Todd Blanche Can Also Lie and Dodge Questions in Writing Too!
Release Date: 07/24/2026
Police Sued for Blatant Misuse of Facial Recognition. It's NUTS.
Opening Arguments
OA1288 - What happens when a hotheaded cop who isn’t interested in putting in much effort to solve a crime meets up with another cop who thinks computers are infallible? A man with no criminal record who lives 300 miles from the crime scene and has no conceivable connection to the crime gets arrested. Hear the ACLU lay out the case for strict guardrails on the use of facial identification software, and training officers to… like do their job at all. Bonus: Learn about Jenessa’s doppleganger / who to blame if she ever gets arrested. Compl., , No. 2:26-cv-1936-JES-KRH, (M.D. Fla....
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The Tates Seek Release, Super-Duper Promise They Won't Flee
Opening Arguments
OA1287 - Today on Rapid Response Friday: Todd “Two Taints” Blanche flexes his new freedom as two Tates blanch at the loss of theirs, and a lawsuit over a cinematic heist starring Nicolas Cage. , Office of Legal Counsel (8/10/2026) in United States of America v. Southern Poverty Law Center Inc. and Heidi Beirich, Middle District of Alabama (8/11/2026) , U.S. Department of State (4/11/2026) , The Nation (8/11/2026) In the Matter of the Extradition of Emory Andrew Tate, Southern District of Florida (8/7/2026) In the Matter of the Extradition of Emory Andrew Tate, Southern...
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Ross Douthat Leaves NYT for Bari Weiss. Here Were Some of His Worst Columns.
Opening Arguments
VR40 - This Vapid Response Wednesday, we note the end of Ross Douthat’s 17-year run as the resident New York Times conservative columnist with a drive-by review of some of his most willfully clueless work--and a closer look at his recent farewell message in which he provides a fitting capstone to a long career of willfully ignoring everything about how and why the American right went full MAGA. Ross Douthat, New York Times (12/6/2009) Ross Douthat, New York Times (1/2/2016) Ross Douthat, New York Times (1/27/2018) Ross Douthat, New York Times (10/10/2020) Ross Douthat, New...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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!
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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...
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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_outlineOA1281 - 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 today’s footnote: AI in the courtroom hits an unbelievable new low.
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“Questions for the Record” for Todd Blanche issued after his confirmation hearing, with Blanche’s responses (7/17/2026)
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U.S. v. Hemani (6/18/2026)
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En banc order from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in USA v. Squire (2026)
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