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He's Literally the Worst Dealmaker Ever. EVER.

Opening Arguments

Release Date: 06/19/2026

Melissa Murray Gives the Constitution Some Strict Scrutiny show art Melissa Murray Gives the Constitution Some Strict Scrutiny

Opening Arguments

OA1286 - NYU Law professor and Strict Scrutiny co-host Melissa Murray joins to discuss (among many other things) her new book, Sonia Sotomayor’s dance moves, and why actually reading the Constitution matters now more than ever.  Professor Murray’s book The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader is this month’s OA Book Club selection, and we’ll be meeting to discuss it via Zoom on August 30, 2026 at 4:30 PM EST. This is a perk available to patrons at ALL tiers! , Melissa Murray (2026) Leah M. Litman, Melissa Murray, Katherine Shaw,...

info_outline Cornyn and Tillis Negotiate Meaningless Concession from Blanche show art Cornyn and Tillis Negotiate Meaningless Concession from Blanche

Opening Arguments

OA1285 - This week on Rapid Response Friday: regulators, mount up! We take a closer look at the actual documents provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee by Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche which convinced John Cornyn and Thom Tillis to change their votes, how deregulation caused a national cyclospora outbreak (and the legal response to it), and state efforts to stop the “prediction market” racket which the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has been all too happy to ignore. And in today’s footnote: three very different cases which prove why prediction markets shouldn’t be a...

info_outline Did Mamdani Wipe Little Italy Off the Map? show art Did Mamdani Wipe Little Italy Off the Map?

Opening Arguments

VR39 - Vapid Response Wednesday returns with a tasteful pairing of stories about alleged anti-Italian discrimination that go together like chianti and red sauce. Today's specials include: Aperitivo: a tasteless morsel from the least deserving recipient in the history of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Primo: a chef’s kiss Washington Examiner oped on how NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani “erased” Little Italy Secondo: a spicy molto grosso meatball of a Boston lawsuit over alleged anti-Italian-American discrimination gives a federal court indigestion Dolce: our patrons! Listen...

info_outline How a Bank Robbery Became a Fourth Amendment Landmark show art How a Bank Robbery Became a Fourth Amendment Landmark

Opening Arguments

OA1284 - Can a modern court implement modern solutions? It really depends on your perspective. Despite some baffling misconceptions about how… anything works, the Justices seem to be doing a pretty good job of ultimately deciding that yes, police do in fact need a warrant to deeply invade your digital privacy. While Kavanaugh appears to have the entire concept of data storage and search queries upside down and backwards, Gorsuch asks complex questions about metadata versus true content, how data is stored in individual accounts, and what other types of data would be exposed if police were...

info_outline The Most Brazen and Corrupt Heist in American History (GG Crossover!) show art The Most Brazen and Corrupt Heist in American History (GG Crossover!)

Opening Arguments

Apologies for being a little late on this one!Donald Trump sued the IRS, an agency he currently runs, for leaking his own tax returns, and asked for a cool $10 billion. Thomas, Lydia, and Matt dig through the actual complaint and a judge's increasingly suspicious rulings, all timed suspiciously close to Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing. It is dumber, and more corrupt, than it sounds. Cases discussed: Patrons at can listen to Part 2 right now!

info_outline LAM1015: Outlaw show art LAM1015: Outlaw

Opening Arguments

LAM1015 - Jimmy Smits stars as a gambling, sports-shooting Supreme Court Justice with a law clerk paid to fend off his advances, in NBC's forgotten 2010 flop Outlaw. Thomas, Matt, and Lydia can barely get through a single scene without stopping to ask what this show thinks a Justice actually does. This free 45-minute preview only scratches the surface of how bad it gets. $2+ Patrons already have this full episode, plus an early part 2 of Jenessa's 4th Amendment privacy deep dive, at . Friday brings a Gavel Gavel crossover on the ruling that blew up Trump and Todd Blanche's corrupt IRS...

info_outline How SCOTUS Paved the Way for Flock Cameras show art How SCOTUS Paved the Way for Flock Cameras

Opening Arguments

OA1282 - Is anything private any more? Depends which Supreme Court Justice you ask. To kick off a series of episodes around data privacy and the law, first Jenessa walks us through a string of Supreme Court cases addressing 4th Amendment rights and technology. In part 1, we cover landmark cases with wiretapping, beepers, GPS trackers, thermal imaging, and more. Stick around for part 2 to hear how the modern composition of the court is responding to the proliferation of new technologies. Cases discussed: Part 2 of this breakdown drops early for patrons at . Check...

info_outline Todd Blanche Can Also Lie and Dodge Questions in Writing Too! show art Todd Blanche Can Also Lie and Dodge Questions in Writing Too!

Opening Arguments

OA1281 - As we wait on the final vote tally for Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche, we take a look at written responses which he recently provided into the record to answer a wide range of Senate questions the day after his hearing concluded. We also take a closer look at how the 5th Circuit is trying to make a recent Clarence Thomas concurrence into law, and how Thomas’s retrograde reading of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause could end federal firearms charges and potentially take one of the pillars of the entire federal criminal punishment system along with them. Finally in...

info_outline Law on the Spectrum, with Peter O'Neil show art Law on the Spectrum, with Peter O'Neil

Opening Arguments

OA1280 - Peter O’Neil was preparing for retirement after decades of practicing law when he learned that he was autistic at the age of 65. This realization inspired his memoir My So-Called Disorder: Autism, Exploding Trucks, and the Big Daddy of Rock and Roll, in which he looks back at his life and legal career to better understand how his neurodiversity played a role in both his most significant personal challenges and the unique professional talents which helped him to take on some of the largest corporations in the US as a products liability attorney. In this unusual...

info_outline What Happened to You, Todd Blanche? show art What Happened to You, Todd Blanche?

Opening Arguments

OA1279 - This week on Rapid Response Friday: A federal judge rips up the corrupt “settlement” Trump reached with his own IRS at the unprecedented request of a group of 35 former federal judges just in time time for aspiring Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing, humanizing the latest victims of ICE, and a metafootnote about a DC judge who hates footnotes nearly as much as Matt loves them. The Agenda: Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do!

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More Episodes

OA1271 - The single stupidest war of choice the U.S. has ever gotten itself into may finally be coming to an end--or at least the concept of a plan for an end? We go beyond the headlines to see what is actually in this thing, and take on some of the most interesting legal questions raised here. How could this possibly bind Israel, a country which specifically refused to be a party to it? How is the U.S. promising a $300 billion investment which hasn’t been authorized by Congress? And how much power does the President of the United States really have to end Congressional and international sanctions? We then take a quick look at how DHS’s  surveillance state is coming along before going deeper on the recent denial of Judge Hannah Dugan’s final effort to vacate her conviction for allegedly obstructing an ICE arrest in her Wisconsin courtroom before sentencing.

Finally, a quick hoofnote: is it really possible to accidentally purchase 80,000 pounds of live cattle? Matt reveals the truth behind this week’s funniest legal meme.

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