law

Suing the CIA Over MKUltra

OA1057

We’re giving ourselves a break this week from Trump, the Supreme Court, and all things 2024 to indulge in one of Matt’s all-time favorite subjects: CIA mind control experiments! In this extra-carefully-researched episode, Matt breaks down the history of the federal government’s MKULTRA  program to fund research in brainwashing, mind control, and LSD on unsuspecting U.S. and (for some reason) Canadian citizens, as well as the inherent legal issues in trying to sue the C...

The SCOTUS Embarrassment That Was the EMTALA Case

OA1056

As the Trump campaign celebrates the “demise” of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, we check in on reports of its death to see just how exaggerated they might be. Does it even matter that the ultra-conservative push to remake the personnel and policies of the federal government run by people who talk like Bond villains is (allegedly) no longer in the policy game? And how did things get to the point that these people were too extreme for Stephen Miller?

We then di...

#RapidResponseFriday Time!

Tell us - what do you want to hear OA cover this week?

Please let us know below! And also, please use that heart button on comments to give us an indication of numbers, so we can gauge interest!

And, if you have specific legal questions on a given topic, feel free to comment with them!

OA Bar Prep With Heather! T3BE34

The answer for T3BE33 is coming your way, and we launch our next Bar Prep question with Heather! 

Patrons, submit your answers below! But also, feel free to double up and submit on reddit.com/r/openargs!

Rap on Trial

OA1055

Charis Kubrin is a professor of criminology at University of California Irvine whose extensive analysis of rap lyrics has provided the basis for her expert testimony in cases around the U.S. in which an artist’s work has been used against them as criminal evidence. Professor Kubrin joins us to explain what brought her to this subject, the history of “rap on trial,” and her ongoing work with the defense bar to push back against this problematic and almost inevitably racist p...

Setting the Record Straight on Kamala's Record

OA1054

As the Democratic Party comes together around presumptive nominee Kamala Harris after Joe Biden's surprise exit, we take another look at the Vice President”s career and political record. Is she any more of a “cop” than any other career prosecutor? How will history remember this VP? What might we expect from a President Harris that we wouldn't from a second Biden term? And why did Matt just get kicked out of a library in Rhode Island? We take on all of these questions and ma...

It's Already Time for Another #RapidResponse?!

Time is flying. What do you want to hear OA cover this week?

Please let us know below! And also, please use that heart button on comments to give us an indication of numbers, so we can gauge interest!

And, as always, if you have specific legal questions on a given topic, feel free to comment with them!

OA Bar Prep With Heather! T3BE33

The answer for T3BE32 is coming your way, and we launch our next Bar Prep question with Heather! 

Patrons, submit your answers below! But also, feel free to double up and submit on reddit.com/r/openargs!

Biden is OUT! Republicans Cry Foul and Lie About the Law

OA1053

We had a different episode ready, but this development warranted an emergency episode. Matt answers many of the most pressing questions about what happens next. Can Harris get on the ballot? Does she get access to the funds Biden had? What happens with Biden's delegates? And is it illegal to drop out of a presidential race... for some reason... as many Republicans are saying?

Welp. Emergency episode. Biden drops out

Give us your questions and thoughts and Matt will do his best to answer them! Hit the heart on things you want to hear.

I Think This Judge Cannon Might Not Be on the Level

OA1052

CAAAANNNONNNNNBALLLLLL! Judge Aileen Cannon has just made a major splash in the Trump trials by dismissing the entire federal classified documents case based on her findings that special prosecutor Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed.  We try our best to pretend that this 93-page decision is a regular order released by a normal judge, at least for a few minutes, before moving on to ask: Should we have seen this coming? Does this explain Clarence Thomas’s weirdly unprompted...

#RapidResponseFriday is Coming Up!

It's that time again. Incredible patrons, what do you want to hear OA cover this week?

Please let us know below! And also, please use that heart button on comments to give us an indication of numbers, so we can gauge interest!

And, if you have specific legal questions on a given topic, feel free to comment with them!

OA Bar Prep With Heather! T3BE32

The answer for T3BE31 is coming your way, and we launch our next Bar Prep question with Heather! 

Patrons, submit your answers below! But also, feel free to double up and submit on reddit.com/r/openargs!

"Don't Say Gay" Bills Must Violate the 1st Amendment... Right? RIGHT?!

OA1051

In the wake of... one of the many moral panics likely started by Chris Rufo, many "Don't Say Gay" laws were passed. I don't know about you, but I had just figured these had to be unconstitutional. After all, we have freedom of speech, right? There's an Amendment about that, right? Well.......

Returning to the show to take us through this is the best namer of law review articles, 2024-07-15 09:40:32 +0000 UTC View Post

They Finally Killed Chevron Deference

OA1050

Legal podcaster Charles Star (ALAB, Mic Dicta) joins to share his administrative law expertise as we consider the end of the Chevron doctrine and what comes next. Why is everyone so worked up about the overturning of a ruling reached by a conservative SCOTUS at the behest of Ronald Reagan, Neil Gorsuch's mom, and one of the worst polluters in world history? Why are immigration lawyers (including Matt) quietly celebrating the end of deference to administrative ag...

OA Bar Prep With Heather! T3BE31

The answer for T3BE30 is coming your way, and we launch our next Bar Prep question with Heather! 

No Matter How Stupid And Evil You Think Qualified Immunity Is, It's Worse

OA1049

Qualified Immunity is insane. It's one of several ways that police evade accountability for truly monstrous acts. As unpleasant as that is, we're fortunate to have an amazing guest to take us through the history of it, as well as a new case that may be cause for optimism!

From her UCLA Law bio: Joanna Schwartz is Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and the Faculty Director of the David J. Epstei...

It’s almost new intro quotes time!

So give me your best suggestions! Remember, they need to be short, like 2-3 seconds kind of thing. And if you can link with a timestamp to something that is decent audio quality, that will increase your chances!

It Is Impossible to Be Too Alarmed About the Immunity Decision

OA1048

This decision is absolutely outrageous. It is in the hall of fame of worst Supreme Court Decisions in our nation's history. It's that bad. As such, we recorded a ton, there is yelling involved. And cursing. And we even did an extra length patron episode to answer some of your questions.

Neil Gorsuch recently promised that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity would be one “for the ages,” and Chief Justice John Roberts has certainly delivered her...

Young Thug Contempt BS Part 2 (ft. Ashleigh Merchant!)

OA1047

We continue our coverage of the contempt hearing against Young Thug attorney Brian Steel with a very special guest! Attorney Ashleigh Merchant is not only the president of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, but most recently known for her work in seeking to recuse Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis from the Trump RICO case. Attorney Merchant provides her impressions of the YSL RICO trial and why  GACDL’s has to have a special “strike force” to defen...

A Different Kind of #RapidResponse Friday

We've got our topic but would love to hear from you all!

For Friday's episode, we'll be covering the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity. What questions do you have? And be sure to heart your favorites in the thread to help us prioritize coverage!

The Young Thug Contempt BS Was Even Worse Than We Knew

OA1046

Bit of a special schedule this week, for reasons that I over-explain in the first 5 minutes of this episode. But it's good reasons! Hope you enjoy.

This is a part 1 of an extremely good Gavel Gavel episode. If you are a Gavel Gavel patron, you can listen to the full version in that feed now! Otherwise, stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow, with special guest Ashleigh Merchant!

*this is not a paid post, since this will be charged over on 2024-07-03 08:55:14 +0000 UTC View Post

OA Taking Monday off

Hey folks, sorry for the late notice, but we’re taking one off. If you’re missing Matt and I too much, there’s a ton of new Gavel Gavel! See you on Wednesday.

Patron Only Bonus! Judge Jackson's Brilliant Dissent

Here it is, the promised bonus, a reading of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's dissent in Snyder!

I... Hate the Supreme... COURT!

OA1045

As the Supreme Court gives itself an extension on its homework, we review two of its most recent completed assignments: 

• Department of State v. Munoz (6/21/2024) What rights do US citizens have to object to the arbitrary denial of a spouse’s immigrant visa? Matt explains the arbitrary perils of the consular visa processing system and Amy Coney Barrett’s ...

  2024-06-28 07:05:13 +0000 UTC View Post

It's Almost #RapidResponseFriday!

Amazing Patrons! What do you want to hear OA cover this week?

Please let us know below! And also, please use that heart button on comments to give us an indication of numbers, so we can gauge interest!

And, if you have specific legal questions on a given topic, feel free to comment with them!

OA Bar Prep with Heather! T3BE30

The answer for T3BE29 is coming your way, and we launch our next Bar Prep question with Heather! Submit your answers on Reddit.com/r/openargs, AND below!

What on Earth Is Happening in the Young Thug Trial?

OA1044

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has used Georgia’s RICO statute against everyone from public school teachers to environmental protesters to a former President of the United States. This week we examine Willis's massive 88-page RICO indictment of rapper Young Thug and 27 other associates of YSL, the Atlanta record label which her office alleges is also operating as a violent street gang. Matt shakes his geriatric millennial first at the scourge of mumble rap before b...

Did Biden Do a Good Immigration Thing?

OA1043

This week: good immigration news! The Biden administration announced on June 17th that it will be moving forward with a plan to offer a pathway to citizenship for immigrants married to U.S. citizens who have been in the country for more than 10 years through a special “parole-in-place” program. Why does current U.S. immigration law make it so difficult--and sometimes impossible--for so many people who are  in loving long-term relationships with U.S. citizens to “do it ...

What Should OA Cover This #RapidResponseFriday?

It's that time again! What do you want to hear OA cover this week?

Please let us know! And also, please use that heart button on comments to give us an indication of numbers, so we can gauge interest!

And, if you have specific legal questions on a given topic, feel free to comment with them!