Advisory Opinions

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the Trump administration’s appeal to the Supreme Court about its mail-in voting executive order. Then the two talk with ⁠Mike Fragoso⁠, former chief counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and partner at Torridon Law, to discuss the food truck nature of Senate judicial nomination. The Agenda:–⁠Additional restrictions on mail-in voting⁠– ⁠The...

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss new data on questions that the Supreme Court justices are asking, dive into the definition of stipulation, and run through a few questionable subpoenas of reporters. All this before the crime-apalooza interview with University of California law professor Rory Little and Stanford law professor Orin Kerr. You won’t want to miss their discussion on torture. No,...

Sarah Isgur and David French explain a case in which an Alaskan charter plane was seized over a six-pack of beer and discuss Title IX due-process rights on college campuses.Sarah and David are then joined by Harvard Law professor Richard Re to break down his column arguing that Chief Justice John Roberts is moderating from the front.The Agenda:—Alaskan charter plane seized over a six-pack—Title...

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss Messi flags and The Odyssey in 4D (not IMAX!) before diving into legal topics such as the politics at the Supreme Court, 3rd Circuit defamation and cancellation, and why the Hawaii Supreme Court is wrong. The Agenda:–Sarah’s kid gave her a bloody lip–The politics of the court–Samuel Alito, a MAGA-Friendly Justice?–Stephen Miller is totally ignorant–The passing...

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Elena Kagan’s testimony in front of Congress, an Alaska Airlines forum argument about religious issues, and President Donald Trump’s various legal battles—from the War Powers Resolution to sanctioned lawyers to law firm subpoenas.The Agenda:–Supreme Court Justices testify before Congress–Canceling the Shadow Docket–Alaska...

Sarah Isgur and David French preview the next Supreme Court term, discuss a dissent from a cert denial on defamation, and consider a few think pieces on the court: Are any of the justices political? Finally, the circuit decision heard ‘round the world: Florida’s Stop WOKE Act, stopped by an 11th Circuit panel decision.The Agenda:–Every rose has its thorn–Not-A-Ban on assault weapons coming next...

Live from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C., Sarah Isgur and David French review the OT25 term with Akhil Amar, professor of law and political science at Yale University, and David Lat, author of Original Jurisdiction. The four break down the most consequential cases of the past term—from the tariffs case to Humphrey’s Executor, birthright citizenship, and what it all means...

Sarah Isgur and David French slow things down with an overview of the yearly Stat Pack released by SCOTUSblog, look at the dissents in the birthright citizenship case, and answer listeners’ questions about everything from the 14th Amendment being sex-blind to whether independent agencies could be recreated within the legislative branch. The Agenda:–Stat Pack: Findings–Trump v. Barbara could have...

SCOTUS strikes down a Donald Trump executive order ending birthright citizenship, reshapes campaign finance law, and rules that states can exclude transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports teams. Sarah Isgur and David French discuss in a marathon end-of-term episode. The Agenda”–The pre-apology–Trump v. Barbara–Wow, we were wrong–Et tu, Barrett? (No, not really)–What is the purpose of...

Sarah Isgur and David French break down the latest Supreme Court opinions regarding unitary executive theory, mail-in voting, and the Fourth Amendment.The Agenda:—Unitary executive theory gets tested—Dorm-room originalism—Lisa Cook keeps her job—Mail-in voting—Text, history, and ...—Geofence warrantsShow notes:—Trump v. Slaughter—Myers v. United States—Humphrey's Executor v. United States—Sarah...