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 Tues 5/13 - Trump Ousts Copyright Office Chief After AI Report Critical of Musk Position, Texas Hands $1b to Private Schools and Starves Public Ones, Trump Undercuts Tax Compliance
This Day in Legal History: Brady v. Maryland On May 13, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Brady v. Maryland, fundamentally reshaping…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 5/12 - Trump's Agency Cuts Frozen, Tufts Student Released, Mayor Arrested at ICE Detention Center and Drug Pricing in Vogue
This Day in Legal History: Harry Blackmun Confirmed to SCOTUS On May 12, 1970, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Judge Harry A. Blackmun to the Supreme…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 5/9 - RIP Souter, Trump's Fox-Fueled DOJ Reshuffle, Detained Tufts Student Hearing
This Day in Legal History: House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Hearings on Nixon On May 9, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee officially opened its…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 5/7 - Jenner and Block Battles, EPA Renews Superfund Push, Jeh Johnson Leaves Paul Weiss
This Day in Legal History: Petition of Right On May 8, 1628, the English Parliament formally presented the Petition of Right to King Charles I, marking a key…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 5/7 - Trump's EO Sunk By His Own Social Media Statements, Cost of Pardon: $1m, Samsung Audio Acquisition and Court Halting Agency Layoffs under APA
This Day in Legal History: Salmon P. Chase Dies On May 7, 1873, Salmon P. Chase—former Chief Justice of the United States and one of the most prominent legal…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 5/6 - Apple Faces Developer Lawsuit over App Store, WA Passes Right to Repair Law, and the Folly of a Millionaire Tax Bracket
This Day in Legal History: Civil Rights Act of 1960 On May 6, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960 into law, marking a…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 5/5 - Q1 Legal Services Quasi-Boom, CA Bar Exam Meltdown, Trump's Deep State Solicitor Bench
This Day in Legal History: John T. Scopes Arrested On May 5, 1925, John T. Scopes, a 24-year-old high school science teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was arrested…
Minimum CompetenceLegal news for Fri 5/2 - Justice Jackson Speaks Truth, Trump Appoints First Judge, Google Fighting to Preserve Advertising Dominance
This Day in Legal History: Louisiana Adopts State Constitution, McCarthy Dies, and Birmingham Campaign On May 2, 1939, Louisiana adopted its current state…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 5/1 - Apple Faces Contempt, Palestinian Student Free Speech Win, Meta's AI Training Fair Use Fight and SCOTUS Poised to Allow Religious Charter Schools
This Day in Legal History: “Law Day” is Born On this day in 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a proclamation that did more than just slap a new label…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/30 - SCOTUS Looks at OK Catholic Charter School, Google's Antitrust Fight Continues, Trump EO on Pro Bono Defense for Cops and his Continued Tariff Delusions
This Day in Legal History: Louisiana Purchase On this day in legal history, April 30, 1803, the United States signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty with France…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 4/29 - Jenner & Block Fight Against Trump EO, Trump Admin Moves Against Sanctuary Cities/States, Tax Change Could Put Atlanta Braves $19m in Hole
This Day in Legal History: Los Angeles Riots On April 29, 1992, the Los Angeles riots erupted following the acquittal of four LAPD officers charged with…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 4/28 - DOJ Civil Rights Retreat, Major Immigration Raid in Colorado, SCOTUS Action in Key Obamacare Preventative Care Coverage Case
This Day in Legal History: Mutiny on the Bounty On April 28, 1789, one of the most famous acts of rebellion at sea occurred aboard the HMS Bounty. Captain…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 4/25 - Big Tech Draws Bipartisan Fire, ABA Sues DOJ over Grants, Trump's Lawyer Can't Defend Executive Orders in Court and SALT Deduction Defensibility
This Day in Legal History: United States v. Carolene Products Co. Decided On April 25, 1938, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 4/24 - CFPB Retreats from PayPal Battle, Trump Sues Perkins Coie, Big Law Firms Fight Executive Orders and CA Bar Exam Fallout
This Day in Legal History: Easter Rising On April 24, 1916, the Easter Rising erupted in Dublin as Irish republicans launched a bold and ultimately tragic…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/23 - Superman Rights Fight, Judges Block Venezuelan Deportations, EU Fines for Apple and Meta under DMA
This Day in Legal History: Sirhan Sirhan Sentenced to Death On April 23, 1969, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was formally sentenced to death for the assassination of…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 4/22 - Google Landmark Antitrust Trial, SCOTUS Refuses to Revive Minnesota Minor Handgun Restriction and Keep DOGE out of the IRS
This Day in Legal History: Army-McCarthy Hearings Begin On April 22, 1954, the Army-McCarthy hearings began in Washington, D.C., marking a pivotal moment in…
Minimum CompetenceLegal news for Mon 4/21 - Judge Slams Federal Worker Mass Firing, Obamacare Challenge at SCOTUS, Deportation Halts, and a Passport Policy Violating Trans Rights
This Day in Legal History: Maryland Toleration Act Passed On April 21, 1649, the Maryland Assembly passed the Maryland Toleration Act, a landmark piece of…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 4/18 - Trump's Deportation Appeal Loss, SCOTUS Birthright Citizenship Showdown, Judge Ho Condemns District Court Overreach
This Day in Legal History: Plaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc. On April 18, 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its opinion in Plaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thursday 4/17 - Google UK Lawsuit, AP v. Trump WH Press Fight, CA Rejects Musk's OpenAI Lawsuit Request
This Day in Legal History: Lochner On April 17, 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Lochner v. New York, a landmark case in American constitutional law that…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/16 - DOJ Sues Maine Over Transgender Athlete Policy, Schumer Seeks to Block Prosecutor Pick, IRSS Threats to Harvard, and Student NIL Income Tax Exemption
This Day in Legal History: Rush-Bagot Treaty On April 16, 1818, the United States Senate ratified the Rush-Bagot Treaty, a landmark agreement with Great…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 4/15 - Wrongful Deportation, Biosimilar Antitrust Lawsuit vs. Amgen, Federal Probe into DGE Changes at SEC
This Day in Legal History: President Lincoln Dies On this day in legal history, April 15, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln died from a gunshot wound inflicted…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 4/14 - Meta Monopoly Trial, Trump Claims Gang Affiliations But Not in Court, Harvard Profs Sue over $9b in Federal Funding
This Day in Legal History: First American Anti-Slavery Society Organized On April 14, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first American society dedicated…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 4/11 - DGE Cancer Metastasizes to FDIC, Trump Leans on More Big Law Firms, Key Deportation Ruling and Rollback of IRS Crypto Rules on DeFi
This Day in Legal History: Fair Housing Act On this day in legal history, April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 4/10 - Bristol Myers Beats Monopoly Suit, Trump Freezes More University Funds, Executive Order Targets State Climate Change Laws
This Day in Legal History: Patent Act of 1790 On April 10, 1790, the United States passed its first patent law, the Patent Act of 1790, laying the groundwork…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/9 - Big Law's Pro Bono Promise Comes Due, Backlash from Ex-GCs, Khalil's Deportation Fight, Judge Lifts AP Press Ban
This Day in Legal History: Senate Approves Alaska Purchase On April 9, 1867, the United States Senate voted to ratify the Treaty with Russia for the Purchase…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 4/8 - TX Questions Healthiness of Kellogg Cereal, Trump Appeals to SCOTUS re: Illegal Deportation, and Labor Board Firings Blocked
This Day in Legal History: Seventeenth Amendment On April 8, 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was officially ratified…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 4/7 - Kirkland Bids to Join Coward Ranks, 500+ Firms Back Perkins Code, DOJ Lawyer Sidelined for Telling Truth About Illegal Deportation
This Day in Legal History: Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service On April 7, 1933, the German government enacted the Law for the…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 4/4 - GOP States Target Law Firm DEI Practices, Proposed Millionaire Tax Hike and Law Professors Behind Perkins Coie
This Day in Legal History: MLK Assassinated On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while standing on the balcony of…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 4/3 - SCOTUS Backs FDA on Vapes, Musk to Exit DGE, Milbank Joins the Shameful and Trump Announces "Reciprocal" Tariffs That Aren't
This Day in Legal History: Smith v. Allwright On April 3, 1944, the United States Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision in Smith v. Allwright, reshaping…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 4/2 - Willkie Farr Folds, Adams Case Dismissed, SCOTUS and Planned Parenthood, Mass Federal Firings Blocked and Trump Tariff Stupidity Incoming at 4pm
This Day in Legal History: MA Enacts Anti-Vietnam War Legislation On April 2, 1970, Massachusetts enacted a bold piece of legislation challenging the U.S…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 4/1 - SCOTUS Hears Religious Exemptions in WI, Amazon and Nokia Settle Patent Issue, Union Sues Trump Over Fed Worker Rights and a Helicopter Tax in NY
This Day in Legal History: Federal Minimum Wage Increase On this day in legal history, April 1, 1991, the federal minimum wage in the United States increased…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/31 - SCOTUS Catholic Charities Tax Case, Trump Law Firm Orders Blocked, Independent Agency Officials Not Reinstated, Apple Fined Over APP
This Day in Legal History: Civilian Conservation Corps Created by FDR On this day in legal history, March 31, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 3/28 - Republicans Gut Overdraft Fee Caps, Trump Whines About WilmerHale, Attacks DEI Grants and a Judge Orders Yemen War Chat Logs Preserved
This Day in Legal History: Wong Kim Ark becomes Wong Kim Ark On March 28, 1898, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in United States v. Wong Kim…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 3/27 - BNPL Rule Walk Back, Trump Fails to Disqualify Judge Howell, Mass Federal Worker Reinstatement, and Italy's Social Media VAT Tax
This Day in Legal History: President Johnson Vetoes Civil Rights Act of 1866 On March 27, 1866, President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 3/26 - Trump Targets Jenner & Block, SCOTUS Eyes FCC USF Fund, Musk-backed PACs Spend Big in WI, Exit Gas Taxes, Enter kWh Taxes
This Day in Legal History: Sandra Birth-Day O’Connor On this day in legal history, March 26, 1930, Sandra Day O’Connor was born in El Paso, Texas. Raised on a…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/25 - SCOTUS LA Redistricting Case, Judge Slams Trump's Deportations, DOJ Targets Law Firms Mean to Trump, State Corporate Tax Sharing Agreements
This Day in Legal History: Scottsboro Boys Arrested On this day in legal history, March 25, 1931, nine Black teenagers were arrested in Paint Rock, Alabama…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/24 - Paul Weiss Trump Deal Fallout and "Explanation," 23andMe BK Filing, Judge Rebukes Trump Lawyers and Novel Clearview AI Privacy Settlement
This Day in Legal History: Last Quaker Executed for Religious Beliefs in US On March 24, 1661, William Leddra was executed in Boston, becoming the last Quaker…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 3/21 - Paul Weiss Cowardice, Helicopters Taxed in NYC, Musk's Data Grab Blocked and Another Appellate Bench Vacancy
This Day in Legal History: Selma to Montgomery March On March 21, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. led the beginning of the third and final Selma to Montgomery…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 3/20 - Federal Agency Workers in Limbo, Disney Investor Vote on DEI Policies, Judge Warning over Trump Deportations and Musk's Legal Battle Over Government Records
This Day in Legal History: LBJ Federalizes Alabama National Guard On March 20, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson took a decisive step in the fight for civil…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 3/19 - Judge Swats Down Musk's USAID Cuts, Trump's Push to Deport Student Protester, John Roberts Meekly Asks Trump to be Nicer, and Grocery Tax Elimination
This Day in Legal History: Nevada Re-Legalizes Gambling On March 19, 1931, Nevada Governor Fred B. Balzar signed a bill legalizing gambling, a decision that…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/18 - Ninth Circuit Vacancy, Judge Questions Venezuelan Deportations, Doctor Deported Over Alleged Hezbollah Connection
This Day in Legal History: Gideon v. Wainwright On March 18, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, fundamentally…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/17 - CFPB Reinstates, Trump Targets More Law Firms and Defies Court Orders, WH's Role in TikTok Sale and Trump Admin Plan to Starve Social Security and Medicare
This Day in Legal History: National Referendum on Apartheid On March 17, 1992, South Africa took a decisive step toward dismantling apartheid through a…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 3/14 - Trump Loses More Federal Job Cut Cases, Columbia Disciplines Pro-Palestinian Protesters and Newsmax Paid $40m to Settle 2020 Election Defamation
This Day in Legal History: Jack Ruby Convicted On March 14, 1964, Jack Ruby was convicted of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thursday 3/13 - French Publishers Sue Meta, Trump Administration Seizes $20b in Climate Funds, Mass Layoffs at Department of Education
This Day in Legal History: Butler Act Passes in Tennessee On March 13, 1925, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Butler Act, a law prohibiting public…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 3/12 - OSC Dellinger Fired, Columbia Student's Legal Fight Against Deportation, Judge's Recusal Battle in Antitrust Case and NJ Investor Tax Credit Policy Tweaks
This Day in Legal History: Warsaw Pact States Join NATO On March 12, 1999, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland became the first former Warsaw Pact…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/11 - James Ho Speaks to Federalist Society, Quits FJA Over Politicization, SCOTUS Takes Case on CO Conversion Therapy Ban and Elite Colleges Fight Higher Taxes on Endowments
This Day in Legal History: Lend-Lease Act On March 11, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Act into law, fundamentally reshaping U.S…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/10 - Syed Sentence Reduction, Trump DOJ Shake-up, Arrest of Palestinian Student Protester
This Day in Legal History: James Earl Ray Sentenced On March 10, 1969, James Earl Ray was sentenced to 99 years in prison for the assassination of Dr. Martin…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 3/7 - Trump Issues More Petulant EOs, Loses in NLRB Firing, Gets Sued Over Federal Job Cuts, and Plans to Cut Diplomatic Missions
This Day in Legal History: Bloody Sunday On March 7, 1965, a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement unfolded in Selma, Alabama. A group of 525 peaceful…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 3/6 - SCOTUS Blocks Trump's Foreign Aid Freeze, Hospitals Suing Blue Cross, TX Fights Against Nuclear Waste Storage
This Day in Legal History: Dred Scott Decided On March 6, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its infamous ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford, a decision that…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 3/5 - Trump Lies in Primetime, Cantor Fitzgerald Owes Taxes, Rising Threats Against Judges and Senate to Scrutinize EPA Nominees ... Maybe
This Day in Legal History: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty On March 5, 1970, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) officially took effect, marking a…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 3/4 - Lawsuit Challenges Trump's Discriminatory Attacks on Haitians and Venezuelans, SEC Drops Case Against Kraken, Mobile Worker Tax Hellscape
This Day in Legal History: Abraham Lincoln Inaugurated On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th president of the United States, taking…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 3/3 - Judge Blocks Trumps' Anti-Trans Restrictions, Ruling Against Trump and His Watchdog Firing and an ACLU Lawsuit Over Migrant Transfers to Cuba
This Day in Legal History: Belva Lockwood Admitted to SCOTUS On March 3, 1879, Belva Lockwood shattered a major legal barrier by becoming the first woman…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 2/28 - KPMG Law Firm, CFPB Drops Cases Against Financial Firms, Judge Orders DGE Testimony and Ruling Blocks Federal Job Cuts
This Day in Legal History: Reichstag Fire Decree On February 28, 1933, German President Paul von Hindenburg issued the Reichstag Fire Decree, formally known as…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Thurs 2/26 - Lawsuits Over Musk's Role in DGE, SCOTUS Case on Reverse Discrimination, Legal Risks of Designating Cartels Terrorists and Trump Targets DSTs
This Day in Legal History: 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution On February 27, 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, formally…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 2/26 - Trump Targets Covington & Burling, SCOTUS New Trial for Glossip, Judge Blocks Trump's Funding Freeze and WA Data Broker Severance Tax
This Day in Legal History: Woodrow Wilson Signs Grand Canyon National Park Act On February 26, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Grand Canyon National…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Tues 2/25 - Judge Blocks Musk's DGE, Trump to Appoint Sycophant Patel to ATF and ARPA Funding Community Broadband
This Day in Legal History: Lincoln Signs Legal Tender Act On February 25, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Legal Tender Act into law, allowing the…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Mon 2/24 - AP Fights to Regain WH Access, SEC Closes Robinhood Investigation, and Judiciary Warns Employees not to Reply to Elon
This Day in Legal History: Marbury vs. Madison Decided On February 24, 1803, the U.S. Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, issued its landmark…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Fri 2/21 - Trump Defies Funding Orders, Pushes for Control Over Agencies, IRS Layoffs Botched by IT Glitch and Delays in Corporate Transparency Act
This Day in Legal History: John Mitchell Sentenced On February 21, 1975, former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell was sentenced to prison for his role in the…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 2/19 - Trump's Justice Department Picks, Mastercard's Disputed UK Settlement, Judge's Scrutiny of the Request to Drop Mayor Adams Corruption Charges
This Day in Legal History: United States v. Peters Decided On February 20, 1809, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in United States v. Peters, a case…
Minimum CompetenceLegal News for Weds 2/19 - DGE's Bogus $55b Math, Top DOJ Ethics Official Resigns, Trump Admin Moves to Drop Eric Adams' Case and Nikola Bankrupt
This Day in Legal History: Executive Order 9066 On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced…