Opening Arguments
Opening Arguments is a law show that helps you make sense of the news! Comedian Thomas Smith brings on legal analysts to help you understand not only current events, but also deeper legal concepts and areas! The typical schedule will be M-W-F with Monday being a deep-dive, Wednesday being Thomas Takes the Bar Exam and patron shoutouts, and Friday being a rapid response to legal issues in the news!
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Alito Fails to Understand a Kids' Book — and Other Fascist Mega-Fails of the Week!
04/25/2025
Alito Fails to Understand a Kids' Book — and Other Fascist Mega-Fails of the Week!
OA1153 - It's good news Friday! Here are some stories about American fascists losing or otherwise showing their asses in court, including (among others): The Supreme Court comes through strong for immigrant justice at 1 AM on a Saturday morning Samuel Alito fails to properly interpret a book written at a fourth grade level after having his Easter ruined by immigrant justice DOJ accidentally files an embarrassing internal memo into the record Sarah Palin’s tries and fails to sue the New York Times for libel for the second time one federal judge stops Trump's attempt to do the SAVE Act through an executive order, while another reverses an ICE kidnapping Neil Gorsuch does a genuinely good thing for non-citizens through a simple act of textualism DOJ pulls out one of the most ridiculous excuses for violating a court order in US legal history Finally, a meta-footnote on why Matt is ready to join the calls to impeach national hero James Boasberg for his radical views on the utility of (what else) footnotes. (4/19/25) SCOTUS’s decision in (4/22/25) order returning Rumeysa Ozturk to Vermont Courtlistener docket for Courtlistener docket for Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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T3BE67: To Larse or to Burgle?
04/24/2025
T3BE67: To Larse or to Burgle?
T3BE67 - It's another bar question with Heather Varanini! First we get the answer to last week's very bad and ungrateful father question, and then it's time for our next one! We crown some new winners, and then thank the best winners of all - our patrons! If you'd like to play along with T3BE, here's what to do: hop on Bluesky, , find the post that has this episode, and quote it with your answer! Or, and look for the appropriate t3BE posting. Or best of all, become a patron at and play there! Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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Meet the Absolute Heroes Behind CourtListener.com
04/22/2025
Meet the Absolute Heroes Behind CourtListener.com
OA1152 - We are pleased to welcome Mike Lissner, the Executive Director and CTO of the Free Law Project to discuss his outstanding work in bringing federal court filings out from behind the PACER paywall, how just a few people with good ideas can fill in the gaps left by government services, and why he hasn’t created an Article III Hot or Not with his vast library of judicial portraits (but how you could). Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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Just When We Thought Big Law Could Not Be More Pathetic
04/19/2025
Just When We Thought Big Law Could Not Be More Pathetic
OA1151 - We’re (kind of) live from New York! Thomas, Matt, and OA regular Liz Skeen meet up in person for the first time on Liz’s home turf to review the state of the law three months into the second Trump administration. We begin with a brief update on some recent developments in Trump’s war against Biglaw before turning to some encouraging developments in two of the most significant federal civil cases of our lifetimes. Finally, Matt cedes today’s footnote to a New York minute from Liz about a welcome legal setback for Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral campaign. sent to major law firms demanding data on DEI hiring policies (3/17/2025) DC District Court against defendants in JGG v Trump (4/16/2015) Fourth Circuit (4/17/2025) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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T3BE66: Drowning in Camera Repair Debt
04/17/2025
T3BE66: Drowning in Camera Repair Debt
It's Thomas Takes the Bar Exam question 66! Heather's here to break down the answer to T3BE65, and Lydia jumps in (because of reasons we explain in the show) to help us congratulate the winners and tackle the question for T3BE66. If you'd like to play along with T3BE, here's what to do: hop on Bluesky, , find the post that has this episode, and quote it with your answer! Or, and look for the appropriate T3BE posting. Or best of all, become a patron at and play there! Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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DHS Tries to Get Citizen To Self-Deport. The Story Went Viral. Turns Out SHE'S MATT'S LAW PARTNER!
04/15/2025
DHS Tries to Get Citizen To Self-Deport. The Story Went Viral. Turns Out SHE'S MATT'S LAW PARTNER!
OA1150 - Did the Department of Homeland Security really just give Massachusetts-born immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni seven days to leave the US? Matt has the inside (his law office) scoop on this viral story. Then in today’s deep dive: what if Congress accidentally legalized some THC products seven years ago and no one noticed? We discuss how this unexpected dutchie was actually passed on the right hand side and what, if anything, Congress should do it about it. about the notice she received to leave the U.S. in seven days “,” Whitt Steineker, National Law Review (2/25/25) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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Republicans Might As Well Pass the "No Things We Don't Like" Act
04/11/2025
Republicans Might As Well Pass the "No Things We Don't Like" Act
OA1149 - Even as most of the Biglaw establishment falls to Trump’s whims, lawyers from smaller firms are stepping up to do the most necessary work on the most important issues of our times. We’re here to tell you a little more about some of them! But first: The House passes the “No Rogue Rulings Act” and we rip into some fascist nonsense from MAGA legal “thinker” Mike Davis defending the President’s absolute right to call anyone a terrorist and send them to hell without a hearing. Also: DHS’s “evidence”(?) in support of Mahmoud Kahlil’s deportation, SCOTUS ‘s surprise mid-episode ruling ordering the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from a Salvadoran gulag, and more on the truly inspirational lawyers who are aggressively pushing these fights forward. In today’s footnote: can you sue ChatGPT for “hallucinating” terrible stories about you? One heavily-armed Georgia talk show host is gunning to find out. (HR 1526) (4/10/25) U.S. Supreme Court’s order in “, Mike Davis (3/31/25) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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ICE Disappeared One of Matt's Clients
04/09/2025
ICE Disappeared One of Matt's Clients
OA1148 - We interrupt your regularly scheduled T3BE to bring you three stories of why Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the worst. Matt starts off by reporting on how ICE disappeared one of his detained clients shortly before his scheduled bond hearing this week. On that theme, you might have seen the viral video of an attorney confronting deportation officers at his minor client’s home. What in the world was that? Matt has the brekadown. We then try to understand why the Supreme Court has just agreed that the President can kidnap and throw pretty much any non-citizen* out of the country so long as he calls them “alien enemies” and ICE mumbles something about due process first. *citizens TBD UPDATE: ICE has confirmed since the time of this recording that Matt’s client is in New Mexico, 2200 miles from where he was supposed to have a bond hearing on April 7th. U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 per curiam order in Video of Virginia attorney James Rivera confronting ICE at his minor client’s home Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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The Karen Read Trial(s)
04/07/2025
The Karen Read Trial(s)
OA1147 - It’s the retrial of the century, and Matt’s bringing his local perspective for the single most-requested story in OA history. Jury selection is underway for the second trial of Karen Read for her alleged responsibility in the death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe in the same Massachusetts courtroom where a mistrial was declared last July, and we’ve got everything you need to know to follow this case which has become a global phenomenon. We review some of the basic facts as revealed at the last trial and take a closer look at the legal issues. Where did both the prosecution and defense go wrong last time, what has happened between the trials, and what should we expect now? in Commonwealth v. Read (April 16, 2024) (April 2, 2025) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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Kafka, Esq.
04/04/2025
Kafka, Esq.
OA1146 - We begin with a quick review of SDNY Judge Dale Ho’s scathing 78-page (!) order dismissing all federal charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams at DOJ’s request to see how it compared to our recent predictions. Then in our main story, Matt breaks down a true legal nightmare from this week’s news and goes beyond the headlines to explain why ICE’s recent admission that it accidentally sent a man on a one-way ticket to hell with no intention of ever returning him is actually even worse than it sounds. Also featured: Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem face actual for-real legal consequences for their bigotry against Venezuelan immigrants, 1,000 UK artists combine to form the world’s most boring supergroup to protest the legalization of AI art theft, Matt yearns for the open road, and Congressional Republicans assert the power to stop time itself. Judge Dale Ho’s (4/2/25) (2/1/2025) (3/31/25) To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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The HHS Massacre
04/02/2025
The HHS Massacre
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code OPENING at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: OA1145 and T3BE65 - Lydia joins this Wild Card Wednesday to discuss the awful, inhumane HHS layoffs. Workers were lined up around the block to wait hours to find out if they were fired or not. These are human beings. The people responsible for this should be imprisoned. (awkward transition) and then it's time for a bar exam question! If you'd like to play along with T3BE, here's what to do: hop on Bluesky, , find the post that has this episode, and quote it with your answer! Or, and look for the appropriate t3BE posting. Or best of all, become a patron at and play there! Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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Rap on Trial - Young Thug Was Not the First and Won’t Be the Last
03/31/2025
Rap on Trial - Young Thug Was Not the First and Won’t Be the Last
*** Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code OPENING at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: *** OA1144 - Professor Jack Lerner joins us for a follow up to OA1055 as we dive deeper into case law surrounding the usage of rap music in litigation, including discussion of the fight for lyrics to be admitted as evidence in the Young Thug trial in Fulton County, Georgia, and what mechanisms are being explored to address this at the state level in places like New York. Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at ! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at .
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Big Law Firm Paul Weiss Caved to Trump's Bogus Order in 4 Days. It Was Cowardly and Inexcusable.
03/28/2025
Big Law Firm Paul Weiss Caved to Trump's Bogus Order in 4 Days. It Was Cowardly and Inexcusable.
*** Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code OPENING at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: *** OA1143 - In the past month, Donald Trump has issued a series of truly fascist orders targeting some of the country’s best-known law firms for crimes ranging from hiring people Trump doesn’t like personally to doing some favors for special counsel Jack Smith to flagrantly hiring non-white non-men. What is actually in these orders, and how bad is it that one of leading litigation firms in the country gave in to Trump’s demands without a fight? And what will it mean for the already-overloaded immigration court system when they start going after immigration lawyers as they have also promised? Former NYC Biglaw associate (and current NYC public defender) Liz Skeen joins to help us to understand this uniquely un-American moment in American legal history. (UPDATE: This episode was recorded shortly before news broke about the Trump administration taking action against major US law firms Wilmer Hale and Skadden Arps.) (3/25/25) (3/25/25) (3/22/25) (3/6/25) (Covington & Burling LLP)(2/25/25) Cythnia Fountaine, St. Mary’s Journal of Legal Ethics (2020) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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State Bar of California Fails the Bar Exam
03/26/2025
State Bar of California Fails the Bar Exam
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code OPENING at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: OA1142 and T3BE64 - The State Bar of California wanted to save a buck or two, so they switched from paying a company to administer a real bar exam to a company that... didn't do that. It's an absolute fiasco. Heather is pulling double duty today on Wildcard Wednesday (tm) as she is our expert on this nonsense, in addition to giving us the usual Thomas Takes the Bar Exam treatment! If you'd like to play along with T3BE, here's what to do: hop on Bluesky, , find the post that has this episode, and quote it with your answer! Or, and look for the appropriate T3BE posting. Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do!
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How One Lawsuit Targeting Trans Rights Could Undermine Disability Protections for Everyone
03/24/2025
How One Lawsuit Targeting Trans Rights Could Undermine Disability Protections for Everyone
OA1141 - Are Republican AGs really trying to have some of the most important federal protections for disability rights declared unconstitutional? Attorney Jenessa Seymour joins to explain the history and purpose of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the pending challenge to a Biden-era regulatory update intended to protect trans health care rights. Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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Not in a Gang? That’s Actually a Common Indicator of Gang Membership
03/21/2025
Not in a Gang? That’s Actually a Common Indicator of Gang Membership
OA1140 - The Trump administration has openly defied a court order--and that’s only the third worst thing about today’s main story. Also: what exactly does it mean to “sign” something into law? What is actually in all of these articles of impeachment which Republicans keep filing against federal judges who have defied Trump? And is there a First Amendment right to communicate with monkeys? , March 15, 2025 (3:53 PM) (filed 3/15/25) by Rep. Brandon Gill (3/18/25) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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Magical Mister Trumpstoffelees
03/19/2025
Magical Mister Trumpstoffelees
OA1139 and T3BE63 - Lydia's back this week to walk us through Trump's very fashy takeover of The Kennedy Center. She watched it unfold in real-time and while it is obviously disturbing, listening to some leaked audio from the first board meeting provides a lot of laughs. It's somehow real, folks. And we've got Professor Heather Varanini as always to walk us through the answer to T3BE62, and to set up the question for T3BE63! If you'd like to play along with T3BE, here's what to do: hop on Bluesky, , find the post that has this episode, and quote it with your answer! Or, and look for the appropriate t3BE posting. Or best of all, become a patron at and play there! Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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It Sure Looks Like Mayor of Istanbul Eric Adams Is Going to Get Away With It
03/17/2025
It Sure Looks Like Mayor of Istanbul Eric Adams Is Going to Get Away With It
OA1138 - Is a federal judge really about to sign off on dismissing the federal corruption charges against New York City mayor Eric Adams even in the face of everything that we now know about the corrupt deal which led to DOJ’s request? Why did appointed attorney Paul Clement recommend dismissing the case with prejudice, and what might it mean for future prosecutions by Trump’s DOJ if Judge Ho agrees? Superstar NYC public defender Liz Skeen returns to go beyond the headlines with some local perspective on the current state of one of the most important federal criminal cases in our lifetimes. Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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FREE MAHMOUD KHALIL
03/14/2025
FREE MAHMOUD KHALIL
Brought to you by Trade Coffee! Get 40% off your first order with Trade at OA1137 - The arrest and detention of U.S. lawful permanent resident Mahmoud Kahlil in direct retaliation for his Constitutionally-protected speech and association as a campus organizer at Columbia University is the single greatest violation of any one individual’s right committed by the second Trump administration to date. Matt explains how an obscure Cold War-era provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act is being used for in one of the only times in modern history to justify the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke Kahlil’s residency, and why this unprecedented assault on Khalil’s most basic civic and political rights should concern us all. Finally, in today’s footnote: A January 6th defendant who has won so much that he is truly tired of winning. (3/14/25) (3/12/25) Matt Cameron DEPORTNATION (3/11/25) U.S. v. Pope (3/6/25) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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The SAVE Act Could Disenfranchise Millions of Voters. Democrats Must Stop It.
03/12/2025
The SAVE Act Could Disenfranchise Millions of Voters. Democrats Must Stop It.
Brought to you by Trade Coffee! Get 40% off your first order with Trade at OA1136 and T3BE62- Matt swings by a Wednesday episode, and we welcome Dr. Jenessa Seymour as well! Jenessa is a disability voting access advocate and New York attorney, and she's here to break down the What exactly is it supposed to be "saving" for voting rights, who is going to be most impacted by its provisions, and do we have any chance in stopping this thing? Professor Heather Varanini joins after, of course, to share the answer to T3BE61 and present the next question in the Bar Exam! If you'd like to play along with T3BE, here's what to do: hop on Bluesky, , find the post that has this episode, and quote it with your answer! Or, and look for the appropriate T3BE posting. Or best of all, become a patron at and play there! Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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“But He’ll Be Great for the Economy!”
03/10/2025
“But He’ll Be Great for the Economy!”
Brought to you by Trade Coffee! Get 40% off your first order with Trade at OA1135 - Even with everything that Trump has already done to raise consumer prices, contribute to mass unemployment and inflation, and stress-test the market, many people still believe that Trump and MAGA conservatives are “better for the economy.” The Groundwork Collaborative is a nonprofit organization which helps to build the kind of messaging that we need to show a better way . Executive director Dr. Lindsay Owens joins to discuss–among many other things–what we talk about when we talk about “the economy,” the DOGE crisis, the true causes of inflation, and what the loss of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau means for us all. website Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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Boston Mayor Wu Absolutely Demolishes House Republicans
03/07/2025
Boston Mayor Wu Absolutely Demolishes House Republicans
OA1134 - Mere hours after a literal pat on the back from Donald Trump on live TV, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts delivered a 5-4 decision against him in the emergency litigation over Trump’s unconstitutional efforts to eliminate foreign aid funding. How much of a win was this really, and why did Samuel Alito spend eight pages in dissent pretending to be “stunned” by the majority’s radical assertion that the federal government should pay out debts incurred by valid acts of Congress? We then turn to a less-noticed recent Supreme Court decision with concerning implications for the future of civil rights litigation before appreciating recent Congressional wins: blue city mayors schooling the House Oversight Committee without ever giving up even a single point in six hours, and Senate Democrats taking a meaningful united stand for trans lives. (3/5/25) , Supreme Court #23-621 (2/25/2025) of Boston, New York, Denver, and Chicago, Associated Press (3/5/25) with the Boston Pops (9/22/2024) S. Baum, Erin in the Morning (journalist Erin Reed’s Substack)(3/3/25) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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As Trump Drones On, Democrats Resistance Takes Different Forms
03/05/2025
As Trump Drones On, Democrats Resistance Takes Different Forms
OA1133 and T3BE61 - Lydia joins today to discuss Trump's 3/4/2025 address to Congress regarding his vision for the next 4 years. Leading up to the evening, there were reports that quite a few Democrats would opt to not attend. We highlight the different approaches folks in the party took to resist in the face of chaos and authoritarianism, and discuss what we might do if we were in that position. After that, Professor Heather Varanini comes in to share the answer to T3BE60 and present the next question in the Bar Exam! If you'd like to play along with T3BE, here's what to do: hop on Bluesky, , find the post that has this episode, and quote it with your answer! Or, and look for the appropriate t3BE posting. Or best of all, become a patron at and play there! Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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DOGE Is Defying Court Orders. Will the Supreme Court Care?
03/03/2025
DOGE Is Defying Court Orders. Will the Supreme Court Care?
OA1132 - We resume our regularly scheduled rapid response to law in the news, starting with some good news (really) from the Supreme Court! Then: some-not-so-good news from the Supreme Court on the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the US Agency for International Development. Why did a federal judge need to issue an order confirming that he really meant it when he told the new administration to resume paying out the funds that Congress intended, and why does John Roberts seem to be taking this nonsense seriously? Matt then provides some context for a recent announcement regarding the Trump administration’s intention to require all undocumented people to register with DHS before dropping a footnote with recent developments in the unbelievable story of the most (allegedly) felonious Supreme Court litigator in modern US history. (Feb. 25, 2025) Complete docket for opposing alien registration (May 25, 1925) Indictment in (1/16/25) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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Blake Lively v Justin Baldoni
02/28/2025
Blake Lively v Justin Baldoni
That's right, we interrupt your regularly scheduled rapid response Friday (sorry...) to give you the first episode in the new Gavel Gavel series!!! And, Gavel Gavel is now PUBLIC! The legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni might feel like just "celebrity gossip," but there is so much here. It has fiercly divided the internet, with one group certain that Justin Baldoni is a sexual harsser, and the other group certain that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are devious plotters who lied about an innocent man in order to take over a movie. How are we to know the truth? Well, fortunately there are going on thousands of pages of legal documents to comb through. The answers are there, for the few among us that are willing to actually read them. This series will do just that. Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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‘Run for Something’ Is Stronger Than Ever. We’re Going to Need It.
02/26/2025
‘Run for Something’ Is Stronger Than Ever. We’re Going to Need It.
OA 1130 and T3BE60 - We're so excited to kick off this episode with an interview with Amanda Litman, the co-founder and President of an amazing organization called . We discuss who they are and how they support folks in state and local races in all 50 states, answer questions for those who may be listening and considering throwing their hat in the ring to run for political office, and get energized from Amanda's contagious hope for what can very much come in 2026 and 2028 if we put in the work now. After our chat with Amanda, Thomas meets up with Professor Heather Varanini to reveal the answer to T3BE59, and tackle the next question! Be sure to stick around for our T3BE winners and patron shoutouts! If you're feeling inspired and hopeful after today's show, consider making a to Run for Something to help elevate progressive leaders in state and local elections across the country! And if you're thinking you might Run for Something, check out their to help you along every step of the way! If you'd like to play along with T3BE, here's what to do: hop on Bluesky, , find the post that has this episode, and quote it with your answer! Or, and look for the appropriate t3BE posting. Or best of all, become a patron at and play there!
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But Who Lawyers the Lawyers?
02/24/2025
But Who Lawyers the Lawyers?
OA1129 - From the Department of Justice to DOGE to elected officials around the US, attorneys who swore to uphold and defend the law are working overtime on the bureaucratic front lines of Donald Trump’s campaign to actively degrade and destroy it. But what if those lawyers knew that there could be real consequences for their ability to practice law in the future for illegal, bad faith, and/or unethical conduct? That question is at the heart of the 65 Project, a non-profit organized to introduce real consequences to the kind of lawyering which is greasing the skids in our long slide into authoritarianism. Managing Director Michael Teter joins to explain how the Project came together, how they decide whether misconduct merits a bar complaint, and how their mission has changed since the 2024 election. filed by the 65 Project Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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We Have a King Now I Guess. Cool. Cool.
02/21/2025
We Have a King Now I Guess. Cool. Cool.
Brought to you by Trade Coffee! Get up to 3 bags free with any new Trade subscription at OA 1128 - First: an urgent question from a patron on Trump’s latest executive power grab. Matt explains the history of the “unitary executive theory” and the Federalist Society-backed movement to give the President more power than an actual king. Then: Rutgers Law professor Katie Eyer studies, teaches, and litigates the law of anti-discrimination with a specialty in LGBTQ rights. She joins to discuss the current state of the law in the shadow of the Supreme Court’s forthcoming decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti and the wake of Donald Trump’s recent anti-trans executive orders. Which, if any, of these orders should we actually be concerned about? What does it mean that the fight for trans lives is now becoming a federal issue? Can Trump really just instruct the federal government to ignore the Supreme Court’s extension of employment protections to LGBTQ employees in Bostock v. Clayton County? Professor Eyer takes up these questions and many more as we find reasons both for concern and for hope. “,” (2/18/25) (Rutgers Law bio) , 77 Vanderbilt L. Rev. __ (2024) (forthcoming) 171 U. Pa. L. Rev. 1405 (2023) , 590 US ___ (2020) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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The Thursday Night Massacre, Part 2
02/19/2025
The Thursday Night Massacre, Part 2
Brought to you by Trade Coffee! Get up to 3 bags free with any new Trade subscription at OA1127 + T3BE59! Our breakdown of the Thursday Night Massacre continues, with Liz Skeen. Then, it's T3BE time! If you'd like to play along with T3BE, here's what to do: hop on Bluesky, , find the post that has this episode, and quote it with your answer! Or, and look for the appropriate t3BE posting. Or best of all, become a patron at and play there! Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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The Thursday Night Massacre
02/18/2025
The Thursday Night Massacre
Brought to you by Trade Coffee! Get up to 3 bags free with any new Trade subscription at ! OA1126 - Law'd Awful Boves We interrupt your regularly-scheduled LAM for readings and commentary on the documents at the heart of what has quickly become one of the most shocking events in the 155-year history of the U.S. Department of Justice: the openly corrupt dismissal of all charges against New York City mayor Eric Adams in exchange for his cooperation with Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Gavel Gavel contributor Liz Skeen joins to share her perspective as both a New York City lawyer and resident as we work through the dueling letters which have been publicly released so far from former US Attorney for SDNY Danielle Sassoon, Acting Deputy AG Emil Bove, and former Assistant US Attorney Hagan Scotten together with DOJ’s motion to dismiss. offering her resignation if DOJ continues to move forward with filing a motion to dismiss the federal criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (2/12/25) (2/13/25) (2/14/25) Rule 48(a) motion seeking to dismiss all pending charges against Eric Adams (2/14/25) Check out the OA for all the places to go and things to do! To support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at !
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