law

The Trump Trial Is On, and Lordy There Are Transcripts!

Episode 1026

The transcript is in! The first official written record from the first trial of a former President in U.S. history was just released hours before recording, and we dig in for a first look from the first full day of proceedings (Monday April 23rd) to find out which of the 45th president's many misdeeds the court ruled that prosecutors will be allowed to bring up during cross-examination. We also indulge in some dramatic readings of each party's opening statements, and d...

Did The Supreme Court Just Make Protest Illegal In 3 States?

Episode 1025

Today we take on two law stories the media have been getting wrong recently.

1) Did the Supreme Court just "end the right to protest in three states"? We go beyond the headlines to better understand Justice Sonia Sotomayor's denial of certiorari in a negligence suit brought against Black Lives Matter organizer Deray McKesson by a police officer injured during a BLM protest in Baton Rouge.

2) Biden's border. The impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Ma...

New Intro Quotes!

Hey folks,

I was reminded that we used to use quotes for 25 episodes. Seems like we're due for a change! Here is where you can suggest them like old times. To have the best chance of getting your quote picked, make sure to link a good quality source, with a timestamp, and make sure the quote itself is like 3 seconds long.

Happy suggesting!

Trump's Criminal Trial Is Moving Right Along!

Episode 1024

We have a jury! The preliminaries are nearly complete in the first criminal trial of a former president in US history, and we take this opportunity to review what we know so far about the Manhattan DA's prosecution of Donald Trump for funneling hush money to Stormy Daniels three weeks before the 2016 election. How did they pick a jury so quickly? What is DA Alvin Bragg's theory of the case? Could "retweets are not endorsements" actually be a loophole to a gag order?

T...

What Should OA Cover This #RapidResponseFriday?

You know the drill, what do you want to hear OA cover for Friday?

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!

T3BE Week 10! Disappearing Wallets and Fake Philanthropy

Last week's answers, this week's questions!

11 Years Ago Today, A Brutal Act of Terror

April 15th marks two significant events in US history: the 11th anniversary of Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev's bombing of the Boston Marathon, and the first day of jury selection in  the first criminal trial of a former US President. These two very different situations both share one important legal question: how do you select a jury from a city full of people who not only know a defendant by name but have good reasons to despise them?

Boston residents Matt and Casey shar...

Arizona Republican Party Like It's 1864

Episode 1022

Courts in Arizona and Florida have both ended abortion rights in very different (but both terrible) ways this month. Did Arizona actually resurrect a 160-year law passed decades before it was even a state? And how weird can it get when you go full originalist on a law that is younger than most people in Florida?

Before we get there, Matt opens by sharing his experience with the OJ Simpson trial at the age of 14 and how it shaped his understanding of US criminal law. W...

What Should OA Cover This #RapidResponseFriday?

You know the drill, what do you want to hear OA cover for Friday?

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!

T3BE Week 9! Prescription Negligence and Breach of Contract

As usual, we've got last week's answers and this week's questions! Some fun and tricky ones...

Immigrant Workers Died Repairing Bridge Named After Slaveholder

OA1021

On March 26, 2024 a container ship the size of the Eiffel Tower named for the world's most famous surrealist destroyed a bridge named after the author of the U.S. national anthem yards from one of the most notable sites of our country's least popular war. Who was Francis Scott Key anyway, and why has the man who gave the world the phrase "land of the free and the home of the brave" gotten a total pass for writing the world's worst national anthem while owning people and prosecuti...

Jack Smith's Smackdown of Judge Cannon

It's time for a round of Trump updates, starting in Florida with the responses to Judge Aileen Cannon's weird request that the parties try making up new law that she could try out on a jury if this case ever finally makes it to one. Is Jack Smith's response to this nonsense everything we'd wanted? And what happens when you actually try to sit down read anything that the Trump defense team has filed as if it were a serious legal document? We then turn to recent legal developments in New Y...

What Should OA Cover This #RapidResponseFriday?

You know the drill, what do you want to hear OA cover for Friday?

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!

T3BE Week 8! Elaborate Crimes and Psychedelics

Can you believe it, it's T3BE8! You know the drill, we answer last week's questions, honor two winners, and then ask two more questions!

But Matt has a new bar exam book, and it's going to be quite fun, if these questions are any indicator. Deviously hard, needlessly complex, extremely silly... it has it all!

2024-04-03 06:18:37 +0000 UTC View Post

Boeing Killed 346 People. So Why Did They Get a Sweetheart Deal?

Most criminal defendants can't kill 346 people and expect to get off with a light fine and three years of probation, but most criminal defendants are not The Boeing Company. In today's show, we examine the differences between different kinds of pretrial diversion agreements and why the best ones are reserved for ultra-wealthy defendants like Boeing and Jeffrey Epstein.

We then take a closer look at the DOJ's routine use of deferred prosecution agreements to help our nation's most valued...

Episode delay due to holiday

The normal Sunday night episode will be Monday night this week, due to Easter and some stuff going on in Matt's schedule.

See you then!

The Mifepristone Case Is an Insult to the Concept of Standing

Episode 1018 - GOOD NEWS EPISODE!

It's positive vibes only as we celebrate the impending disbarment of MAGA law toadies John Eastman and Jeffrey Clark, the first but-actually-for-real-this-time Trump trial date, and some extremely real threats to your favorite President's sacred First Amendment rights to lie to the public and terrorize the families of court personnel.

In more good news, the Supreme Court couldn't seem to find an actual excuse to ban medical abortions thi...

What Should OA Cover This #RapidResponseFriday?

You know the drill, what do you want to hear OA cover for Friday?

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!

T3BE Week 7! Best Evidence and Contract Law

It's week 7, and it's a Next Generation of test. Make it so! Oh also, we're still dogged by controversy, #T3BEgate2.5 but we've got a fall guy and it's Matt. Question 12 was a repeat and Matt is to blame and accepts the inevitable public shaming. But 13 was new! And, now we've got an entirely new kind of test!

2024-03-27 05:31:37 +0000 UTC View Post

Contractor Who Leaked Trump's Tax Return Gets 5 Years In Prison

Episode 1017

He had a plea agreement with the government which he thought would get him 8-14 months. He ended up with 5 years. What happened? Also, was this Democrats' version of January 6th Casey joins this week to help to answer an OA patron's question about the plea agreement reached in the prosecution of former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn for leaking records of Donald Trump, Rick Scott, Elon Musk, and a tragically high number of other innocent and blameless billionaires w...

Judge Aileen Cannon Sucks - A Definitive Guide

Who is Aileen Cannon? Why is Aileen Cannon? We answer these important questions and many more in this brief review of the incomprehensible jurisprudence of the best federal judge in Fort Pierce, Florida.

1. Aileen Cannon's Senate Judiciary Committee nomination questionnaire

2. 2024-03-22 07:34:11 +0000 UTC View Post

What Should OA Cover This #RapidResponseFriday?

Hey folks, since last week's post was a massive success, let's make it a weekly tradition! We've got a lot of news we're tracking, but what do you want to hear OA cover for Friday?

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!

T3BE Week 6 - ROCKED by Scandal #T3BEgate2

Massive controversy shakes T3BE to its core. Thomas and Matt respond to the international outcry and media firestorm generated by allegations that T3BE is using repeat questions.

After that, we get two TOTALLY DEFINITELY NEW practice bar exam questions. Topics are appealing to SCOTUS re State constution vs. US constitution, and also the gender wage gap when it comes to bank robbery.

2024-03-20 03:57:40 +0000 UTC View Post

Deported by an Immigration Court in a Strip Mall

Episode 1015 Part 2 of Azul's story

Folks... I implore you. I beg of you, please listen to this one all the way through. Azul tells us the rest of her story, and talks about where she is now, and it is one of if not the most inspiring, heartwarming things I have ever had the privilege of publishing. Seriously. And please share it. Another massive thanks to Azul, and to Matt, who we are so incredibly lucky to have on the show.

We Have A Ruling In Fani Willis Case - EMERGENCY POD

Emergency Bonus Pod! - Fani Willis and the Odor of Mendacity

Judge MacAfee has issued a ruling on the Fani Willis disqualification motion. Get the OA breakdown with a full analysis and plenty of opinion and context.

Judge Dismisses Some Trump Charges. Should We Be Worried?

Episode 1014

We begin by pouring a Tequila Sunrise out for the charges against three memorabilia collectors charged with stealing old Eagles lyrics, in which the unexpected airing of 6,000 pages of Don Henley's dirty laundry had Manhattan prosecutors realizing last week that they truly could check out anytime they liked. Matt then takes us through Fulton County Judge Scott MacAfee's decision to dismiss 6 of the 41 pending counts against Trump and his goons. Can Trump still be prose...

We'd Love Your Input!

Let us know what issues you want to hear coverage of on #RapidResponseFriday

We have our eyes on some stories, but we were also thinking it would be super helpful to know what folks are curious about and think needs more/better coverage. So what legal topics in the news are you hoping OA covers? 

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...

T3BE Week 5! Personal Injury and Comparative Negligence

Thomas Takes the Bar Exam Week 5!

Ok so last week revealed to us that the "hot unbreakable streak" was not, in fact, unbreakable. No one could have seen this coming though, so no use in playing the blame game. Thomas comes into the week 5-2. Will he go to 5-4? Or 7-2? Or perhaps the other possible record? Find out!

Then, we get 2 new questions! It's personal injury, and also... personal injury? Maybe? We'll see!

2024-03-13 07:57:43 +0000 UTC View Post

Arrested on Her 22nd Birthday. She Didn't Know She Was Undocumented.

Episode 1013

Today, we get to meet Azul Uribe. Azul lived most of her life in the US as a devout Mormon, doing her best to get by in a sea of Whiteness. She even made jokes at her own expense about being undocumented. That all changed when she was arrested at age 22 under bizarre and very unlucky circumstances. She was put in ICE detention. Treated terribly. Strip searched multiple times. She then found out those jokes... weren't. Despite being a college student, Azul faced deportation ...

Did the Trump Colorado Decision Make You Feel Crazy? You’re Not Alone.

Episode 1012

Does anyone else feel like the Supreme Court decided a part of the Constitution just doesn't exist anymore? Perhaps you're like Listener Thomas S, who found this decision absolutely nuts. If so, you're in luck, because in this episode of OA, Thomas throws every argument at actual lawyer Matt Cameron for why this decision sucked. How does the actual lawyer feel? Did SCOTUS get it right actually? Find out!