
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 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.

Jan 13, 2023 • 48min
"Learned in the Law"
The Court is back from its break, adding new cases to its docket, and hearing oral arguments. In this episode, GianCarlo previews the newly granted cases and explains the oral arguments in a rare professional ethics case, and Zack discusses the oral arguments in a case that will decide whether and to what extent Puerto Rico has sovereign immunity. Zack then interviews John Bash, a former clerk to then-Judge Kavanaugh and Justice Scalia and current partner at Quinn Emanuel. Finally, GianCarlo quizzes Zack about the "10th Justice." 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.

Dec 9, 2022 • 47min
Does A Cat Have a Tail?
The Court heard oral arguments in two of the biggest cases of the term, 303 Creative v. Elenis and Moore v. Harper. Your hosts explain those cases and discuss the Court's decision to take up the case challenging President Biden's student loan cancellation plan. As mentioned in the episode, you can find GianCarlo and Jack Fitzhenry's paper on that topic here. GianCarlo then interviews legendary 10th Circuit Senior Judge Paul J. Kelly, Jr. In this week's trivia, Zack quizzes GianCarlo about election law, with a short detour into the world of football law.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.

Dec 2, 2022 • 45min
Texas Fights the Feds, Again
This week your hosts go to lengths to explain why the apparently esoteric cases argued this week are, in fact, much more interesting than they sound. Meanwhile, Texas is back at the Court fighting the feds, something Texas S.G. Judd Stone has a lot of experience doing. Zack discusses that oral argument and then interviews former Congressman, Senator, Governor, and Ambassador Sam Brownback. For trivia this week, GC relies on the always excellent work of Dr. Adam Feldman to quiz Zack about Justice Jackson's early oral argument performance.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.