Opening Arguments

Episode 1009    The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 has been making headlines with its promises to set the next Republican president up with a full staff of loyal civil servants and a 920-page executive branch playbook--but what is actually in this thing, and what can we learn from it? Matt takes us through some disturbing echoes of 1933 Germany, which was a famously chill and cool time, showing us how the legal system has historically been used to turn democracies into autocracies. We learn that laws with the most boring names are often the scariest, and about the administrative violence of a well-timed memo.   1. Heritage Foundation's Mandate for Leadership (2023) 2. Presidential Personnel Database (Project 2025 job application) 3. Nazi Telegram with instructions for Kristallnacht (Nov 10, 1938)   If you'd like to support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at patreon.com/law! For the time being, any profit over and above the costs of operating the show, will go towards repair and accountability.

Episode 1008   Today we are serving up a tasteful pairing of radically destructive activism from one supreme court with a refreshing adherence to basic Constitutional law from another. We start in Alabama, where the state's highest court just found with no any apparent legal, factual, or moral justification whatsoever that a few hundred frozen cells are legally equivalent to a "child"--because God, probably? Unclear! We then review a recent example of the U.S. Supreme Court doing exactly what it is supposed to do: reviewing and unanimously reversing an obvious Constitutional violation, in this case one which put a man who had been acquitted on mental health grounds at risk of the death penalty.   1. Alabama Supreme Court's decision in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine, P.C. 2. Ketanji Brown Jackson's decision for a unanimous court in McElrath v. Georgia, 601 U.S. ____ (2024) [PDF] 3. Free downloadable version of the Century Schoolbook typeface   If you'd like to support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at patreon.com/law! For the time being, any profit over and above the costs of operating the show, will go towards repair and accountability.

Thomas Takes the Bar Exam!   It's time for the answers to last week's questions, plus two more!   If you'd like to support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at patreon.com/law! For the time being, any profit over and above the costs of operating the show, will go towards repair and accountability.

In this episode, Fani testifies in high drama courtroom proceedings. Wade's ex-partner Bradley is put on the stand, leading to dark turns. The episode delves into jury selection strategy, courtroom drama, witness credibility, and reflections on the judge's behavior.

Legal drama unfolds in Fulton County Superior Court as cohabitating lawyers dissect the Fani Willis hearings, touching on disqualification risks, witness testimonies, lawyer accountability, conflicts of interest, hearsay complexities, and cross-examination tactics. The Atlanta legal scene unveils interconnected relationships, book discussions, and humorous speculations, all amidst the chaos and complexity of real-world courtroom drama.

Exploring the legal circus in Georgia, Trump's legal tour, absurd impeachment proceedings, House voting rules, and the wrath of fonts. Discussing SCOTUS cases, disqualification hearings, and the stupidest impeachment ever. Reflecting on legal immunity, courtroom dramas, Zbiotics, sponsor ads, and dissecting complex legal cases.

At laaaaaaaast it is the return of #T3BE! And we've got, not 1, not 2, but 3 questions! First, a question + answer to get warmed up, since we don't have any answers from previous weeks. THEN, the question everyone can play along with. AND THEN, it's the question only Patrons are elligible to win. But also, for patreons only, I've included the first question Matt and I ever did. We did some T3BE to practice, and this first one is maybe my favorite. If you'd like to support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at patreon.com/law! For the time being, any profit over and above the costs of operating the show, will go towards repair and accountability. I used Dall-e for fun to create a T3BE graphic and it gave me "Thas BAR EXAM!" 10/10

This podcast discusses the recent execution in Alabama using nitrogen gas, analyzing the Supreme Court's decision on this method and raising ethical concerns about the death penalty. They explore the challenges of maintaining humor when discussing serious topics, evaluate previous methods of execution and the evaluation of death penalty statutes. The debate over cruel and unusual punishment is examined, along with the application of originalism to the death penalty. Delays in executions and the decreasing number of states with the death penalty are also discussed.

Republicans thought they were going to impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas but they didn't count on... AL GREEN!   There has been so much in the news that Matt and I thought we'd do some bonus recording, both to give you fine folks more content and also to keep practicing and getting into the groove. Matt breaks down the absurd Articles of Impeachment that some Republican intern typed up. Then we talk about the border bill Republicans demanded but then... fought against after Trump said to.   If you'd like to support the show (and lose the ads!), please pledge at patreon.com/law! For the time being, any profit over and above the costs of operating the show, will go towards repair and accountability.

District Attorney Fani Willis is discussed in this episode. Topics covered include the legal implications of her relationship, political reactions from MAGA supporters, and the importance of a state criminal case involving a former president. The validity of conflict of interest claims, romantic relationships among defense attorneys, and potential financial incentives are also explored.