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
OA111: Andrew Seidel Returns!
Today's episode marks the triumphant return of attorney Andrew Seidel of the Freedom From Religion Foundation to the show! We begin with an "Andrew Was Wrong" segment in which patron Kristen Hansen d…
01:03:47 |
Tue 10 Oct 2017
OA110: Gun Control After Las Vegas & Two Trips To Yodel Mountain
Today's rapid-response episode begins with a discussion of the tragedy in Las Vegas and whether we can do anything about it. Before you dig in, you might want to take a refresher on our two-part mas…
01:13:30 |
Fri 06 Oct 2017
OA109: The GOP Tax Plan's Big Lie (& More!)
Today's show discusses: A) The Jones Act and Puerto Rico; B) The GOP's tax plan; and C) Oral arguments in the Zarda v. Altitude Express case we discussed back in Episode 91. Support us on Patreon …
01:01:00 |
Tue 03 Oct 2017
OA108: State-Sponsored Patriotism In the NFL & So Much More!
Today's episode hits on some timely news stories, including Trump's latest kerfuffle with the NFL. In the pre-show, we talk a little bit about the Graham-Cassidy Bill, which is hopefully defunct by t…
01:05:05 |
Fri 29 Sep 2017
OA107: Adnan Syed Obviously Did It (Also: You Can Learn About Patents!)
Today's super-sized show -- at long last! -- discusses season 1 of the Serial podcast. Even if you haven't heard Serial, we think you'll enjoy this application of the principles of reasonable doubt…
01:26:26 |
Tue 26 Sep 2017
OA 106: Elections Have Consequences! Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders & the DNC Lawsuit
In this episode, we discuss a number of political stories making the rounds. First, "Yodel Mountain" returns with a look at the recent CNN story showing that the FBI obtained a FISA court warrant for…
01:09:27 |
Fri 22 Sep 2017
OA105: More Gay Wedding Cakes
Today's show discusses everyone's favorite non-issue: whether bigots who bake cakes for a living can discriminate against gays. We begin with a lightning round of questions taken from the Opening Ar…
01:01:40 |
Tue 19 Sep 2017
OA104: Equifax, Class Actions, Sham Marriages & Redistricting!
Our jam-packed "breaking news" episode covers some of the biggest stories trending at the moment, including the Equifax breach. First, Closed Arguments returns by tackling a proposal from friend of t…
01:19:01 |
Fri 15 Sep 2017
OA103: We Defend Trump, Part 2!
Today's show discusses the Trump budget, scientist Kevin Folta's defamation lawsuit, and the recent debt ceiling deal struck between Trump and Democrats. In the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, th…
01:12:27 |
Tue 12 Sep 2017
OA102: The Utah Nurse, DACA, & Disaster Relief
This week's "breaking news" episode covers three of the biggest stories trending at the moment: the Utah nurse who was arrested for standing up for her patient's rights; Trump's repeal of DACA; and …
01:18:40 |
Fri 08 Sep 2017
OA101: DreamHost and Free Speech
Today's show discusses the free speech issues surrounding the Trump administration issuing a search warrant to DreamHost in connection with its hosting of a website critical of the Trump administrati…
01:05:21 |
Tue 05 Sep 2017
OA100: Trump's Trans Ban & Arpaio Pardon
This week's "breaking news" episode covers two of the biggest Trump stories right now: the ban on trans soldiers in the military, and the President's pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. First, though, we …
01:06:12 |
Fri 01 Sep 2017
OA99: Q&A Extravaganza!
Today's show is an hour-plus-long question & answer session answers some (but not all!) of the 110 questions our Patrons submitted on this thread. As always, Andrew has no advance knowledge of these…
01:12:29 |
Tue 29 Aug 2017
OA98: More Sovereign Citizen Madness!
If you or anyone you know has ever cared what color the fringe on the U.S. flag is, you will not want to miss this episode. Yes, by popular request, we once again tackle the wild and wacky world of …
00:54:04 |
Fri 25 Aug 2017
OA97: What Can Your Employer Fire You For?
Today's show deals with a number of issues that all surround what your employer can (and cannot) fire you for. First, we begin by revisiting the "Google manifesto" topic from Opening Arguments Episo…
01:01:01 |
Tue 22 Aug 2017
OA96: Understanding Charlottesville
Today's special episode devotes all three segments to the tragedy in Charlottesville, VA. First, the guys answer a question regarding the police declaration that the Unite the Right rally as an "unla…
01:16:57 |
Fri 18 Aug 2017
OA95: The Great SIO Crossover & We Defend Milo!
Today's show is a companion to Episode 67 of Serious Inquiries Only regarding the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. We begin, however, with a question about progressivity and fi…
01:14:33 |
Tue 15 Aug 2017
OA94: Geoff Blackwell, Trump's Anti-Trans Tweets & the Google Manifesto
In today's episode, we interview Geoffrey Blackwell from the American Atheists Legal Center. First, the guys break down the recent lawsuit filed by two LGBTQ advocacy organizations challenging Presid…
01:07:01 |
Fri 11 Aug 2017
OA93: Affirmative Action (& The Best Legal Brief Ever Written)
Today's show is a deep dive into the current Constitutional status of affirmative action in higher education. We begin, however, with a question about Donald Trump from conservative listener Sage Sco…
01:10:54 |
Tue 08 Aug 2017
OA92: The Unfortunate Application of Statutes of Limitation and Davino Watson
In today's episode, Andrew reluctantly -- but definitively -- opines that the Second Circuit got the law right in dismissing out the claims of Davino Watson, who argued that he was falsely imprisoned…
01:20:10 |
Fri 04 Aug 2017
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