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!
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 65 minutes
- Episodes
- 1132
- Years Active
- 2016 - 2025
OA190: Good News, Everyone! (On Abortion Rights & More)
Today's episode -- at long last -- brings us some good news from two rather unlikely sources: first, from the state of Iowa (regarding abortion rights), and second, from the Republican-controlled Se…
01:12:08 |
Tue 10 Jul 2018
OA189: Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Today's Rapid Response Friday gives you a sneak preview of what to expect from the person we predict will become Donald Trump's next nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh of the United States…
01:10:32 |
Fri 06 Jul 2018
OA188: Three Cases About Voting Rights
Today's episode takes a look at three recent decisions from this Supreme Court and how each one will affect voting in the midterm elections: Husted v. Randolph Institute, Abbott v. Perez, and (surpr…
01:01:05 |
Tue 03 Jul 2018
OA187: Lowering the Lukumi Bar?
Today's Bonus Episode asks if there's a way to make sense of the Supreme Court's Lukumi jurisprudence in light of this week's rulings in Trump v. Hawaii (the Travel Ban), Masterpiece Cakeshop, and t…
01:04:33 |
Sat 30 Jun 2018
OA186: Anthony Kennedy & the Future of the Supreme Court
Today's Rapid Response Friday comes after a busy week at the Supreme Court, capped off by the (somewhat) surprising announcement that Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy intends to retire as of July 31…
01:02:56 |
Fri 29 Jun 2018
OA185: Gerrymandering & Other Good (?) News
Today's episode tries to put a positive spin on some recent developments, including the Supreme Court's gerrymandering decisions, the Department of Justice OIG report on the 2016 election, and the tr…
01:04:20 |
Tue 26 Jun 2018
OA184: Families at the Border
Today's Rapid Response Friday helps separate fact from fiction when it comes to the heartwrenching issue of families being separated at the border. Is the Trump administration to blame? Did the re…
01:16:05 |
Fri 22 Jun 2018
OA183: Dissenting on the Supreme Court
**Today's episode is brought to you by Framebridge! To custom frame your favorite things, go to framebridge.com promo code: OA** Today's episode takes a deep dive into two recent 8-1 decisions by the…
01:09:03 |
Tue 19 Jun 2018
OA182: Paul Manafort is Going to Prison
**Today's episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus! Go to thegreatcoursesplus.com/OA to start your free month!** Today's Rapid Response Friday spends a lot of time on Yodel Mountain, and i…
01:11:10 |
Fri 15 Jun 2018
OA181: Michael Avenatti is Never Going To Come On Our Show (#NotAllLawyers)
Today's episode takes a deep dive into allegations of attorney misconduct. We begin with following investigative reporting concerning the involuntary bankruptcy of the Eagan Avenatti firm, and disco…
01:17:25 |
Tue 12 Jun 2018
OA180: Masterpiece Cakeshop
Join us for an early Rapid Response Friday, in which we break down the Supreme Court's decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. To tackle a topic this big, we needed a l…
01:27:47 |
Thu 07 Jun 2018
OA179: Abortion and Plea Bargaining
Today's episode takes a deep dive into two developments concerning the right to an abortion in the U.S., followed by our continuing discussion on plea bargaining with listener comments from prosecuto…
01:02:57 |
Tue 05 Jun 2018
OA178: Trump and the NFL
Join us for yet another Rapid Response Friday, in which we continue to evaluate claims on the left challenging the legality of the NFL's policy regarding the national anthem, as well as discuss two i…
01:13:40 |
Fri 01 Jun 2018
OA177: Neil Gorsuch's Epic Decision & the NFL (feat. Chris Kristofco)
Today's episode takes a deep dive into the recent Supreme Court decision in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, a Gorsuch opinion that is exactly what we told you to expect back when he was nominated to the…
01:16:43 |
Tue 29 May 2018
OA 176: It's Summer (Zervos) Time!
It's time for another Rapid Response Friday, which means we get to break down whether Donald Trump has to respond to the Summer Zervos defamation lawsuit. (Hint: yes) We begin, however, with a pot…
01:17:42 |
Fri 25 May 2018
OA175: Defending a Client In the Shadow of the Death Penalty (& So Much More!)
Today's episode takes a deep dive into two important Supreme Court opinions decided last week: McCoy v. Louisiana, which prohibits attorneys from conceding their client's guilt over that client's ob…
01:09:21 |
Tue 22 May 2018
OA174: Is Michael Avenatti Fit To Practice Law In New York?
It's time for another Rapid Response Friday, which means we get to break down Michael Avenatti's response to the opposition to his motion to appear pro hac vice in the Southern District of New York -…
01:17:41 |
Fri 18 May 2018
OA173: The Foreign Policy Show - Korea, Iran, and... Ann Coulter?
Today's episode heads overseas to discuss foreign policy; specifically, the Trump administration's actions with respect to Iran and North and South Korea. Is there a common thread here? Listen and …
01:15:16 |
Tue 15 May 2018
OA172: Private Prisons, Judge Ellis & More
It's time for another SUPER-SIZED Rapid Response Friday, which means we get to break down Judge Ellis's statements in the Paul Manafort criminal trial (amongst many, many other issues)! We begin, how…
01:26:17 |
Fri 11 May 2018
OA171: Andrew Seidel Joins the Five-Timers Club
Today’s episode welcomes back one of our favorite guests — and the show’s only five-time guest, Andrew Seidel, attorney with the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Together, Andrew, Andrew, and Thomas…
01:05:57 |
Tue 08 May 2018
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