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Opening Arguments - Podcast

Opening Arguments

Opening Arguments is a law show that helps you make sense of the news! Comedian Thomas Smith brings on legal analysts to help you understand not only current events, but also deeper legal concepts and areas!
The typical schedule will be M-W-F with Monday being a deep-dive, Wednesday being Thomas Takes the Bar Exam and patron shoutouts, and Friday being a rapid response to legal issues in the news!

Politics Law News
Update frequency
every 2 days
Average duration
65 minutes
Episodes
1132
Years Active
2016 - 2025
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OA230: TOO MUCH MEAT!

OA230: TOO MUCH MEAT!

Today's deep-dive Tuesday tackles that viral case caption you've probably seen floating around Twitter:  "United States v. 1,855.6 pounds of American Paddlefish Meat."  Is the sack of fish meat reall…

01:09:27  |   Tue 27 Nov 2018
OA229: Andrew Miller & the Appointments Clause

OA229: Andrew Miller & the Appointments Clause

Today's Thanksgiving Special / Rapid Response episode takes a look at the single most important Yodel Mountain case pending right now:  Andrew Miller's lawsuit before the Court of Appeals for the Dis…

01:17:27  |   Thu 22 Nov 2018
OA228: Jim Acosta, Sovereign Immunity & More!

OA228: Jim Acosta, Sovereign Immunity & More!

Today's Deep Dive Tuesday tackles the motion for preliminary injunction and underlying lawsuit brought by CNN and Jim Acosta against the Trump White House for revoking his press credentials.  You'll …

01:09:07  |   Tue 20 Nov 2018
OA227: Brian Frosh Takes On Matthew Whitaker & More!

OA227: Brian Frosh Takes On Matthew Whitaker & More!

Today's Rapid Response Friday takes a deep dive into the recent lawsuit filed (actually, amended) by Maryland's ace Attorney General, Brian Frosh, challenging the appointment of Matthew Whitaker as A…

01:26:55  |   Fri 16 Nov 2018
OA226: How Dems Can Force Trump's Tax Returns

OA226: How Dems Can Force Trump's Tax Returns

...using this one weird trick! (but for real.) It's a new intro this week and Thomas hopes you don't mind the departure from the regular quotes. After that Andrew has updates on several cases for us!…

01:07:36  |   Tue 13 Nov 2018
OA225: Elections Have Consequences... for Jeff Sessions

OA225: Elections Have Consequences... for Jeff Sessions

Today's Rapid Response Friday covers the two things that are definitely on everyone's minds:  (1) the midterm elections, and (2) the fate of the Mueller investigation and more in light of President T…

01:15:13  |   Fri 09 Nov 2018
OA224: Andrew Debates Prof. Justin Walker!

OA224: Andrew Debates Prof. Justin Walker!

At long last, we've got the audio from Andrew's debate with University of Louisville Law School professor, member of the Federalist Society and former Brett Kavanaugh clerk Justin Walker! The debate …

01:32:17  |   Tue 06 Nov 2018
OA223: A Victory for Voting Rights in Pennsylvania!

OA223: A Victory for Voting Rights in Pennsylvania!

Today's Rapid Response Friday revisits some cases we've previously discussed with recent positive developments:  the Summer Zervos lawsuit and the future of political gerrymandering in Pennsylvania.

01:18:56  |   Fri 02 Nov 2018
OA222: Entire WV Supreme Court Impeached?!

OA222: Entire WV Supreme Court Impeached?!

Today's episode tackles an issue you've all been writing about:  what exactly is going on in West Virginia, where the entire state supreme court has been impeached?  We break it down for you!

First, …

01:05:16  |   Tue 30 Oct 2018
OA221: Elections Have Consequences, Florida Edition

OA221: Elections Have Consequences, Florida Edition

Today's Rapid Response Friday takes us back to a well-worn trope here at OA that we can't emphasize enough in late October:  elections have consequences!  Specifically, we take a look at the importan…

01:28:13  |   Fri 26 Oct 2018
OA220: Carter Page, Clownhorn

OA220: Carter Page, Clownhorn

Today's Rapid Response Tuesday takes an in-depth look at OA's new favorite clownhorn, Carter Page, and his delightfully mad lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee, the law firm of Perkins …

01:12:28  |   Tue 23 Oct 2018
OA219: Harvard and Affirmative Action

OA219: Harvard and Affirmative Action

Today's Rapid Response Friday takes us to the front lines of the affirmative action debate with the trial of Students For Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard, a lawsuit brought by a single-issue right-…

01:20:04  |   Fri 19 Oct 2018
OA218: Ashers Baking Co., Net Neutrality & Stormy!

OA218: Ashers Baking Co., Net Neutrality & Stormy!

Today's (thankfully) Kavanaugh-free episode -- in honor of Thomas's appearance at QED in Manchester -- takes an in-depth look at the Ashers Baking Co. case, as well as developments at the state level…

01:16:03  |   Tue 16 Oct 2018
OA217: Can Ethics Complaints Take Down Kavanaugh?

OA217: Can Ethics Complaints Take Down Kavanaugh?

Today's Rapid Response Friday follows up on the State of Florida and... sadly... returns one last time to the story of Brett Kavanaugh and the ethics complaints lodged against him and referred to the…

01:11:43  |   Fri 12 Oct 2018
OA216: Court Packing & More (w/guest Chad Schneider)

OA216: Court Packing & More (w/guest Chad Schneider)

Today's (thankfully) Kavanaugh-free episode takes a look at Florida Governor Rick Scott's blatant court packing attempt with the Florida Supreme Court, and the lawsuit filed by Common Cause to try an…

01:17:38  |   Tue 09 Oct 2018
OA215: Is Gamble v US the Real Reason Behind Kavanaugh?

OA215: Is Gamble v US the Real Reason Behind Kavanaugh?

Today's Rapid Response Friday tackles the #1 emailed story to us this past week:  is the real story behind the Kavanaugh nomination that the Trump administration needs him on the Supreme Court to rul…

01:18:29  |   Fri 05 Oct 2018
OA214: Free Speech, NAFTA & Trump's Trans Ban

OA214: Free Speech, NAFTA & Trump's Trans Ban

Today's Kavanaugh-free episode is a classic, three-story, Deep Dive Tuesday into (1) a recent free speech case involving protesters at a Trump rally; (2) the status of Trump's efforts to ban trans se…

01:10:29  |   Tue 02 Oct 2018
OA213: Rachel Mitchell to Cross-Examine Dr. Ford at Kavanaugh Hearings

OA213: Rachel Mitchell to Cross-Examine Dr. Ford at Kavanaugh Hearings

Today's Rapid Response Friday tackles (ugh) the ongoing Judiciary confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh in light of Dr. Ford's allegations, before segueing…
01:14:33  |   Thu 27 Sep 2018
OA212: Rod Rosenstein and... G. Zachary Terwilliger?

OA212: Rod Rosenstein and... G. Zachary Terwilliger?

Today's episode is that rare Rapid Response Tuesday, necessitated by the persistent rumors that Donald Trump is about to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.  Is it true?  How bad are things …
01:18:31  |   Tue 25 Sep 2018
OA211: Manafort Flips (and more on Kavanaugh)

OA211: Manafort Flips (and more on Kavanaugh)

Today's Rapid Response Friday tackles (1) Paul Manafort's plea deal and (2) the surprise resumption of the Senate Judiciary confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee Brett Kav…
01:21:18  |   Fri 21 Sep 2018
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