Advisory Opinions

Latest Episodes:

Defy the Gods Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss Messi flags and The Odyssey in 4D (not IMAX!) before diving into legal topics such as the politics at the Supreme Court, 3rd Circuit defamation and cancellation, and why the Hawaii Supreme Court is wrong.

The Agenda:

–Sarah’s kid gave her a bloody lip

–The politics of the court

–Samuel Alito, a MAGA-Friendly Justice?

–Stephen Miller is totally ignorant

–The passing of U.S. Senior District Judge John E. Steele

–FIRE's campus-deplatforming database

–Wang v. University of Pittsburgh (3rd Circuit)

–Arrogant opinions

–Why The Odyssey is small “c” conservative

Order Sarah’s book here.

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A Bucket Full of Trump Bait Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Elena Kagan’s testimony in front of Congress, an Alaska Airlines forum argument about religious issues, and President Donald Trump’s various legal battles—from the War Powers Resolution to sanctioned lawyers to law firm subpoenas.

The Agenda:

–Supreme Court Justices testify before Congress

–Canceling the Shadow Docket

–Alaska Airlines and its employee forum

–Recession of Wokeness

–Trump Bait: War powers, slush fund, and law firm deals collapsing

Show Notes:

–Trump notifies Congress of new war against Iran

Order Sarah’s book here.

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Plenty of Culture War Stuff Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Isgur and David French preview the next Supreme Court term, discuss a dissent from a cert denial on defamation, and consider a few think pieces on the court: Are any of the justices political? Finally, the circuit decision heard ‘round the world: Florida’s Stop WOKE Act, stopped by an 11th Circuit panel decision.

The Agenda:

–Every rose has its thorn

–Not-A-Ban on assault weapons coming next term

–Text vs. Precedent, field prevention, and climate change-related injuries

–A little boring Title IX is nice for change

–Back to Colorado’s anti-discrimination cases

–An easy parental rights case?

–A headline-generating case but a not-so-important legal case

–12-person juries and felonies

– Actual malice and Alan Dershowitz

–How Political Is This Supreme Court?

–STOP Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees

Show Notes

–October Term 2026

–Watch Zachary Shemtob’s interview with the National Legal Director of the ACLU, Cecillia Wang, from our term recap event.

Order Sarah’s book here.

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SCOTUS Vibe Check Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Live from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C., Sarah Isgur and David French review the OT25 term with Akhil Amar, professor of law and political science at Yale University, and David Lat, author of Original Jurisdiction. The four break down the most consequential cases of the past term—from the tariffs case to Humphrey’s Executor, birthright citizenship, and what it all means for President Trump’s relationship with the court.

The Agenda:

–Thank you to the ACLU for sponsoring our SCOTUSblog Summit at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center

–Getting deep into trucking Twitter

–How the culture war is shifting toward separation-of-powers fights

–Counting jelly beans and winning heifers

–The demise of Humphrey’s Executor in Slaughter

–Did Trump win or lose this term?

–What even makes a “big” case?

–Previewing OT26

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Complicating the Polarization Narrative Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Isgur and David French slow things down with an overview of the yearly Stat Pack released by SCOTUSblog, look at the dissents in the birthright citizenship case, and answer listeners’ questions about everything from the 14th Amendment being sex-blind to whether independent agencies could be recreated within the legislative branch.

The Agenda:

–Stat Pack: Findings

–Trump v. Barbara could have been a book

–Birthright citizenship dissents

–Is the 14th Amendment sex-blind?

–Get rid of rulemaking authority in the executive branch

–Choose only three justices

–Getting up close to the financial disclosures

Order Sarah’s book here.

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It’s the End of the Term Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

SCOTUS strikes down a Donald Trump executive order ending birthright citizenship, reshapes campaign finance law, and rules that states can exclude transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports teams. Sarah Isgur and David French discuss in a marathon end-of-term episode.

The Agenda”

–The pre-apology

–Trump v. Barbara

–Wow, we were wrong

–Et tu, Barrett? (No, not really)

–What is the purpose of the 14th Amendment?

–The hive mind has broken down

–National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission

–Transgender athlete cases

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Supreme Court Weighs In on Unitary Executive Theory Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Isgur and David French break down the latest Supreme Court opinions regarding unitary executive theory, mail-in voting, and the Fourth Amendment.

The Agenda:

—Unitary executive theory gets tested

—Dorm-room originalism

—Lisa Cook keeps her job

—Mail-in voting

—Text, history, and ...

—Geofence warrants

Show notes:

—Trump v. Slaughter

—Myers v. United States

—Humphrey's Executor v. United States

—Sarah Isgur on the executive branch for the NYT

—Trump v. Cook

—Watson v. Republican National Committee

—Chatrie v. United States

Order Sarah’s book here.

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Court Rules TPS Decisions Can’t Be Judicially Reviewed Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Isgur and David French react to the latest opinions of the court in two major immigration cases and a review of Hawaii’s restrictions on concealed-carry permits.

The Agenda:

—The SCOTUS opinion day “ritual”

—Hawaii gun restrictions

—Shall not be infringed

—Border dispute over asylum seekers

—Judicial review of TPS

—Trump's “Muslim” ban

Show notes:

—Destiny of the Republic

Advisory Opinions is a production of SCOTUSblog and The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. Click here to sign up for our new Advisory Opinions newsletter, and click here to access all of The Dispatch’s offerings, including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here.

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Enforcing International Law in U.S. Courts Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Isgur and David French explain the various legal complications of the Iran MOU and react to the most recent opinions handed down by the Supreme Court.

The Agenda:

—Waiving Iranian sanctions

—Suing state employees personally

—International law in U.S. courts

—Cuban confiscation case

—Seizing homes over unpaid taxes

—The rights of green card holders

Show notes:

—Jack Goldsmith at Executive Functions

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SCOTUS Rules on Illegal Drug Users Owning Firearms Jun 19, 2026

Show notes