
Case in Point: The Legal Show on the Hottest Legal Cases in Politics and Culture
If the thought of a legal podcast makes you shy away and you’re tired of so-called “legal” experts talking in confusing legal jargon, you’ve come to the right place. The Heritage Foundation’s “Case in Point” talks about the hottest cases affecting politics, culture, and everyone’s daily lives in a way that lawyers and non-lawyers alike can understand.
Host Hans von Spakovsky may work in Washington, D.C., but he grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. He hasn’t lost touch with his roots and hasn’t been captured by the Beltway Insiders. He understands the heart and soul of America, the everyday fol
Latest episodes

Mar 31, 2023 • 53min
Supreme Crimes & State Constitutions
This week, the Court was the scene of several crimes, or rather, several oral arguments about crimes. Your hosts discuss the fascinating issues of double-jeopardy, criminal speech, and out-of-court confessions that those arguments raised. GianCarlo then interviews Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick about his career and his work developing a body law governing state-constitutional interpretation. Trivia continues the criminal law theme focusing on interesting facts about the Court's criminal law cases.If you're interested in the implications of the Smith case, your hosts recommend this article.Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 23, 2023 • 52min
Judge Kyle Duncan Talks About Stanford
In this episode your hosts discuss the amusing oral arguments in the Jack Daniels parody case and unpack the one opinion of the week. Judge Kyle Duncan also joins the show to talk about the recent free-speech debacle at Stanford Law School. He explains what happened, reflects on its implications for the legal profession, on the proper purpose of law school, and offers some thoughts about how we might cultivate a more civil environment.Trivia this week is: Do you know more about free-speech law than a Stanford Law student?Here is Judge Duncan's article in the Wall Street Journal.Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 17, 2023 • 34min
Rehearing: Judge Stephen Vaden
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with the Judge Stephen Vaden. The interview is especially relevant in light of the recent free-speech controversy at Stanford Law, because Judge Vaden talks about the free-speech crisis in legal academia. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court.Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 10, 2023 • 23min
Rehearing: Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with the Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court.Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 3, 2023 • 41min
Student Loans and Major Questions
Oral arguments in the cases challenging President Biden's student loan cancellation plan dominated the news this week while other interesting SCOTUS developments flew under the radar. Zack discusses the opinions you may have missed, while GianCarlo does a deep dive into those oral arguments. With administrative law front-and-center this week, GianCarlo interviews an expert on the subject, Professor Chad Squitieri of the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America. The two discuss the Major Questions Doctrine and Catholic University's Project on Constitutional Originalism and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Last up, Zack does a good job stumping GianCarlo with trivia about the prior careers of famous Justices.Here is a link to Professor Squitieri's article, Major Problems with Major Questions. And here is a link to Zack's article about New York v. New Jersey. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 23, 2023 • 52min
A Dubious Expediency
The Court is back, and this week it heard oral arguments in two high-profile cases against Google and Twitter that will decide the extent of the protection they can claim when their users support terrorism. It also issued opinions in a bankruptcy case, a capital-murder case, and a fair-wage case. After covering those developments, GianCarlo interviews Professor Gail Heriot of the University of San Diego School of Law. The two talk about her research on racial preferences and what it means for the Harvard and UNC cases and the future of racial preferences after those cases are decided. Lastly, GianCarlo hits Zack with some cinematic SCOTUS trivia.You can find a copy of Professor Heriot's book here: A Dubious Expediency.Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 16, 2023 • 25min
Rehearing: Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with the Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court.Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 10, 2023 • 47min
Rehearing: Judge Douglas Ginsburg
In the second of our Rehearings series, we replay our interview with the Judge Douglas Ginsburg. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court.Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 3, 2023 • 39min
Rehearing: Judge Marty Feldman
In this first episode of our Rehearings series, we replay our interview with the late Judge Martin Feldman. Rehearings will re-air our favorite old interviews on weeks when we don't have a usual episode because the Supreme Court is not hearing arguments or issuing opinions. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 snips
Jan 27, 2023 • 46min
Originalism 101
Late last week, the Court issued a report about its investigation into the Dobbs leak. Your hosts discuss the report and share their thoughts about the Marshal's investigation. GianCarlo then gives a preview of some of the Court's new cases and explains what a "DIG" is, and Zack discusses the first opinion of the term. GianCarlo interviews Professor Ilan Wurman about his books on Originalism and the Reconstruction amendments. And finally, Zack hits GianCarlo with some originalism-themed trivia.Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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