

Advisory Opinions
The Dispatch
Advisory Opinions is a legal podcast by The Dispatch. Hosts David French and Sarah Isgur meet twice a week to talk about the law, the courts, their collision with politics, and why it all matters.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 19, 2024 • 1h 10min
Can State Officials Block Me on Social Media?
Discussion on Justice Amy Coney Barrett's opinion on state action in social media, predicting SCOTUS votes for Net Choice, Justice Elena Kagan's reasoning on 'and' vs 'or,' the 5th U.S. Circuit Court's overload, an emergency petition on a drag show case, and Justice Breyer's pragmatism over textualism.

Mar 14, 2024 • 1h 11min
Blood Libel at MIT
Sarah and David discuss Robert Hur's congressional testimony, media training, differences in Trump and Biden cases, partisanship, Jewish students' complaint at MIT, the concept of blood libel, free speech on campus, positive racial discrimination, and the end of judge shopping

Mar 12, 2024 • 1h
Stopping the Stop Woke Act
Topics discussed include bias response teams at a university, ACLU vs. NLRB, Florida's Stop Woke Act, Texas' law on explicit content, TikTok in the culture war, Kevin Newsom's speech on text, history, and tradition, understanding standing doctrine, and legal movie reviews.

11 snips
Mar 7, 2024 • 1h 15min
David Responds to Trolls
David responds to Twitter trolls before discussing the Supreme Court's ruling on the Trump-Colorado case. Topics include defending the Court, erasing the Constitution, consequentialism vs. originalism, Chevron doctrine, bump stock case, and more.

9 snips
Mar 5, 2024 • 1h 8min
Indictment Watch: The Supreme Court Decides Whether States Can Disqualify Trump
The podcast discusses the Supreme Court's decision allowing Trump on the Colorado ballot, the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause, disagreement on interpretation, Electoral Count Act reforms, trial timing in high-stakes cases, legal considerations in a Trump-related case, and due process in legal proceedings.

Feb 29, 2024 • 1h 13min
Sore Losers and Dr. Phil
Legal catch-up includes Trump's legal saga, NetChoice v. Paxton, McElrath v. Georgia, No Labels and Nikki Haley, Dr. Phil, Home Depot free speech, NCAA rules, AO dating app. Supreme Court stay application, justices' contrasting views, content moderation, double jeopardy cases, political strategies, employee speech rights at Home Depot, upcoming Supreme Court cases, NCAA injunctions, spending bill overturn unlikely, podcast-based dating app idea.

Feb 27, 2024 • 1h 15min
Live from Alabama
Topics include Alabama IVF ruling, law school decisions, private practice vs public service, relationship and mom advice in high-stress jobs. Chevron Deference and US attorney appointments are also discussed. Personal anecdotes and career trajectories shared by legal professionals.

6 snips
Feb 22, 2024 • 1h 6min
Taylor Swift and the Magna Carta
Supreme Court rulings, Harvard free speech controversies, Taylor Swift parodies, Inn of Court networking, and Sarah's musical performance are the highlights of this entertaining podcast episode.

Feb 20, 2024 • 1h 12min
Alabama Against IVF
Explore Alabama Supreme Court case on embryos as minors and its impact on abortion policy. Discuss IVF ban rumors and Sarah's personal IVF experience. Analyze defamation case against climate scientist, civil verdict on Donald Trump, and challenges faced by young lawyers in high-pressure legal environments.

Feb 15, 2024 • 1h 12min
Guns and the Aloha State
Discussion on the clash between gun ownership and the "spirit of Aloha" in Hawaii, including a recent Supreme Court case on the interpretation of the Second Amendment. The lack of meaningful discussion on permitting standards for guns in Hawaii is also explored. The podcast also touches on the issue of defying the Supreme Court and banning books, concerns about the country's direction, presidential immunity, and grammar rules.


