PODCAST · news
Advisory Opinions
by The Dispatch
Advisory Opinions is a legal podcast by The Dispatch. Hosts David French and Sarah Isgur meet twice a week to talk about the law, the courts, their collision with politics, and why it all matters.
Episodes
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The Secrecy in Courts Dilemma
Sarah Isgur and David French are joined by Vince Chhabria, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and Stanford professor Nora Engstrom to discuss the incredibly high number of motions granted to seal documents and the line between secrecy and protecting the...
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Is Spending Money Protected Speech?
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss what’s on the Supreme Court’s docket, debate whether anonymous speech is protected by the First Amendment, and undergo a grim historical review of the death penalty after the Pentagon’s announcement that an execution will be livestreamed. The Agenda: –Columbus...
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SUNCOR Gets Complicated
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the surprisingly complicated Suncor SCOTUS oral argument, Justice Samuel Alito and his AI usage, and circuit cases on child sex abuse material, vaccine exemptions, and racial harassment. The Agenda: –Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County...
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What Is Originalism? | Interview: Sherif Girgis
The new Supreme Court term has officially started, Sarah Isgur has returned from Down Under, and Sherif Girgis is taking a job at Harvard Law School. The vibes on today’s podcast are immaculate as Sarah and David discuss the long conference before Girgis joins them to discuss Justice Samuel…
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Not a MAGA Court
Elie Honig, CNN’s chief legal analyst, joins David French fresh off jury duty to discuss his piece for New York Magazine on how worried we should be about election challenges ahead of the midterms. The two also discuss the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on third-country removals, do some...
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Is Press Access a Constitutional Right?
David French talks to CNN’s chief legal analyst, Elie Honig, at a time when CNN is in the news following President Donald Trump’s ban of the cable network from the White House. Honig takes us through CNN’s lawsuit seeking to regain access and the First Amendment argument media outlets are making....
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Third Time’s the Charm?
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the Missouri redistricting case now that the 8th Circuit has weighed in. Let’s stipulate that everything is a mess. Then, the two go through a few listener mailbag questions, including controversial school murals, marijuana law, and court packing. The Agenda:...
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Are Marijuana Contracts Legal in Federal Court?
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the upcoming “long conference” that marks the unofficial start to the new Supreme Court term, a prosecutor being referred to the Department of Justice for obstruction of justice, and a review of several circuit-court cases, including breaches of contract…
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Looking Ahead to the Supreme Court Term
From the SCOTUSblog Summit, Sarah Isgur, David French, and Amy Howe discuss the cases scheduled thus far for the Supreme Court’s upcoming term. The three discuss the most consequential case for the Trump administration, David throws in a Star Wars reference (at the behest of Sarah!), and Amy...
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Barely Averting a Constitutional Crisis
Sarah Isgur and David French debate David’s latest New York Times column on the Missouri Supreme Court blocking a congressional map. Then, the two review two law articles: Andy Smarick of the Manhattan Institute’s elegantly simple piece on unenumerated rights, and University of Virginia law...
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Insular Cases | Interview: Chief Judge Jeff Sutton and Neil Weare
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss Supreme Court updates on two cases: preferred advertising rates for political committees and Missouri’s congressional districts. Then, Judge Jeff Sutton, chief judge of the 6th Circuit and No. 1 AO judicial crush, and Neil Weare, co-director of Right to...
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SCOTUS Majority Rules White House Ballroom Is A Go
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the 5-4 ballroom interim docket decision with Chief Justice John Roberts leading the dissenters, the New York Times with a piece on releasing the justice’s papers sooner rather than later, and a piece by Josh Morrow on AI in circuit decisions. And speaking of...
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Has the First Amendment Ever Been More Relevant?
Sarah Isgur and David French pick through a trail mix of topics for this week’s episode. The two discuss bracelet-wearing parents at a soccer game, student visas being revoked over bad speech, and classified information being printed. But they kick it off with a big “Sarah got it wrong.” The...
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How to Fix Congress | Interview: Rep. Jake Auchincloss
Sarah Isgur and David French invite real life Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts to discuss how to reform Congress, explain multi-member districting, and wtalk about hether the Supreme Court needs more justices. But first, forging Justice John Robert’s signature and fake arresting teenagers....
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Civility vs. Collegiality | Interview: Judges Tom Griffith and David Tatel
Sarah Isgur and David French invite former D.C. Circuit judges Tom Griffith and David Tatel to discuss relationships, judicial independence, and what it means to be a “former” judge. But first, bar complaints and the White House ballroom injunction. The Agenda: –The worst of the worst, District...
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Let’s Pretend We’re Justices | Interview: Chris Scalia
David French and Sarah Isgur steelman Justice John Paul Stevens and Justice Stephen Breyers’s dissents in the Heller case through a one-act play produced by ChatGPT. The two also invite Chris Scalia to play the majority opinion writer (and his late father) Justice Antonin Scalia. The Agenda: –One...
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Trump’s Ballroom Blitz
Sarah Isgur and David French return, but with a little bit of a switcheroo as David takes the host’s chair. They discuss President Donald Trump’s appeal to the Supreme Court on the construction of a White House ballroom, a religious liberty case about permits and prayer services, and a bit of...
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This Is Not A Vibes-Only Podcast
David Lat and Zachary Shemtob return as guest hosts and are joined by Adam Feldman, author of the blog Empirical SCOTUS and the Substack Legalytics, to discuss an update on birthright citizenship, some new polling about SCOTUS, and Luigi Mangione, who will soon be tried for the murder of...
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SCOTUS’s October Preview
David Lat takes over the host’s chair and is joined by Zachary Shemtob, executive editor of SCOTUSblog, and Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, to discuss Justice Samuel Alito’s retirement plans (not yet), President Donald Trump’s new executive order targeting birthright citizenship, and hot…
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Fauci Pleads the Fifth | Interview: Elie Honig
Sarah Isgur and David French are joined by CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig to discuss Anthony Fauci’s invocation of the Fifth Amendment. Is it okay? Is it not okay? How does this relate to the pardon power? Then it’s on to a constitutional game show where each member of this three-person team...
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The Island of Rationality and the First Amendment
Welcome to First Amendment-a-palooza, where headliners Sarah Isgur and David French play the classics like: “Are license plates government speech?” and “Three cheers for Citizens United,” as well as “Owning a copy of Mein Kampf means you’re an idiot, but it’s still private speech.” The Agenda:...
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Receipts on the Senate Filibuster | Interview: Mike “Frags” Fragoso
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the Trump administration’s appeal to the Supreme Court about its mail-in voting executive order. Then the two talk with Mike Fragoso, former chief counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and partner at Torridon Law, to discuss the food truck...
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Reviewing the Court’s Criminal Law | Interview: Rory Little and Orin Kerr
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss new data on questions that the Supreme Court justices are asking, dive into the definition of stipulation, and run through a few questionable subpoenas of reporters. All this before the crime-apalooza interview with University of California law professor Rory...
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Alaska v. a Charter Plane and a Six-Pack of Beer
Sarah Isgur and David French explain a case in which an Alaskan charter plane was seized over a six-pack of beer and discuss Title IX due-process rights on college campuses. Sarah and David are then joined by Harvard Law professor Richard Re to break down his column arguing that Chief Justice…
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Defy the Gods
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...
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A Bucket Full of Trump Bait
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...
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Plenty of Culture War Stuff
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...
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SCOTUS Vibe Check
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...
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Complicating the Polarization Narrative
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...
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It’s the End of the Term
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...
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Supreme Court Weighs In on Unitary Executive Theory
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 ...…
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Court Rules TPS Decisions Can’t Be Judicially Reviewed
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...
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Enforcing International Law in U.S. Courts
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...
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SCOTUS Rules on Illegal Drug Users Owning Firearms
Sarah Isgur and David French react to two new Supreme Court opinions on gun ownership while possessing illegal drugs and appeal waivers. The Agenda: —Drugs and the Second Amendment —Rewriting Bruen —Bad plea deals —Overcharging crimes —The Gorsuch-Kavanaugh dynamic —The DOJ and the Hyde Amendment...
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The Trump Administration's Internal Arguments Over Habeas Corpus
Sarah Isgur and David French break down the most recent cert grants out of the Supreme Court's order list and Trump's argument for suspending habeas corpus. The Agenda: —Paid petitions vs. In Forma Pauperis —Six-person juries in Florida —Can undocumented immigrants be held indefinitely? —New York...
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Can Transgender People Serve in the Military?
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the three SCOTUS decisions that dropped Thursday morning, a D.C. Circuit decision on President Donald Trump's ban on transgender military members, and accommodations running rampant at law schools. Oh, and a federal judge charged with battery and destruction…
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Counting Down the Supreme Court Term
Sarah Isgur and David French look at what’s left on the docket from this term before diving into a little Los Angeles mayoral politics. The Agenda: –Supreme Court bingo –Do Rastafarians get religious exemptions? –The mighty small-dollar donor – United States v. Hemani –Wolford v. Lopez…
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Getting Out of the Redistricting Business
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the Supreme Court’s Alabama redistricting decision, a plea deal from the former national security adviser, and the best legal movies ever made. The Agenda: –June 4 Opinions –Alabama’s new maps –John Bolton pleads guilty –Did the media actually get this…
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President Trump’s Losing Streak
Sarah Isgur and David French (he returns!) discuss the major Trump losses—Kennedy Center name change, motion on Trump v. IRS, and injunction on the slush fund—before reviewing scrutiny of the court and the swatting incident at Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s residence. The Agenda: –Sarah returns to…
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District Map Fights Before the 2026 Midterms
David Lat joins Sarah Isgur (see ya later, French) to discuss the three-judge panel overturning Alabama’s congressional maps, a new lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s slush fund, and a lying Judge. The Agenda: –No redistricting according to race –Nonsense lawsuits –Dragging courts into...
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SCOTUS Through the Decades | Interview: Nina Totenberg
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss an anticlimactic dig from the Supreme Court over IQ tests and the death penalty and challenges to the $1.8 billion slush fund President Donald Trump created on weaponization, and they talk with NPR's Nina Totenberg about covering the Supreme Court. The Agenda:...
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All the Things Wrong with Trump’s Billion-Dollar Fund
Sarah Isgur and David French analyze President Donald Trump’s $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund through the lens of three legal “buckets,” and talk about how federal appropriations work and the Obama-era case that hangs over this legal issue. The two also discuss the Supreme Court’s latest...
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Let’s Sue the Government
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the IRS lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump, SCOTUS’s mifepristone decision, and a unanimous verdict from the justices that no one except Sarah cares about. The Agenda: –The 1,776 slush fund –David’s ‘back in the day’ lawsuit against the Obama...
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SCOTUS Clears Way for Alabama to Use Congressional Map
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the emergency docket ruling from SCOTUS on Alabama’s congressional maps, which broke down over three-justice ideological lines, Virginia’s filing (yes, they did file) at the Supreme Court, and a very special 2-1 9th Circuit panel opinion. The Agenda: –Remember...
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The TED Talk Heard ‘Round the World
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the Virginia State Supreme Court striking down the state’s new congressional maps, Neal Katyal’s TED talk that we don’t want to talk about, and David plays a fun constitutional “Would You Rather” game. The Agenda:–Virginia’s gerrymandering map is unlawful–The...
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Congress Did Something!
Welcome to Callais-a-palooza, where Sarah Isgur and David French discuss Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court decision that struck down Lousiana's congressional map and allows Louisiana to draw a new map that will likely favor Republicans. The two read Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson's dissent,...
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Justice Alito Stays Ruling on Abortion Pill by Mail
Justice Samuel Alito allows medical companies to continue administering the abortion pill Mifepristone after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered for it to be dispensed only in person. Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the role of standing in judicial review and abortion access after…
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Gutting the Voting Rights Act | Interview: Judge Roy K. Altman
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the decision in a racially challenged redistricting map case, weird indictments, and whether Israel is guilty of genocide. The Agenda:–No one consulted the chief justice on flyovers–Reverse and Remand on First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v....
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Arguing In Front of SCOTUS | Interview: Lisa Blatt
The inimitable Lisa Blatt joins Sarah Isgur and David French to discuss the two business docket cases named Cox and Chevron, a message to the judges and justices who like concurrences, and advice for aspiring lawyers. The Agenda:–We are launching a newsletter!–The 5th Circuit’s Ten Commandment...
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Overturning Religious Precedent
Will the Supreme Court overturn religious precedent in the case of a Catholic preschool challenging its exclusion from a Colorado “universal preschool” program? Should the Supreme Court care about its own popularirty? And, is Ted Cruz a great option as for Supreme Court justice? Sarah Isgur and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Advisory Opinions is a legal podcast by The Dispatch. Hosts David French and Sarah Isgur meet twice a week to talk about the law, the courts, their collision with politics, and why it all matters.
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How many episodes does Advisory Opinions have?
Advisory Opinions currently has 681 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Advisory Opinions about?
Advisory Opinions is a legal podcast by The Dispatch. Hosts David French and Sarah Isgur meet twice a week to talk about the law, the courts, their collision with politics, and why it all matters.
How often does Advisory Opinions release new episodes?
Advisory Opinions releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 681 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
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Advisory Opinions is created and hosted by The Dispatch.
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