Advisory Opinions
Channel Details
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.
Recent Episodes
622 episodes
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...
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...
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 posses...
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 co...
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 Sta...
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...
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 ta...
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...
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 Sutto...
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....
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...
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 2...
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...
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, pr...
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 ca...
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...
Must and May
Sarah Isgur and David French discuss lengthy, consolidated Supreme Court arguments from Idaho and West Virginia over state laws banning transgender at...
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 co...
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.
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 divers...
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...
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 Cou...
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 ent...
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...
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 ques...
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 listen...
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 sessio...
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 pr...
‘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 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 ide...
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 Yo...
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.
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 constitutionali...
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:—C...
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 Je...
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 F...
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...
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 promp...
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...
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 Age...