Shows / Advisory Opinions
Advisory Opinions
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
- Advisory Opinions
In Mourning for the DOJ | Interview: Chris Christie
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie joins Sarah Isgur and David French to discuss his explicit argument with the former FBI Director Robert Mueller, remember…
- Advisory Opinions
Mail-In Ballot Deadlines Challenged in Court
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss two Supreme Court oral arguments: one on Mississippi accepting ballots five days after Election Day, one on turning away…
- Advisory Opinions
You Can’t Preach Jesus Here | Interview: Judge Rebecca Taibleson
Judge Rebecca Taibleson of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals joins Sarah Isgur and David French for a conversation about her path to the federal bench. But…
- Advisory Opinions
Will Temporary Protected Status for Immigrants End?
Live at the University of Pennsylvania's Carey Law School, Sarah and David are joined by Third Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas to break down the Supreme Court's…
- Advisory Opinions
Judge Gets Vulgar in Transgender Spa Case
Sarah Isgur and David French dive into two Ninth Circuit opinions: one involving an anti-discrimination law in Washington, another related to a first-grade…
- Advisory Opinions
Supreme Court Justices Spar Publicly
David French and Sarah Isgur break down new polling showing historic lows in trust for the Supreme Court, debate whether a public disagreement between Justices…
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What Are the Liberties Not in the Constitution?
Welcome to the SCOTUSblog/Advisory Opinions Extended Universe, featuring hosts from "Amarica's Constitution" (Akhil Amar and Andy Lipka) and "Divided Argument"…
- Advisory Opinions
Can Marijuana Users Be Barred from Owning Guns?
Sarah Isgur and David French break down United States v. Hemani, a Second Amendment case involving an alleged user of a controlled substance in possession of a…
- Advisory Opinions
Trump Bypasses Congress on Iran
Sarah Isgur and David French debate whether President Donald Trump's military action against Iran requires congressional authorization, explore the…
- Advisory Opinions
The Immunity Episode
Sarah Isgur and David French dive deep into the world of immunities, examining recent Supreme Court decisions and their implications. They discuss State of the…
- Advisory Opinions
What’s Next After Friday’s Tariff Decision?
Sarah Isgur and David French record live at Florida State University and further examine the Supreme Court’s major tariff decision, examining Justice Kagan’s…
- Advisory Opinions
Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs
In this emergency episode, Sarah Isgur and David French break down the Supreme Court’s historic 6-3 decision striking down President Donald Trump’s tariff…
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Justice Alito’s Next Moves
Sarah Isgur and David French are in Dallas, Texas, at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law to discuss Justice Samuel Alito’s potential next…
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Naw Dawg to the DOJ
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss another set of Trump administration indictments rejected by a grand jury, the memo from Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the…
- Advisory Opinions
Will SCOTUS Show Its True Colors?
Hot takes from James Comey, the 5th Circuit weighs in on habeas corpus petitions, and does being a lawyer suck? Sarah Isgur and David French weigh in. Note…
- Advisory Opinions
Quasi-Hypotheticals
Sarah Isgur and David French investigate the case of Don Lemon and the church disruptors. Plus: Trump sues Trump and two circuit court split decisions. The…
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Blaming the Judiciary
Sarah Isgur and David French are hosted by the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and Social Sciences at Dartmouth to discuss the United States at 250 and…
- Advisory Opinions
What’s Next for TikTok
Sarah Isgur and David French explore the intricate legal landscape surrounding the TikTok deal and its compliance with the ban or sale law. Then, they delve…
- Advisory Opinions
Analyzing ICE Shootings
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the differences between the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and invite Orin Kerr, professor…
- Advisory Opinions
Is Lisa Cooked?
Sarah Isgur and David French break down Paul Clement’s “thousand duck-sized horses” argument before the Supreme Court in the Trump administration’s case over…
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Vampire Rules and The Satanic Temple
Sarah Isgur and David French explain the latest developments in Lisa Cook's case challenging her firing from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors and a…
- Advisory Opinions
Must and May
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss lengthy, consolidated Supreme Court arguments from Idaho and West Virginia over state laws banning transgender athletes…
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The Conservative Warren Court of Today
Harvard law professor Richard Re discusses the evolution of the Supreme Court from the Warren court to the present day, highlighting the historical context of…
- Advisory Opinions
Supremacy Clause Immunity, Explained
Sarah Isgur and David French return for a bonus episode on the Minneapolis ICE shooting and explain the concept of Supremacy Clause immunity. The Agenda…
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Prosecuting Foreign Leaders
David French and Sarah Isgur discuss the legal arguments underpinning the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and dive into a legal challenge to mandatory diversity and…
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The Legality of U.S. Operations in Venezuela
David French is joined by David Lat to explore the legality of the Trump administration's arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and President Trump's…
- Advisory Opinions
Merry Christmas to the State Courts
Sarah Isgur sits down for a live recording at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz, Texas Supreme Court…
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The Right-Wing Shake-Up
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the resignation of Josh Blackman, former senior editor of the Heritage Guide to the Constitution, and the the entire Meese…
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Political Distortions
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss striking jurors on race, Constitution deep cuts on the domestic violence clause and bill of attainder clause, and abortion…
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Burkeanism and the Administrative State
As an early Christmas present for David French, Sarah Isgur invites professors Will Baude and Julian Davis Mortenson on the podcast to answer all questions…
- Advisory Opinions
The Illusion of Campaign Finance Reform
Sarah Isgur and David French kick things off by revisiting the Slaughter case and responding to an insightful access-to-justice question from a listener. Then…
- Advisory Opinions
Slaughter at SCOTUS: Reaganite Ends by Roosevelt Means
Following the Supreme Court arguments in Slaughter v. United States, Sarah Isgur and David French join legal scholar Adam White to break down a session that…
- Advisory Opinions
All About Slaughter
Sarah Isgur and David French answer the masses’ demands in this pre-argument, foundational episode, diving into new levels of legal nerdery as they preview the…
- Advisory Opinions
‘Kill Everybody’
Sarah Isgur and David French break down Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s military orders on the suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean. The Agenda…
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The Future of the Administrative State | Interview: Adam White
Sarah Isgur invites Adam White, co-director of the Antonin Scalia Law School’s C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State, to identify the…
- Advisory Opinions
Case Against Comey Dismissed
Sarah Isgur and David French provide an update on the Texas redistricting case and criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York…
- Advisory Opinions
The Dissent Heard Around the World
Sarah Isgur and David French react to Judge Jerry Smith's unconventional dissent in the legal challenge against the Texas GOP redistricting effort. Also: James…
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Did Congress Stretch the Commerce Clause Too Far? | Interview: Jonathan Karl
What does a federal firearm prohibition and a hate crime have to do with the Commerce Clause? Sarah Isgur and David French look at the constitutionality of two…
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Everyone Needs to Stay in Their Lane
Sarah Isgur and David French do a deep dive into the nondelegation clause and the role of Congress in delegating authority. The Agenda: —CLE credit now…
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The Federalist Society Takes a Stand
Sarah Isgur and David French recap the Federalist Society's antisemitism panel at last week's National Lawyers Conference before interviewing Judge Jennifer…
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Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument in Trump’s Tariff Case
Following the Supreme Court oral arguments in President Donald Trump’s tariff case, Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump, Sarah Isgur is joined by David French…
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Trump’s Tariff Showdown
Sarah Isgur and David French preview the biggest Supreme Court case of the term, Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, which challenges President Donald Trump’s…
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All About Substantive Due Process
Sarah Isgur and David French walk listeners through the entire history of the Constitution, the Supreme Court, some of the biggest cases ... all prompted by…
- Advisory Opinions
Firing Squad vs. Suffocation
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the Eighth Amendment in light of a prisoner’s request to die by firing squad. But first, join us for a livestream analysis…
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Bad Man Smokes Weed Doctrine
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss a case before the Supreme Court that will consider whether pot smokers can legally own guns. The Agenda: —F*** monetary…
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Euphemisms, Political Speech, and the First Amendment
Sarah Isgur and David French kick off Free Speech Week at the University of Texas School of Law to talk about the confusion around Callais oral arguments…
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Vindictive Prosecutions
Sarah Isgur and David French dive deeper into Chiles v. Salazar, the case argued before the Supreme Court last week about banning conversion therapy for…
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The Future of Free Speech
Live from Vanderbilt University, Sarah Isgur and David French speak at the Global Free Speech Summit about the threats to the First Amendment across the…
- Advisory Opinions
Conversion Therapy and Free Speech
Editor’s Note: This episode was previously uploaded with the incorrect audio. We apologize for the error. Sarah Isgur and David French kick off the episode by…
- Advisory Opinions
SCOTUS Long Conference and 'Insecure Originalists'
Sarah Isgur and David Lat cover the Supreme Court's long conference and react to the sentencing of Justice Brett Kavanaugh's attempted assassin. The Agenda…
- Advisory Opinions
BONUS | Judge Patrick Bumatay Interviews Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined Judge Patrick Bumatay at SCOTUSblog's inaugural On the Merits summit at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg Center to discuss…
- Advisory Opinions
The Supreme Court’s Upcoming Term
Sarah Isgur and David French spend today’s episode reviewing nine cases the Supreme Court will decide during the upcoming term, from the intricacies of tariffs…
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Selective Prosecutions
Sarah Isgur and David French unpack the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. What does the case say about the grand jury process, the risks of…
- Advisory Opinions
Dorm Room Originalism
Sarah Isgur and David French break down the Supreme Court’s latest move: taking up a case before the lower courts have even finished with it. What does that…
- Advisory Opinions
The Fall of Affirmative Action | Interview: Justin Driver
Sarah Isgur and David French sit down with Justin Driver, the Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law at Yale Law School, to talk about his new book, The Fall of…
- Advisory Opinions
The Oldest Constitutional Question | Interview: Richard Primus
Sarah Isgur and David French invite Richard Primus, author of The Oldest Constitutional Question: Enumeration and Federal Power, to discuss his unorthodox…
- Advisory Opinions
Superhighways of Foreign Influence
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Sarah Isgur and David French explore the evolving battle over free speech and examine modern threats posed by…
- Advisory Opinions
Congress Won’t Contradict Trump
When the president orders a strike, who decides if it’s legal? Sarah Isgur and David French unpack the commander in chief’s powers after a hit on an alleged…
- Advisory Opinions
Listening to a Justice | Interview: Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett joins Sarah Isgur and David French from the Lawyer’s Room at the Supreme Court. They begin with a lightning round of…
- Advisory Opinions
Free Speech and ‘The Executive Power’ | FIRE Crossover
David French and Sarah Isgur speak with Nico Perrino to discuss the origin story of Advisory Opinions and the few free speech issues where they disagree with…