfare?

Two economists debate whether a universal basic income would be an improvement over the current welfare system. Bryan Caplan, PhD George Mason University Bryan Caplan is a senior scholar at the Mercatus Center and a professor of economics at George Mason University. He is the author of The Myth of the Rational Voter and Selfish […]

Venezuela: An Indictment of Socialism?

The economic situation in Venezuela gets worse by the day. Is this an indictment of socialism? Two experts on Latin America debate. Gabriel Hetland, PhD SUNY-Albany Gabriel Hetland, PhD, is an assistant professor of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies and Sociology at University at Albany, SUNY. He received his PhD in Sociology from the […]

Nuclear Weapons and “No First Use”

Two experts debate whether the "no first use" pledge on nuclear weapons would make the world safer. Elbridge Colby Center for a New American Security Elbridge Colby is the Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. He served as policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense’s Representative for the […]

Border Security: Would More Investment Make Sense?

Would beefing up border security help control illegal immigration? Two experts debate. Thad Bingel Command Consulting Group Thad Bingel is a founding partner of Command Consulting Group. Most recently in government, he was chief of staff at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He served as assistant commissioner for the Office of Congressional Affairs at CBP […]

Payday Lenders: Heroes or Villains?

Are payday lenders harmful to the economy? Two experts debate the issue. Thaya Brook Knight Cato Institute Thaya Brook Knight is associate director of financial regulation studies at the Cato Institute. Before joining Cato, she co-founded and served as general counsel of CrowdCheck. She served as investigative counsel for the congressional oversight panel charged with […]

Gun Manufacturer Liability

Should gun manufacturers be immune from lawsuits involving misuse of guns? Two legal scholars debate the issue. Andrew Kloster Heritage Foundation Andrew Kloster is a legal fellow in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation. He was the Justice Robert H. Jackson Legal Fellow at the Foundation for […]

U.S. v. Texas: Immigration and Executive Power

Two legal scholars debate U.S. v. Texas, a major Supreme Court case involving immigration and executive power. John C. Eastman Chapman University John C. Eastman is the Henry Salvatori Professor of Law and Community Service at Chapman University Fowler School of Law. He is the founding director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, and he […]

Zubik v. Burwell: Contraception and Religious Freedom

Matthew Bowman of the Alliance Defending Freedom and Gregory Lipper of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State debate Zubik v. Burwell, a Supreme Court case involving Obamacare's contraception mandate and religious freedom. Matthew Bowman Alliance Defending Freedom Matthew Bowman, Esq., serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is a […]

Abortion Clinic Regulations: A Debate

Do the Texas abortion clinic regulations violate the Constitution? Two experts debate Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt. Steven H. Aden, Esq. Alliance Defending Freedom Steven H. Aden, Esq., serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, graduating cum laude. He is a member of the bars […]

Does Concealed Carry Make Campuses Safer?

Does allowing concealed carry of handguns on college campuses make them safer? James Grayson Security consultant James Grayson is a security consultant. His career spans more than 40 years in law enforcement as a municipal police officer and as a state university police supervisor and administrator. He worked for UCLA on a workplace violence study […]

Fisher v. University of Texas: A Debate

Two legal scholars debate Fisher v. University of Texas, a Supreme Court case involving affirmative action in college admissions. Melissa Hart University of Colorado School of Law Melissa Hart is director of the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law. She clerked for Judge Guido Calabresi of the Second Circuit and […]

Evenwel v. Abbott: A Debate

Does "one person, one vote" apply to non-eligible voters? Two legal scholars debate Evenwel v. Abbott, a Supreme Court case involving the drawing of legislative districts in Texas. Emmet Bondurant Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP Emmet Bondurant is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with more than 45 years of experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants. […]

War against ISIS: Lead with the Military?

Is the war against ISIS primarily a military one, or does diplomacy have a role? Two foreign policy experts debates the subject. Stephen Miles Win Without War Stephen Miles is the advocacy director for Win Without War. He previously served as the executive director of the American Hellenic Council focused on advancing Greek American concerns […]

Iran Nuclear Deal: Is the Inspection Regime Robust Enough?

Will the Iran nuclear deal inspection regime prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon? Two experts debate. Michaela Dodge Heritage Foundation Michaela Dodge specializes in missile defense, nuclear weapons modernization and arms control as policy analyst for defense and strategic policy in The Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies. She is a former […]

Junipero Serra and the California Missions

Does Junipero Serra share blame for the abuses in the California missions? Two historians debate the issue. Jonathan Cordero, PhD California Lutheran University Jonathan Cordero, PhD, studies aesthetics in contemporary culture, social geography, and contemporary California Indian identity. As an ethnohistorian and Native Californian, Jonathan studies California Indians during the Spanish Colonial and Early American […]

King v. Burwell: A Debate

Two legal scholars debate King v. Burwell, a Supreme Court case involving Obamacare. Robert A. Destro Catholic University of America Robert A. Destro is professor of law at The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. He has been a member of the faculty since 1982 and served as interim dean from 1999 to […]

Can Simpson-Bowles Save Social Security?

Can the Simpson-Bowles plan save Social Security from its financial straits? Two scholars debate the issue. Ed Lorenzen Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Ed Lorenzen is senior advisor at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. He previously served on the staff of the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and as policy advisor […]

Population: Is the World Overpopulated?

Is world population a problem? Two population experts debate the issue on Scholar's Mate. Steven W. Mosher Population Research Institute Steven W. Mosher is president of Population Research Institute. He has appeared numerous times before Congress as an expert in world population, China, and human rights abuses, and he is author of the best-selling A […]

Climate Change: Is There a Scientific Consensus?

Is there a consensus among scientists about climate change? Two experts debate the issue. Myron Ebell Competitive Enterprise Institute Myron Ebell is Director of Energy and Global Warming Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and chairs the Cooler Heads Coalition. He holds a B.A. from Colorado College and an M.S. from the London School of […]

Can a Catholic Be Pro-Choice?

Can Catholics legitimately be pro-choice? Or is such a view inconsistent with Catholic teaching? Two scholars debate. Frances Kissling Catholics for a Free Choice Frances Kissling is president of Catholics for a Free Choice. She is the author of How to Talk About Abortion. Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas Editor, The Catholic Response Fr. Peter […]