
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

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.

Nov 11, 2022 • 45min
Agencies on Trial
This week the Court heard arguments in two major cases involving challenges to executive-branch agencies, and another race case involving a federal statute that restricts adoption and foster placement for Native American Children. Your hosts discuss those arguments, and then Zack interviews former ambassador and double SCOTUS clerk Chris Landau. After that, Zack grills GianCarlo with some very tough historical 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.

Nov 3, 2022 • 48min
Race, College, and the Constitution
This week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases challenging the use of racial preferences in college admissions at Harvard and The University of North Carolina. Your hosts do a deep dive into those arguments, pulling out the best, worst, and most interesting questions. GianCarlo then interviews Professor David Bernstein who filed an influential amicus brief in the cases and wrote a fascinating book called Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America. Lastly, GianCarlo quizzes Zack to see if he can identify the most famous and infamous quotes from the Supreme Court's race jurisprudence.As mentioned in the episode, you can read Ed Whelan's article here and Professor Ilya Somin's article here.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.

Oct 28, 2022 • 1h 15min
Special Episode with Justice Alito
It was another quiet week at the Court, but Justice Samuel Alito came to Heritage for our annual Joseph Story lecture. He sat down with John Malcolm and shared stories about his career and discussed topical issues like the leak of the draft Dobbs opinion and free speech on college campuses. 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.

Oct 20, 2022 • 19min
Special Episode: An Interview with V.P. Mike Pence
In this special episode, former Vice President Mike Pence joins your hosts to share some inside-baseball about the judicial selection and confirmation process. He also shares his thoughts about the role of the Court in our constitutional system, how Justice Thomas came to administer his oath of office, and his particular admiration for Justice Barrett.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.

Oct 14, 2022 • 38min
The Bacon Wars?
It was a quiet week for orders, but a very exciting week for oral arguments. Your hosts discuss the copyright fight between the Andy Warhol Foundation and legendary rock-and-roll photographer Lynn Goldsmith, and the ideologically unpredictable Bacon Case, which might spark economic warfare between the states. GianCarlo then interviews Braden Boucek of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, and the two chat about fighting race essentialism in schools and the conservative legal movement. Last up, Zack grills GianCarlo about the Supreme Court's art cases.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.

Oct 7, 2022 • 46min
Justice Jackson's First Day
The Justices are back in their marble palace, and their newest member has joined the fray of oral argument. Your hosts, Zack and GianCarlo, share the latest SCOTUS news, discuss new cases, and chat about Justice Jackson's oral argument style. Zack interviews Judge Stephen Vaden of the Court of International Trade who talks about his early years working on a farm, to his days at Yale law, and his experience as a specialist judge. He also shares his thoughts on the ongoing Yale Law free-speech controversies. Last up, GianCarlo is delighted to stump Zack with supreme-spouse 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.

Sep 29, 2022 • 1h
We're Back!
The Court is back next week, and the docket is already shaping up to be very exciting. This week we have a special preview of the upcoming term with former Solicitor General Paul Clement and former Acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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