

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

Oct 25, 2022 • 1h 1min
Chess Cheats and Hot Sauce
Scandal of scandals! Things get weird after a 19-year-old grandmaster is accused of cheating in a chess tournament against a world champion and David and Sarah are here for it. Plus: Let’s talk CFPB funding and a court decision that gets a direct ticket to SCOTUS.Out of context: “a limited public figure for the purposes of Donkey Kong.”
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Oct 20, 2022 • 1h 6min
Where’s the Beef?
In today’s packed episode, David and Sarah check in on the Durham investigation after recent failures to reach convictions. They then turn to updates on the special master and the Mar-a-Lago case, and on the growing list of challenges (of varying quality) to Biden’s loan forgiveness plan. Not enough? They conclude with an overview of the Texas Pete Hot Sauce lawsuit.-Texas Pete lawsuit
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Oct 18, 2022 • 1h 13min
The Jan. 6 Committee Subpoenas Trump
What options does the former president (and his legal team) have in response to the subpoena? Did Judge Ho’s response to critics mollify Sarah’s concerns? And what does Clarence Thomas think about Prince? Plus: how early should you get in line for a chance at attending a Supreme Court hearing?-Andy Warhol Foundation v. Lynn Goldsmith-Judge Ho’s speech on Cancel Culture
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Oct 13, 2022 • 1h 7min
The Case That Broke David's Inbox
In an episode dedicated to our pig friends, Sarah and David are joined by two guests from The Humane Society of the United States: Vice President for Farm Animal Protection Josh Balk and Chief Counsel Jonathan Lovvorn. Josh offers insight into the fight against animal cruelty and Jonathan, who chaired a defense of California’s pig farming regulations before the Supreme Court this Wednesday, discusses whether the courts can (and should) resolve moral questions.Show Notes:-National Pork Producers v. Karen Ross
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Oct 12, 2022 • 1h 28min
Live From George Mason
Recording live at George Mason University, David and Sarah open with a critical WAP correction to last week’s show, followed by updates on The Onion amicus brief and the never-ending Yale drama. Plus: Amy Coney Barrett takes on Common Good Constitutionalism and the Fifth Circuit decides a “zero-pence case” on religious coercion.Show Notes:-Fifth Circuit decision on Freedom From Religion v. Wayne Mack
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Oct 6, 2022 • 1h 10min
The Onion Files an Amicus Brief
An Alabama redistricting case receives a contentious Supreme Court hearing, weighing race neutrality against a history of racial discrimination. Donald Trump files an emergency request with the Supreme Court and it’s… technical. Oh, and did we mention The Onion’s amicus brief? Also: stick to the end for a letter from the best compliance supervisor in America.Show Notes:-The Onion’s amicus brief-Merrill v. Milligan-Trump’s emergency request
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Oct 4, 2022 • 1h 19min
You Must Have Misunderstood Law
Trump’s legal drama — Judge Cannon returns! Ken Paxton opines! Fraud alleged! — will be discussed at last... But first, Sarah and David preview what promises to be a spicy term for the Supreme Court (with not one, but two Section 230 cases!). They then pass through a culture war cul-de-sac via Judge James Ho’s clerkship boycott of Yale law students, and conclude with a tribute to Judge Laurence Silberman. Plus: the committed listener will learn the truth about how Sarah ended up in The Federalist Society.Show Notes:-David’s amicus brief-Twitter at the Supreme Court-Ken Paxton’s amici for Fulton County v. Lindsey Graham-David Lat on Ho v. Yale reactions-Josh Blackman supporting on Yale Law sellouts-Laurence Silberman’s WSJ obit
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Sep 29, 2022 • 1h 2min
The Bell Tolls Long Conference
From the first legal challenge to President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program to a bad precedent in the making involving the NRA, from nation-wide injunctions to budding Supreme Court friendships — today’s show is packed with non-Trump content! (For a hard look into the ex-president’s legal woes, tune in again on Monday!). Also: Sarah and David put on their tin foil hats as they try answering once and for all whether our devices are listening in on us.Out of context: “I don’t like this outcome, Sarah.”Show Notes:-Frank Garrison v. Department of Education-Second Circuit Decision on NRA v. Vullo-The man who prevented nuclear war
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Sep 27, 2022 • 1h 8min
Live from the University of Michigan
Sarah and David tape a live episode at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan and they have a special guest: Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Chad Readler. After making it very clear on how to pronounce the judge’s name, David and Sarah discuss what the judge look for in clerks, his career as a judge and at the Department of Justice, and Wolverine football. Stick around to the end to hear where the judge comes down on David and Sarah’s great law school debate.
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Sep 22, 2022 • 1h 13min
Ken Paxton’s Airing of Grievances
Texas joins an amici brief in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago case, and Sarah and David ponder… why? Plus: a listener’s astute follow-up question about Yeshiva University gets the full AO treatment.Show Notes:-David’s French Press on “Segregation Academies”-Trump’s response to DOJ’s motion for partial stay-Red states amici brief for Trump v. USA-Class action lawsuit against Ron DeSantis
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