Opening Arguments
VR43 - Today on this special edition of Vapid Response: ICE boot enthusiast Milo Yiannopolous is not a particularly interesting person, but his recent unexpected removal to the UK makes for quite a teaching moment. Matt brings 20 years of instincts and experience as a deportation defense attorney to some of the more mysterious questions surrounding Yiannopolous’s recent encounter with the realities of immigration enforcement and ensuing swift removal to the UK. How did someone on an “extraordinary ability” visa (lol) who was married to a US citizen end up with a removal order? How did he...
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OA1294 - Haley Moss was the first openly autistic woman to practice law in Florida, and she is now an advocate for disability, autism, and neurodiversity in the workplace. She joins Matt and Thomas to discuss what law firm hiring managers need to know about autistic lawyers, why people in a profession which attracts neurodiversity are still so reluctant to disclose it, and the kinds of simple accommodations which can help lawyers on the spectrum thrive. , Haley Moss (2021) , Haley Moss (2024) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do!
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OA1293 - In this extra-special Rapid Response Friday, Thomas visits Boston to record live in Matt’s office and talk out two very different legal stories in the news that the media aren’t quite getting right this week. THE TRIAL OF LINDSAY CLANCY: Why were the defense and the prosecution both talking past each other in their closing arguments, and what is everyone missing about why Massachusetts law makes it nearly impossible for Clancy to present the defense that most people seem to believe that she is putting on? THE DEPORTATION OF MILO YIANNOPOLOUS: How did a white British man who...
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Hey folks, no VR this week because Lydia and I are traveling. (We're in Boston, going to record RRF live together with Matt!) But folks NEED to hear this episode of Gavel Gavel we did. It's so absurd. Gavel Gavel Episode 83: Thomas, Lydia, and Matt dig into a newly released federal indictment out of Minneapolis, where ICE's undercover operation, officially named Operation Puppet Master, has charged roughly 15 protesters under the same statute as the sandwich guy. The conspiracy map names a boxing club, a bike club, and some of the largest unions in America. The overt acts include renting a...
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OA1292 - Jenessa takes us through the Supreme Court's 6-3 shadow docket ruling in Trump v. California, which lifted a preliminary injunction blocking Trump's executive order directing the U.S. Postal Service to gatekeep mail-in ballot delivery before the midterms. Is this a procedural technicality or a five-alarm fire for November? And what does it mean that the Postal Service published its final rule on a Friday night, in apparent violation of an injunction, right before the Court's Monday ruling? Jenessa walks through the chaotic docket, Judge Talwani's genius pivot, and why Justice...
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OA1291 - This week on Rapid Response Friday: the single biggest consumer protection settlement ever reached with any U.S. company puts new guardrails on younger social media users, a federal judge refuses to let Steve Bannon off the hook just because DOJ asked him to, an under-the-radar example of ICE’s determination to get around federal court orders, and Trump’s new war on how law schools are accredited. Finally in today’s footnote, we honor absolute legend Dolly Parton with a cosmic coincidence: a special shoutout in a federal judicial decision published on the day we lost her. in...
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VR42 - Thomas, Matt, and Lydia take a long, hard look at America First Legal's podcast "The Arena," hosted by Gene Hamilton, Stephen Miller's longtime ally. AFL runs a segment called "Bad Legal Takes," complete with the silliest jingle for a fascist outlet anyone has ever heard. Also none of the takes are even takes. And they aren't bad. Nor legal. Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do!
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OA1290 - Jenessa returns with a surveillance grab bag: a New York mayor declares a bizarre "emergency" to keep her city's Flock cameras running after the city council said no, and a state lawsuit arguing license plate readers are flatly unconstitutional, no federal court needed. Plus a federal bill that could make biased AI hiring and healthcare tools very expensive, and the surprisingly deadly reason some camera poles might already be illegal. Cases discussed: Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do!
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OA1289 - Is Disney/ABC’s bold new legal action against the Trump administration one of the most important First Amendment challenges of our lifetimes, or just another Mickey Mouse operation? Matt explains. Also an explainer on the legally questionable end of Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador, a new ICE purchase that will truly shock you, and a footnote on how the lawyer who put himself in a fancy Star Wars-themed Superbowl ad turned to the Dark Side. noting that ABC is under investigation for violations of FCC rules and “discriminatory” hiring (4/28/2026) , filed...
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VR41 - What does a “moderate conservative” sound like in August 2026? Thomas and Matt take a closer look at two very different self-proclaimed “moderates” representing the best and brightest in MAGA apologism. We begin with some low points from Tim Pool’s recent appearance on the gimmicky “Surrounded” debate series before taking on our main story: a National Review cover piece by Dan McLaughlin on the “broken” asylum system which demonstrates exactly the kind of finely nuanced understanding of U.S. immigration policy you might expect from the man better known to...
info_outlineOA1275 - As June ends and another Supreme Court Season wraps, it is time to look back and survey the damage: significant blows to voting and trans rights, harder times for immigrants throughout the system, and a vast expansion of executive powers. But we also go beyond the headlines to see what has been going on with some of the Court’s more routine business. What can we learn from their more mundane 9-0 decisions--and can we actually find some good news here among the wreckage? Matt does his best. Finally, in today’s seasonal footnote: why the world believed for exactly five minutes that Samuel Alito had closed Supreme Court Season by announcing his retirement on Tuesday, and what we can learn from this weird mistake about how mainstream media covers the Supreme Court.
Executive Power / Immigration
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Trump v. Barbara — 25-365 (June 30, 2026)(birthright citizenship)
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Learning Resources v. Trump — 24-1287 (Feb. 20, 2026) (IEEPA tariffs)
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Trump v. Cook — 25A312 (June 29, 2026) (Fed removal)
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Trump v. Slaughter — 25-332 (June 29, 2026) (FTC removal)
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Mullin v. Doe — 25-1083 (June 25, 2026) (TPS)
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Mullin v. Al Otro Lado — 25-5 (June 25, 2026) (asylum at the border)
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Blanche v. Lau — 25-429 (June 23, 2026)(LPRs at the border)
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Urias-Orellana v. Bondi — 24-777 (Mar. 4, 2026) (asylum standard of review)
Criminal Law
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Barrett v. United States — 24-5774 (Jan. 14, 2026) (§924(c)/(j) stacking)
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Bowe v. United States — 24-5438 (Jan. 9, 2026) (successive §2255 petitions)
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Ellingburg v. United States — 24-482 (Jan. 20, 2026) (restitution / Ex Post Facto)
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Chatrie v. United States — 25-112 (June 29, 2026) (geofence / 4A)
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United States v. Hemani — 24-1234 (June 18, 2026) (cannabis & 2A rights)
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Hunter v. United States — 24-1063 (June 18, 2026) (appeal waivers)
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Pitchford v. Cain — 24-7351 (May 28, 2026) (Batson / AEDPA challenge)
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Olivier v. City of Brandon — 24-993 (Mar. 20, 2026) — (§1983 rights with prior conviction)
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Case v. Montana — 24-624 (Jan. 14, 2026) (emergency-aid / 4A)
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Villarreal v. Texas — 24-557 (Feb. 25, 2026) (counsel during recess)
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Clark v. Sweeney — 25-52 (Nov. 14, 2025) (habeas / new-trial reversal)
Civil/Voting Rights
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Landor v. Louisiana DOC — 23-1197 (June 23, 2026) (RLUIPA damages)
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Louisiana v. Callais — 24-109 (Apr. 29, 2026) (Voting Rights Act §2)
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West Virginia v. B.P.J. — 24-43 (June 30, 2026) (trans student athletes)
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Wolford v. Lopez — 24-1046 (June 25, 2026) (2A concealed carry)
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Chiles v. Salazar — 24-539 (Mar. 31, 2026) (conversion therapy)
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NRSC v. FEC — 24-621 (June 30, 2026) (1A / campaign finance)
Procedural Issues
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Enbridge Energy v. Nessel — 24-783 (Apr. 22, 2026) (removal deadline)
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Coney Island Auto Parts v. Burton — 24-808 (Jan. 20, 2026) (Rule 60(b)(4) finality)
Other
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SCOTUSblog Stat Pack (2025-2026)[PDF]
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“NPR retracts story about Alito retirement,” Kelly McBride, NPR (June 30, 2026)
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