Shows / Minimum Competence
Minimum Competence
Minimum Competence is your daily companion for legal news, designed to bring you up to speed on the day’s major legal stories during your commute home. Each episode is short, clear, and informative—just enough to make you minimally competent on the key developments in law, policy, and regulation. Whether you’re a lawyer, law student, journalist, or just legal-curious, you’ll get a smart summary without the fluff. A full transcript of each episode is available via the companion newsletter at…
Episodes
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 4/30 - Musk vs. OpenAI Continues, Cisco's Torture Aiding Case, Trump's Ongoing Bid to End TPS
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Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/29 - Purdue Opioid Sentence, Comey Indicted over "86 47," Trump Fires Entire National Science Board
This Day in Legal History: Rodney King On April 29, 1992, a California jury acquitted four Los Angeles police officers charged in the beating of Rodney King, a…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 4/28 - TX Redistricting Implemented, Maduro Legal Fees Fight and IRS-Trump Tax Settlement Propriety
This Day in Legal History: Maryland Ratifies the Constitution On April 28, 1788, Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 4/27 - Cisco ATS Fight, Bayer Roundup Appeal, Musk vs. OpenAI and WHCD Shooter in Court
This Day in Legal History: Lincoln Suspends Habeas Corpus On April 27, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln authorized military officials to suspend the writ of…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 4/24 - Soldier Busted Betting on Polymarket re Maduro, Judge Salas and Privacy, and Spirit Airlines Government Ownership Stake?
This Day in Legal History: Nix v. Hedden On April 24, 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court received submissions in Nix v. Hedden, the famous case asking whether a…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 4/23 - AI Copyright Battles, Joint Employer Rule Proposal at DOL, and SCOTUS Fight over FCC Fines and Jury Trial Rights
This Day in Legal History: Sirhan Sirhan Sentenced On April 23, 1969, Sirhan Sirhan was formally sentenced to death for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/22 - Roblox Child Safety Settlement, 10 Commandments in TX Classrooms, Labor Secretary Resigns and Home Distilling Circuit Split
This Day in Legal History: Richard Nixon Dies On April 22, 1994, Richard Nixon died at the age of 81, marking the end of a presidency that left a lasting…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 4/21 - DC Circuit SEC Whistleblower Fight, Tesla Didn't Pay Much in Tax, Nexstar-Tegna Merger Blocked, and Taxing Prediction Markets
This Day in Legal History: John Adams Sworn in as VP On April 21, 1789, John Adams was sworn in as the first Vice President of the United States, becoming one…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 4/20 - SCOTUS Weighs SEC Disgorgement Limits, Airline Mergers, Trump's $10b IRS Cash Grab
This Day in Legal History: Columbine Shooting On April 20, 1999, a mass shooting at Columbine High School became one of the most consequential events in modern…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 4/17 - DOL Oversight, ABA DEI Rule Debate, and QVC Files for Bankruptcy
This Day in Legal History: Bay of Pigs April 17 has marked several important moments in legal history, particularly in the development of constitutional law…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 4/16 - Live Nation Monopoly, Solar Company Bankruptcy, and John Eastman Disbarred in CA
This Day in Legal History: Texas City Disaster On April 16, 1947, a catastrophic industrial disaster struck Texas City, Texas, when a ship loaded with ammonium…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/15 - NAACP Sues xAI, $773m Opioid Deal with Albertsons, Amazon's Push into Satellite Internet and a TX Law Student's Free Speech Fight
This Day in Legal History: McDonald’s Franchise Opening On this day in 1955, Ray Kroc opened his first franchise location for McDonald’s in Des Plaines…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 4/14 - Trump Taps Personal Attorney for 2nd Circuit, $70m Baby Formula Verdict Includes Punitive Damages and QOZs 2.0 Just as Broken
This Day in Legal History: Lincoln is Shot at Ford’s Theatre On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth, an act that…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 4/13 - ICE Crackdown on "Birth Tourism," Meta Youth Addiction Lawsuit in MA and Takes Down Ads Recruiting New Plaintiffs
This Day in Legal History: Colfax Massacre On April 13, 1873, one of the most violent and legally significant event of the Reconstruction era unfolded in…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 4/10 - Epic v. Google Ongoing, DOJ Probes NFL for Antitrust Broadcasting, Pentagon Press Freedom Ruling, Court Weighs Trump's 10% Global Tariffs
This Day in Legal History: Jackie Robinson Signs with Dodgers On April 10, 1947, Jackie Robinson signed his contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, marking a…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 4/9 - DLA Piper Fired Pregnant Attorney, Court Fight over RFK HHS Gutting, and John Deere's Right to Repair Settlement
This Day in Legal History: Civil Rights Act of 1866 On April 9, 1866, the United States Congress took a decisive step in shaping post-Civil War legal order by…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/8 - Trump DOJ Influence, Yale Loses Top Law School Spot, AI Startups Descend on Law Schools
This Day in Legal History: Seventeenth Amendment Ratified On April 8, 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution became part of the…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 4/7 - YouTube Creator Lawsuit Against Amazon, SCOTUS State Secrets Remand, and IRS Modernization Efforts Fall Short
This Day in Legal History: WHO Established On April 7, 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) was officially established when its constitution entered into…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 4/6 - Powell Subpoenas Blocked Again, Ruling Against Federal College Race-data Demands and WH Ballroom Fight Continues
This Day in Legal History: Civil Rights Act of 1968 On April 6, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into law, marking a major…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 4/3 - Bondi Ousted, DLA Piper Jury Trial for Pregnancy Bias and Judge Questions Trump's Goofy DC Arch Project
This Day in Legal History: Marshall Plan On April 3, 1948, the United States formally enacted the Marshall Plan signing, a landmark legal and economic…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 4/2 - SCOTUS Scrutinizes Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order While He Watches, ABA Lawsuit over Targeting Law Firms and Mangione Trial Delay Fight
This Day in Legal History: Coinage Act of 1792 On April 2, 1792, the United States took a major step toward economic independence with the passage of the…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/1 - Judge Halts WH Ballroom, SCOTUS Weighs Birthright Citizenship, Court Rejects IRS Church Endorsement Deal
This Day in Legal History: Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 On April 1, 2005, a major shift in the structure of the United Kingdom’s legal system began with…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/31 - DOL Wants Crypto in 401(k)s, FTC Privacy Settlement with OkCupid, and GA Gas Tax Holiday Disaster
This Day in Legal History: Dominion of Newfoundland Becomes 10th Province On March 31, 1949, the Dominion of Newfoundland officially entered Confederation…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/30 - Bank of America Settles with Epstein Victims, Law Firms Challenge Trump EOs, Elizabeth Holmes Sentence Reduced
This Day in Legal History: Ronald Reagan Assassination Attempt On March 30, 1981, Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt outside the Washington…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 3/27 - Anthropic Blacklisting Blocked, Musk Challenges Fraud Verdict over Zing, Wells Fargo ERISA Mortgage Suit Revived
This Day in Legal History: United States v. Cruikshank On March 27, 1876, the U.S. Supreme Court decided United States v. Cruikshank, a ruling that exposed the…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/26 - Meta and Google Liable for Addictive Design, SCOTUS Narrows ISP Piracy Liability, and Maduro's Narcoterrorism Case is Thin
This Day in Legal History: Camp David Accords On March 26, 1979, Egypt and Israel formally signed the Camp David Accords, marking a historic breakthrough in…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 3/25 - Baltimore Sues xAI over Deepfakes, Meta $375m Judgement for Teen Harm, Anthropic v. Pentagon and Law Firms Decline to Provide DEI Data
This Day in Legal History: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory On March 25, 1911, the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire unfolded in New York City, marking a…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/24 - SCOTUS Asylum Case, More Harvard Probes, NCAA vs. DraftKings and Fixing NY's Estate Tax
This Day in Legal History: Exxon Valdez On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, spilling…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/23 - Musk Securities Fraud, WH Push to Override State AI Regulations and SCOTUS Fight Over TN Mail-in Ballots
This Day in Legal History: ACA Signed into Law On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 3/20 - Court Blocks HHS Anti-trans Care Move, States Sue over Media Merger, VAT Outsourcing in the Netherlands and Rulemaking Dynamics Revealed
We’ve launched a new project: FRTracker.app. It’s a platform designed to help track what’s happening across the regulatory state—rulemakings, agency actions…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 3/19 - FCA Appeal in J&J Case, AI Copyright Fights, and an Asylum Case in Minnesota
This Day in Legal History: Poll Tax On March 19, 1962, Congress approved a constitutional amendment to abolish the poll tax in federal elections, a practice…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 3/18 - Musk's Fraud Trial, Anthropic Blacklist Fight, Lycra's Chapter 11 Filing
This Day in Legal History: Missouri v. Holland On March 18, 1922, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Missouri v. Holland, clarifying the…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/17 - Fed Courts Halt Vaccine Schedule Change, Fight Over WH Ballroom Continues, Breakdown of "SAVE America" Act, and CA Luxury Car Sales Tax Loopholes
This Day in Legal History: NAACP v. Alabama On March 17, 1958, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark decision in NAACP v. Alabama, a case…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/16 - "Made in America" and the FTC, Maduro Fight Over Defense Funding, Judge Blocks Jerome Powell Subpoenas and Who Will Repair the Courthouse?
This Day in Legal History: Mississippi Ratifies 13th Amendment On March 16, 1995, Mississippi took an unusual step in American constitutional history by…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 3/13 - Judge Newman Appeals to SCOTUS, CFTC Rules for Prediction Markets, Fed Challenge to CA EV Mandates and Tariff Refunds Updates
This Day in Legal History: Butler Act On March 13, 1925, the Tennessee General Assembly approved the Butler Act, a statute that made it unlawful for public…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 3/12 - Live Nation Antitrust Trial Stalled, ExxonMobil Explores Move to TX, and Sony Sued in UK over Playstation Store
This Day in Legal History: SCOTUS Impeachment On March 12, 1804, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase. Chase…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 3/11 - Federal Judiciary Software Upgrade, Bayer Pushes State Limits on Roundup Lawsuits, Judge Weighs Deal to End Turkish Bank Sanctions Case
This Day in Legal History: Confederate States Constitution On March 11, 1861, delegates of the newly formed Confederate States adopted the Constitution of the…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/10 - Live Nation Settlement, FCPA Bribery Statute Extension, Court Blocks Ending of TPS for Haitians and Renewable Energy Policy in 2025 vs. 2027
This Day in Legal History: Blue Sky Laws On March 10, 1911, Kansas enacted the first “blue sky law” in the United States, marking a significant development in…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/9 - Anna's Archive Sued, CA Climate Disclosure Laws Up in the Air, Social Media Addiction Trial and $166b in Tariff Refunds
This Day in Legal History: The Amistad On March 9, 1841, the U.S. Supreme Court decided United States v. The Amistad, ruling that a group of Africans who had…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 3/4 - ChatGPT, Esq., 24 States Challenge New Tariffs, Refunding $175b and Refugee Bans Upheld
This Day in Legal History: FDR Declares Bank Holiday On March 6, 1933, just two days after taking office, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a nationwide…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 3/5 - SCOTUS Allows NJ Transit Injury Suits, State Crackdowns on Algorithmic Pricing, Federal Workforce Down 12% Since 2024
This Day in Legal History: Boston Massacre On March 5, 1770, a confrontation between British soldiers and American colonists in Boston turned deadly in what…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 3/4 - Epstein Testimony Request for Gates, DOJ Reversal in EO Law Firm Litigation, Abbott's Premature Infant Formula Trial and CA's SALT Workaround
This Day in Legal History: Lincoln’s Second Inaugural On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln delivered his Second Inaugural Address as he began his second term as…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/3 - SCOTUS Weighing Gun Bans on Marijuana Users, SEC Proxy Rule, Rejected Appeal Over AI-Created Art
This Day in Legal History: Tenth Circuit Act On March 3, 1863, Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1863, quietly reshaping the structure of the United States…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/2 - Anthropic Banned by DoD, OpenAI $110b Funding Round, CA Social Media Media Issues and SCOTUSBlog Goldstein Fraud Conviction Details
This Day in Legal History: Jones Act On March 2, 1920, Congress passed the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, better known as the Jones Act. Enacted in the aftermath…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 2/27 - Bill Clinton to Testify Regarding Epstein, Trump WH Ballroom Ruling, Kalshi Legal Battles and Netflix Bows Out in Warner Bros Deal
This Day in Legal History: Reichstag Fire Decree On February 27, 1933, the German parliament building, the Reichstag, was set ablaze in Berlin, an event that…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 2/26 - DOJ Sues Over Antisemitism at UCLA, States Push for Review of Netflix Warner Acquisition, Spain Probes Apple and Amazon
This Day in Legal History: Grand Teton National Park On February 26, 1929, Congress officially established Grand Teton National Park, preserving one of the…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 2/25 - SEC Enforcement Manual Revamp, Paramount Bid for WMD, Judge Blocks Search of WaPo Reporter Device, Updates on Social Media Suit in CA
This Day in Legal History: Hiram Rhodes Revels On February 25, 1870, Hiram Rhodes Revels was sworn in as the first African American to serve in the United…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 2/24 - Aileen Cannon Won't Release Trump Docs, Two Appeals CJs Step Down, Land Port Tax Plan as Tariff Replacement
This Day in Legal History: Marbury v. Madison On February 24, 1803, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Marbury v. Madison, a case that permanently reshaped…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 2/23 - SCOTUS Helms-Burton and Cuba, IEEPA Tariffs, JPMorgan's Closing of Trump's Accounts and Tesla Held to $243m Verdict
This Day in Legal History: Order 9066 On this day in legal history, enforcement of Executive Order 9066 began in earnest following its signing by Franklin D…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 2/20 - Musk Jury Full of Haters, $35m Epstein Settlement, Mercury Returns to Air, Pepsi Blocks Pricing Class Action and RIP Tariffs, for now
This Day in Legal History: Jacobson v. Massachusetts On this day in legal history, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), a…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 2/19 - Climate Policy Rollback Lawsuit, Zuckerberg in Court, Uber Winning Sanctions
This Day in Legal History: Edison Receives Patent on Phonograph On February 19, 1878, Thomas Edison received a patent for one of his most transformative…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Wed 2/18 - Roundup $7.25b Settlement Plan, Valve Patent Troll Verdict, New Law School Federal Loan Caps and SCOTUS Conflict-Checking Software
This Day in Legal History: Aaron Burr Arrested (But Not For That) On February 18, 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested in the Mississippi…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 2/17 - NFL Failed Arbitration Attempt, Social Media Addiction Suit, IRS Hostage Tax Relief for ICE Victims and Mass. Software Tax Rule Has Issues
This Day in Legal History: Wesberry v. Sanders On February 17, 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Wesberry v. Sanders, one of the most consequential voting…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 2/16 - Fed Circuit Revives Google Patent Fight, MLB Pitchers Used Code for Pitch-Fixing, and a DE Dog Custody Auction
This Day in Legal History: Powell v. Alabama On February 16, 1932, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Powell v. Alabama, a case that would…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 2/13 - Goldman Chief Lawyer Resigns, Judge Rebukes ICE On Access to Counsel, Trump Court Picks and Don Lemon's Plea
This Day in Legal History: Bruno Hauptmann Convicted On February 13, 1935, a New Jersey jury convicted Bruno Hauptmann of kidnapping and murdering the infant…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 2/12 - SCOTUSBlog Goldstein Takes Stand in Tax Trial, Bondi Grilled Over Epstein File Redactions and the LSAT Goes In-person Only
This Day in Legal History: NAACP Founded On February 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in New York…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 2/11 - Trump's EPA Rollback Backfires, Bondi's Epstein File Testimony, Instagram UI on Trial and Novo's Patent Fight with Hims/Hers
This Day in Legal History: Nelson Mandela Released On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison in South Africa after 27 years…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 2/10 - More Horrors from ICE Detention Centers, Trump's Push to Limit Federal Worker Rights and US States vs. India on Data Centers
This Day in Legal History: 25th Amendment On February 10, 1967, the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, formally addressing…
Minimum CompetenceLegal New for Mon 2/9 - Big Tech on Trial for Addictive Design, Trump's NY/NJ Tunnel Fund Fight, Immigration Detention Without Bond Upheld and Law Firms Battle Executive Orders
This Day in Legal History: Opium is Prohibited in the US On February 9, 1909, the United States took its first significant federal step toward regulating…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 2/6 - Trump Draws from Military for Immigration Judges, Karp Connected to Epstein, Uber $8.5m Verdict and Whistleblower Fight over Opioid Funds
This Day in Legal History: 20th Amendment On February 6, 1933, the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution officially went into effect, reshaping the timeline…