Judge John Hodgman

KLAXON! It's the MaxFunDrive! The best time of year to show your support for what we do. Join us at MaximumFun.org/join !  Drea brings the case against her husband, Morgan. Morgan believes that we are all living in a simulation. And he loves to talk about it. Drea disagrees and does not want to talk about this any longer. Who's right? Who's wrong? Thank you to Sean Flaherty for naming this week’s...

It’s time to clear the docket! Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse talk about post-pandemic hugging, child-free adults dining at kids' pizza restaurants, central vacuum systems, artificial islands, Philadelphia accents, and much more! Plus the premiere of the song, "Gygax Departed," inspired by recent episode with guest Josh Gondelman, A Donut of One's Own . LINKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Visit bit....

It's time to clear the docket! Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse talk about tattoos, chalkboards, dinner time, bad neighbors, jungle cats, and more! Plus a letter from a veterinarian about Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches!  LINKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: "Danse Russe" by William Carlos Williams It Feels Good to Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn --- Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member...

Bailiff Jesse Thorn is out this week so Guest Bailiff (or new judge?) Josh Gondelman fills in! He and Judge Hodgman talk about shortcuts, donuts, fantasy realms, mad scientists, ice cream, and much more! Huge thanks to Josh for joining us! Make sure to check out his podcast Make My Day wherever you get podcasts. His delightful book of essays Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results w...

Judge John Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse Thorn clear the docket! They talk about Jeopardy , a joke from the movie Trading Places , stops on road trips, and a new segment "FRANKENSTEIN OR NO?" Plus Friend of the Court Elliott Kalan ( The Flop House ) calls in to help judge a case! MaxFunDrive is coming! Do you have a story about what JJHO means to you? We may feature your story in an upcoming episode....

Judge John Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse Thorn are in chambers to clear the docket. They discuss the rules of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Appalachian turns of phrase, and cooking. Plus, we seek a ruling from the Court's Official Automobile Expert Rhea Butcher . And a new segment: Juvenile Court! Links discussed in this episode: The instagram account for Chanell Crichlow (PitchBlak Brass Band), a Friend of...

Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse are clearing the docket! They talk about how to pronounce the word "crayon," smart home assistants, naming a child after the month in which they are born, sleeping in outside clothes, and a letter from a child about making their own avocado toast! Plus a quick round of DRACULA OR NO? and much more! MaxFunDrive is coming! Do you have a story about what JJHO means to...

Judge John Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse Thorn are in chambers to clear that docket! Does a 90s Subaru Impreza look like Christian Slater? Can an adult compel their parent to try guacamole? Plus saying good night, sleeping in separate rooms, a verdict from a beloved podcaster/bassoonist and more! MaxFunDrive is coming! Do you have a story about what JJHO means to you? We may feature your story in an u...

Luke files suit against his wife, Alaina. They live in an old, converted schoolhouse in Vermont and heat their home using a wood stove. Luke loves the wood stove, but Alaina would like to replace it with a stove that burns pellets instead. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Links discussed in this episode: Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way by Lars Mytting The YouTube...

It's our final wintertime rollicking docket clearing episode! Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse bid a farewell for now to Joel Mann the Mole Man, and his studio at WERU in Orland, Maine. They talk about ghosts, pineapple on pizza, valuable trading cards, Phish, and much more! Plus a 90 second episode of JJHo written by a neural network! LINKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: George Saunders' new book A Sw...

It's Extra Bailiff Day with Summertime Fun Time Bailiff Monte Belmonte ! In the winter! Monte joins Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse in chambers to discuss mini golf, joke origins, winter layering, local TV stations, child names, and the return of the hit segment DRACULA OR NO! LINKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Spicy Pony Head by Kasper Hauser Dogsledder Blair Braverman's Twitter thread about suitin...

The docket is full of cases and there is only one justice team to clear it! Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse discuss what counts as dating, duets, grand strategy space simulators, and much more!  --- Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here !

We are continuing to clear the docket! Disputes about how to pronounce "vegan" and "drawer," when to clear the snow from the sidewalk, scheduling a Roomba, Cheez-Its vs Cheese Nips, and much more! Plus a new Dracula-related segment! As mentioned on the show, here's that video by Carlos Medina, "Are you a Drakula or no??":    --- Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock spe...

Judge Hodgman's chambers have been too rollicking! This episode, we are committed to less rollicking and more justice! We discuss kids' poop talk, abandoned laundry, half finished fruit, wedge salads, dead ends, and a ruling from Merriam-Webster on how many holes there are in a straw. --- Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships...

The rollicking times continue in the Court's Chambers as we clear the docket! The number of holes in a straw, homemade washcloths, Philadelphia sports fandom, Bioshock, and much more! Plus the possible conclusion of the segment CREEPY COOL BABIES and a brand new old timey ragtime tune! If you want to check out our pal Aidan's video response to JJHo Harvester of Souls chat, visit bit.ly/soulharvest...

We are clearing the docket this week with Friend of the Court Josh Gondelman ! Scraping food scraps, kingmaking, office supply stealing, and much more! Plus more of the segment CREEPY COOL BABIES! Huge thanks to Josh for joining us this week! He's on Twitter @JoshGondelman . His podcast Make My Day is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and make sure to read his book of essays Nice Try: Sto...

It's our 500th episode! Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse discuss skipping TV intros, accidentally finding jewelry, an appeal about distaste for fruit, buy nothing groups on Facebook, and the premiere of a new mashup track called "Nub Court!" Plus we hear from the litigants from our first ever case on Jordan, Jesse, Go! "Is Chili a Soup?" and the brothers from Episode 165: Wake Me Up Before You Go B...

Happy New Year! The rollicking times continue as we kick off the year with a docket clearing. Scattergories, dishwashing drain gunk, listening to podcasts during dinner, our proprietary segment Cool Babies, and more! --- Judge John Hodgman is member-supported! Become a member to unlock special bonus episodes and more. Memberships start at just $5 a month. Just tap here !

It's the end of the year and we are clearing the docket! Fruit, fake accents, popcorn popping techniques, eating soup from the can, a clicky keyboard rave track, and a rollicking, good time! LINKS DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: Questlove's Popcorn Seasoning Set for Williams Sonoma Questlove on Instagram The Clicky Keyboard Rave Track by Chase Watkins instagram.com/josiemorway --- Judge John Hodgman is...

We are taking the week off! If you want to get into the holiday mood with some JUSTICE, we have a huge archive of holiday-related episodes for your enjoyment. Take a listen to one of these and have a great week! We'll be back next week with more justice! Episode 8: TO TREE OR NOT TO TREE Episode 88: PROBABLE CLAUS Episode 89: AWAY WITH THE MANGER Episode 139: THE JUDGE JOHN HODGMAN HOLIDAY SPECIAL...

There's more on the docket that needs to be cleared! Tucking in blankets whilst bedmaking, ice cream sandwich bread, Game of Thrones series finale thoughts, bagel consumption, and more! Plus toddler questions in a new segment and a farewell to Leafy, the leaf blower outside Jesse's house. Links discussed in the episode:  Don’t Tell Ken Burns Quilts Are Quaint -- The New York Times Cable Car Bell R...

Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse clear the docket! Pet parents, "cheersing," tonic water, and the answer to the age old question, "Is butt leg?" Plus an off season appearance by Joel Mann, Program and Operations Manager at WERU Community Radio in Orland Maine, and some new drama with our old pandemic pal Leafie! Links discussed in the episode:  CHiPS , the Park Slope organization that provides meal...

The winter solstice is approaching and it's getting cold! We have a docket full of holiday and wintery disputes to clear. Luckily, we have guest Jean Grae in chambers with us to clear that docket. Nativity scene setups, colorful fiber optic Christmas trees, home heating, lottery scratch offs, and more! Here are the links discussed in the episode: Follow Jean Grae on Twitter , Instagram , and Bandc...

Alan files suit against his wife, Elaine. Alan thinks their cat, Muffin, needs a companion. He’d like to get another cat. Elaine, however, would prefer adding a dog to their family. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Links discussed in this episode: WendyCarlos.com The clip of Wendy Carlos that served as backup Obscure Cultural Reference Thank you to Andrew Eppler Zindell for naming this week’s case! To su...

This week, we're clearing the docket! Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse discuss eating leftovers for lunch, picking up baby items with one's toes, cast iron pan hoards, and eating at morally questionable restaurants. LINKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: The ad from 1984 that convinced a young Judge Hodgman to get a Mac Judge Hodgman's appearance on Justin Long's podcast LIFE IS SHORT Marcella Hazan's bo...