Advisory Opinions

David and Sarah spend serious time talking about social media censorship, modern "public squares," and the ability of Texas and Florida to moderate Twitter and Facebook. They also dive into the legality of picketing at home, answer listener questions, and start a conversation about abortion and philosophy that they'll finish live and in-person in Miami on Monday.   Show Notes: -Manhattan Community...

Sarah and David talk more about the leaked draft opinion in Dobbs, but this time with a First Amendment twist. Activists have encouraged protesters to demonstrate outside the homes of the conservative Supreme Court justices. Does it violate the First Amendment to ban protests outside a justice’s home? Is it dangerous and foolish even if it’s lawful? Also, they track the political fallout and discu...

David and Sarah spend more time on the leaked draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito on Dobbs and ask the question: If Alito's opinion holds, what does that mean for gay marriage? They also discuss last week's Supreme Court ruling that the city of Boston violated the First Amendment by refusing to fly a Christian group’s flag and then discuss "After School Satan" more than any podcast in human hist...

In an emergency podcast, David and Sarah discuss the leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s abortion opinion. Why did someone leak it? What are the ramifications for the Supreme Court? What should we make of Alito's opinion? What are the political consequences? All that and more in an unprecedented emergency pod for an unprecedented Supreme Court leak.   Show Notes: -Politico: “Supreme Court has voted to...

David and Sarah talk about the Supreme Court as they discuss the fate of Trump's Migrant Protection Protocols, talk about yet another win for the First Amendment, and revisit Coach Kennedy's prayers. Then they move on to analyze one of the wildest and strangest qualified immunity cases yet and the prospects of Florida's social media censorship bill. Sarah ends with a potpourri of topics, including...

It's a glorious podcast today as David and Sarah talk about a praying football coach, Miranda rights, and the hottest Supreme Court justices. They answer a key constitutional question: how undead is the Lemon Test?   Show Notes: -SCOTUSblog: “Can you sue the police for Miranda violations?” -Kennedy v. Bremerton School District -PBS: “Chief Justice Roberts’ emotional tribute to retiring Justice Bre...

Sarah and David talk about the First Amendment, 14th Amendment, Puerto Rico, and progressive legal philosophy. They start with a big Supreme Court case that makes David fall asleep, move on to Clarence Thomas' musings, and then finish with an enlightening and interesting conversation with Steve Vladeck, law professor at the University of Texas, about the shadow docket, Kagan originalism, and much,...

David and Sarah dive into the nationwide injunction ending the Biden administration's travel mask mandate, with Sarah adopting a "nope, yep, yep" approach to the decision and David countering with a "nope, yep, nope." They also discuss Gov. Ron DeSantis and the First Amendment and conclude with a rather amusing example of Uber getting exactly what it asked for… and not liking it at all.   Show Not...

In a glorious pod about which songs will be sung and tales will be told, Sarah and David talk about our puzzling and arbitrary death penalty, briefly discuss a pronoun case, and then talk about change. Why aren't we the people we were 10 years ago? Finally, they ask and answer the question: Do we need more trial lawyers on the Supreme Court?   Show Notes: -Supreme Court order list -Love v. Texas -...

David and Sarah start with a short talk about Elon Musk and his quest to buy Twitter, then talk about a fascinating 6th Circuit concurrence that's the best two-page explainer of nationwide injunctions that's available anywhere, and they wind up with an extended discussion of library book bans, and how to judge what's best for kids.   Show Notes: -House passes bill to honor Sandra Day O'Connor and...

Sarah and David address the very interesting announcement that Elon Musk won’t be joining Twitter’s board, including the clues about the reason that are not-so-hidden in Twitter’s announcement. They also discuss the acquittals in the alleged kidnapping plot of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and they talk to Catholic University law professor Joel Alicea about his new law review article, “The Moral...

David and Sarah talk about a fascinating Supreme Court case that no one is discussing, unleash again on Yale Law School, and then spend the last few minutes on Sarah’s game show idea—a revolutionary combination of social science and dating advice. Plus, book recommendations!   Show Notes: -Louisiana v. American Rivers -Thompson v. Clark -“Rethinking Sex: A Provocation” by Christine Emba -David in...

David and Sarah have much to discuss in today's podcast. They walk through a troubling 4th Circuit decision on race-motivated changes to a Virginia school's admissions policy, discuss a huge defamation verdict against Oberlin College, dive into the Disney wars in Florida, and finish with a quick (fake) legal battle over the titanic Duke/UNC clash at the Final Four.   Show Notes: -Coalition for TJ...

David and Sarah dive back into the free speech controversy at Yale and parse the difference between a statement being “disappointing,” “so disappointing,” and “bonkers town disappointing.” Then they talk about whether Trump committed a crime when he demanded that Mike Pence follow John Eastman’s legal advice. They end with a bit of fragrant Supreme Court potpourri that smells slightly like bacon....

David and Sarah welcome a special guest, Seth Kretzer, the lawyer who argued and won Ramirez v. Collier, the Supreme Court term’s biggest religious liberty case (so far). Sarah and David also talk about Ginni Thomas’s texts, vaccines at the Supreme Court (again), free speech, and Will Smith.   Show Notes: -David in The Atlantic: “The Worst Ginni Thomas Text Wasn’t From Ginni Thomas” -Houston Commu...

David and Sarah discuss Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings and a disruption at Yale Law School. They drill down on claims that Judge Jackson is soft on child porn crimes and amplify their objection to both intolerant students and cowardly administrators. Throughout the podcast, a courageous Sarah fights through COVID to podcast in the face of adversity.   Show Notes: -The...

On today’s podcast, David and Sarah discuss red state crime rates versus blue state crime rates, environmental law as a vehicle for rescuing the American constitutional structure, why senators make better presidential candidates than they used to, and the evolutionary psychology behind bad gamer behavior.   Show Notes: -Axios: Dem group points to "Red State Murder Problem" -Massachusetts v. Enviro...

David and Sarah hit a ton of topics in today’s podcast, but with an emphasis on state law, including some terribly drafted state laws. They start with the latest on that abortion law in Texas, move on to an abortion law in Missouri, and then discuss the avalanche of misleading commentary about Florida’s so-called “don’t say gay” law (including how "don't say gay" is itself misleading). They wind u...

On today’s episode, Sarah and David spend serious time discussing the Supreme Court’s latest voting rights decision, then they launch into their long-awaited, much anticipated analysis of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s “most controversial” opinion (spoiler alert: it’s not that controversial). They end with a chat about free speech on campus and why the culture matters.   Show Notes: -Revisiting the Histo...

On today’s podcast, David and Sarah talk about five, yes, five Supreme Court opinions, including cases involving criminal law, state secrets, and social media moderation. They mainly focus on a fascinating case that asks, when are ten crimes one crime?   Show Notes: -Wooden v. United States -United States v. Tsarnaev -Cameron v. EMW Women’s Surgical Center, P. S. C. -United States v. Zubaydah -Sup...

On today’s episode, David and Sarah start with a Supreme Court update that features cases about adoption and religious freedom before moving on to an extensive discussion of a court filing contesting John Eastman's claims of attorney-client privilege. Does this filing indicate that Donald Trump committed a crime? Also David and Sarah briefly discuss international law and whether European Union mem...

On today’s podcast, David and Sarah discuss a new case striking down a high school admissions policy in Virginia, digress into a talk about the power of Ukrainian courage, and then return to the law to talk about Clarence and Ginni Thomas and conflicts of interest. They finish with an extended discussion of the role of legislation in regulating the dissemination and discussion of ideas in public s...

On today’s podcast, David and Sarah take a trip to New Haven to speak with the law students of Yale University. It’s another packed show. The Supreme Court heard oral argument in a case that dealt with whether a state can defend a rule when the United States stops doing so. Plus, they discuss public-accommodation law and a redistricting lawsuit in Arkansas, but that’s not all, sparks fly when our...

Today’s podcast is more fast-paced than the NBA All-Star game. David and Sarah talk about the Supreme Court and immigration, Trump and free speech, vaccines and drama in the Fifth Circuit, qualified immunity, and no podcast would be complete without a quick conversation about treason. Buckle up, this pod never slows down.   Show Notes: -Fifth Circuit opinion -Eleventh Circuit opinion -Scott’s law...

On today’s podcast, David and Sarah are amazed by developments in the Sarah Palin trial, and they explain why. They discuss some excellent commentary on the latest Durham allegations, and spend some time talking about Florida's "don't say gay" law and wonder whether it might have constitutional problems. They end with the Rule 22.4 discussion that the people demand.   Show Notes: -Andrew’s piece:...