Case in Point: The Legal Show on the Hottest Legal Cases in Politics and Culture

Latest Episodes:

Remembering Justice O'Connor Dec 08, 2023

Show notes

This week your hosts remember Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who passed away last week. Your hosts also discuss the first opinion of this term and the oral arguments from this week and last, which included challenges to administrative tribunals and to taxes on unrealized gains. GianCarlo then interviews Eleventh Circuit Judge Andrew Brasher. And finally, GianCarlo quizzes Zack with trivia about Justice O'Connor's life and career.

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

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Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

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The Dangers of Judicial Supremacy Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

With GC out, Jack Fitzhenry once again joins Zack to dive into what's happening at SCOTUS. They discuss the new cases the Court has agreed to hear, the Rahimi oral argument, and NCAA/sports-related SCOTUS trivia.

Zack then interviews Yonatan Green about the proposed reforms to Israel's judicial system and how those differ from the so-called reforms being proposed here in the United States.

You can read what Zack has written on the issue here: https://lawliberty.org/the-challenges-of-judicial-restraint/

And you can read Yonatan's paper here: https://fedsoc.org/fedsoc-review/the-peculiar-case-of-the-israeli-legal-system

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.

Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Joseph Story Lecture: Judge James Ho Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

GianCarlo is back, the Court is hearing arguments again, and free speech is on the docket. Your hosts discuss a newly granted case that will decide whether the Biden Administration's coordination with social media companies to censor what it labeled misinformation violates the First Amendment. They then unpack the oral arguments in two more free speech cases and a case that challenges civil asset forfeiture procedures. In lieu of an interview, your hosts replay the annual Joseph Story lecture, which Judge James Ho delivered last week. And finally, with an assist from artificial intelligence, GianCarlo tests how well Zack can identify Justices' writing styles.

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.

Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Money and Mootness at the Court Oct 13, 2023

Show notes

With GC on vacation, Jack Fitzhenry joins Zack to dive into what's happening at SCOTUS. They discuss the new cases the Court has agreed to hear, the oral arguments involving the CFPB's funding, whether an ADA tester's lawsuit is moot, and whether South Carolina legislators committed an unconstitutional gerrymander when drawing its latest Congressional map.

Zack then interviews Judge Miller Baker of the Court of International trade about his career and what's happening in the legal profession today.

Finally, Zack sees how well Jack can answer trivia about Jack's alma mater (University of Michigan) and SCOTUS.

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.

Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heritage's Annual Supreme Court Preview Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

Another term is here! Check out what to expect when Zack hosts veteran Supreme Court advocates Paul Clement and Lisa Blatt to discuss several of the biggest cases the Court will hear this term.

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.

Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Racial Preferences, Student Loans, and Free Speech Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

The end of the term has arrived, and all the biggest cases came with it. Your hosts explain the Harvard and UNC cases, the challenge to Biden's student loan bailout, 303 Creative, Groff v. Dejoy, and all the rest. There is no interview this week because of all the opinions, but no episode would be complete without trivia: it's surprising facts from the term's biggest opinions.

Here is a link to GianCarlo's article.

Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.

Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The People's Justice — Judge Thapar on Justice Thomas Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

It's the second-to-last week of the term, and the Court handed down its big immigration case, United States v. Texas, another case involving Indian tribes, and cases involving murder-for-hire, a fantastical Russian financial fraud, and a scam to trick people into immigrating illegally. Your hosts discuss those cases, and then GianCarlo interviews Sixth Circuit Judge Amul Thapar about his new book The People's Justice: Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him. Judge Thapar has some homework for listeners, so pay attention! Last up, Zack quizzes GianCarlo with trivia about unusual confirmations.

Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.

Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tribes and Textualism Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

This week the Court handed down five opinions, two of which involved questions related to Indian Tribes, including one of the term's major cases, Haaland v. Brackeen. The decisions are heavy on textual analysis, showing that Justice Kagan was right when she said "we're all textualists now." Your hosts discuss the opinions, and then Zack tests GianCarlo's knowledge of some lesser-known facts about the Supreme Court's history.

Further reading and listening:

Professor Natelson on the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Zack on Lac du Flambeau.

Cully Stimson and Paul Larkin on Smith.

Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.

Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SCOTUS in Wonderland Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

Zack is out this week, so Cully Stimson is filling in. Cully and GianCarlo discuss the four opinions of the week, which include the Jack Daniels parody case and the race-based challenge to Alabama's congressional district maps. GianCarlo then interviews William Trachman, general counsel of Mountain States Legal Foundation, and the two talk about his career focusing on his work on civil rights and public schools. Last up, Cully takes Zack's place in the trivia hot-seat to answer questions about the Court's frequent citations to Alice's adventures in Wonderland.

Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.

Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Judgment for Journalists Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

Four weeks to go in the term, and the Court handed down three opinions, which involved Medicare fraud, securities fraud, and labor union shenanigans. After your hosts discuss those opinions, Zack interviews veteran journalist James Rosen about his latest book Scalia: Rise to Greatness. James shares some of his best memories of the late Justice and shows what a debt he owed to his extraordinary wife, Maureen Scalia. After that, GianCarlo quizzes Zack with trivia about journalists at the Court.

Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes to scotus101@heritage.org.

Don't forget to leave a 5-star rating.

Stay caffeinated and opinionated with a SCOTUS 101 mug.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.