Opening Arguments

Today's episode takes an in-depth look at the legal protections reporters have (and don't have) to keep their sources confidential. We begin, however, with an update on how "Elections Have Consequences," this time, looking at the state of the House of Representatives in light of last week's special election in OH-12. After that, we dive deeply into reporter privilege, beginning with a discussion of the Supreme Court's decision in Branzburg v. Hayes and continuing through to the...

Today's Rapid Response Friday breaks down everything you need to know regarding the Trump EPA's recent rules change regarding asbestos. Is it as ominous as it sounds? (Yes.) We begin, however, with the oddest OA segment of all time: Devin Nunes was right! What was he right about, and what's a Michael Kinsley gaffe? You'll just have to listen and find out! After that, in a bonus segment, the guys break down the recent indictment of Chris Collins (R-NY-27) for insider trading. The main segment...

Today's episode takes an in-depth look at Donald Trump's favorite "liberal," Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz as seen through the eyes of one of his former students. We begin, however, with an update from the Paul Manafort trial, taking a look at the prosecution's strategy, witness list, and some preliminary rulings by Judge Ellis. After that, we dive very deeply into what looks like a very weird phenomenon: why is Alan Dershowitz carrying water for a President whom he ostensibly...

Today's Rapid Response Friday breaks down all of the legal wrangling regarding the Trump Administration's secret settlement with a self-described "crypto-anarchist" who uploaded material that allows anyone with access to a 3-D printer to make their own plastic, undetectable, untraceable firearm. We begin, however, with a listener who's considering coming over to the "dark side" and wants an honest answer about getting electoral help from overseas. What if the Irish want to help elect Liz...

Today's episode tells you everything you need to know about voting, including in particular West Virginia's "Sore Loser" law and whether it applies to big fat racist criminal loser Don Blankenship... and, in turn, what that means for Joe Manchin's chances of holding on to his Senate seat in the 2018 midterms. Phew! We begin, however, with... *sigh*... Andrew Was Wrong. This time, an astute listener clarifies where Andrew elided over two different sections of the Voting Rights Act when...

Today's Rapid Response Friday breaks down all of a busy week's developments in the Trump Administration's trip up Yodel Mountain, including the surprising revelation that Michael Cohen has audio tapes of his conversations with Donald Trump. What does it all mean? Listen and find out! We begin, however, with a challenging listener question regarding legal ethics and summer associates that hearkens back to our last episode. The main segment tackles an entire week's worth of yodeling,...

Today's episode tells you everything you need to know before Paul Manafort's trial in the Eastern District of Virginia, which begins Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Oh, and we break down the recent lawsuit against McDonald's to boot! We begin, however, with a very good listener question from "Judicial Noir" regarding ethics, science, and a summer internship! After that, it's time to discuss an actual lawsuit over actual cheese. Yes, there's a class action lawsuit against Thomas's favorite...

Today's Rapid Response Friday breaks down the recent lawsuit filed by the Mandalay Bay casino regarding the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. Is it true that the casino is suing the victims? What's that all about?? Listen and find out! Also, we check in with Yodel Mountain and figure out, once and for all, if this is really worse than Watergate. (Hint: yes.) We begin, however, with everybody's favorite segment, Andrew Was Wrong, in which we revisit the Supreme Court with a few corrections. The main...

Today's episode takes an in-depth historical look at the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on "cruel and unusual punishment" and what that might mean for the future of Obergefell v. Hodges in the next Supreme Court. What does capital punishment have to do with gay marriage? Listen and find out! We begin, however, with a discussion of the District Court's refusal to modify the Flores settlement we discussed in Episode 184. Find out what the court thinks of Trump's Executive Order to "keep...

Today's Rapid Response Friday does not take a victory lap about our successful prediction that Brett Kavanaugh would be Donald Trump's next nominee to the Supreme Court (but seriously, we called that right, y'all.) Instead, Andrew and Thomas break down some of the current stories surrounding Kavanaugh to separate fact from fiction and try and articulate the best mainstream case against confirming Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. In the pre-show, we give a shout-out to everyone who made the...

Today's episode -- at long last -- brings us some good news from two rather unlikely sources: first, from the state of Iowa (regarding abortion rights), and second, from the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee. You won't believe your ears! We begin, however, with a segment that's good news for everyone except Andrew: yes, it's the ever-popular Andrew Was Wrong. This time, Andrew owns up to a serious mistake regarding the fingerprinting regulations at the border, and an...

Today's Rapid Response Friday gives you a sneak preview of what to expect from the person we predict will become Donald Trump's next nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. We discuss: Lemon v. KurtzmanChevron After all that, we end with an all new Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #83 involving assault with an unloaded gun. If you'd like to play along, just retweet our episode on Twitter or share it on Facebook along with your...

Today's episode takes a look at three recent decisions from this Supreme Court and how each one will affect voting in the midterm elections: Husted v. Randolph Institute, Abbott v. Perez, and (surprisingly) Janus v. AFSCME. First, though, we begin by addressing a conspiracy theory that's making the rounds suggesting some nefarious relationship between Anthony Kennedy's son, Justin, and Donald Trump. Does this story hold water? Listen and find out! Then, we break down each of the three...

Today's Bonus Episode asks if there's a way to make sense of the Supreme Court's Lukumi jurisprudence in light of this week's rulings in Trump v. Hawaii (the Travel Ban), Masterpiece Cakeshop, and the somewhat surprising decision to remand the Arlene's Flowers case back to the state of Washington. We begin, however, by checking in with the Southern District of New York's Order approving the Taint Team's review of documents seized from Michael Cohen's offices by the Department of Justice....

Today's Rapid Response Friday comes after a busy week at the Supreme Court, capped off by the (somewhat) surprising announcement that Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy intends to retire as of July 31, 2018. We break down everything about this news, including: We're also going to bring you a bonus episode to make sure you're fully informed as to all the other goings-on in the law this week! After all that, we end with an all new Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #82 involving the legality of a...

Today's episode tries to put a positive spin on some recent developments, including the Supreme Court's gerrymandering decisions, the Department of Justice OIG report on the 2016 election, and the triumphant return of Everyone's Favorite Segment (TM): "Are You A Cop?" We begin with the Office of the Inspector General's 2016 Election Final Report, which we modestly point out validates literally everything we said in one of our favorite Episodes, OA 13, "Hillary Clinton's Damned Emails."...

Today's Rapid Response Friday helps separate fact from fiction when it comes to the heartwrenching issue of families being separated at the border. Is the Trump administration to blame? Did the recent Executive Order fix the problem? Listen and find out. First, though, we bring back (almost) everyone's favorite segment: Andrew Was Wrong! Specifically, Andrew was wrong when he predicted back in Episode 83 that Maajid Nawaz didn't have much of a defamation case against the Southern Poverty...

**Today's episode is brought to you by Frambridge! To custom frame your favorite things, go to framebridge.com promo code: OA** Today's episode takes a deep dive into two recent 8-1 decisions by the Supreme Court: Collins v. Virginia and Sveen v. Melin. What makes a decision nearly unanimous, and what causes that lone Justice to dissent? Listen and find out! Our first 8-1 case involves two unique aspects of the 4th Amendment: the "curtilage" exception and the "automobile" exception. Which...

**Today's episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus! Go to thegreatcoursesplus.com/OA to start your free month!** Today's Rapid Response Friday spends a lot of time on Yodel Mountain, and in particular evaluating whether Paul Manafort is headed to prison for violating the terms of his pre-trial release as per 18 U.S.C. § 3148(b)(1)(A). You'll know soon enough, but we're predicting that Paulie M is headed to prison. Of course, no trip to Yodel Mountain has just a single stop, so...

Today's episode takes a deep dive into allegations of attorney misconduct. We begin with following investigative reporting concerning the involuntary bankruptcy of the Eagan Avenatti firm, and discover some potentially disturbing facts about the lawyer who's currently outfoxing the bad guys at every turn, Michael Avenatti. After that, we discuss the Supreme Court's recent unanimous per curiam decision in Azar v. Garza, the tragic case of the young woman denied her constitutional right to...