Opening Arguments

OA1299 - This week on Rapid Response Friday: what crimes might Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) have been complicit in, and why won't she ever be prosecuted for any of them? We go deeper into the law behind the facts exposed in ProPublica's outstanding investigation into her SuperPAC's coordination of illegal campaign contributions from a naval defense contractor.
We then take a closer look at another damning investigation, this time of the Florida state-run immigration facility formerly known as "Alligator Alcatraz" from a surprising source: the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General. We already knew this place was an illegal black site polluting a delicate Everglades ecosystem on tribal lands, but this report documents something much worse. If a Trump loyalist is willing to put some of this stuff into writing how much worse must the truth be?
Finally, in this week's footnote: yet another dismal milestone for AI in the law as a New Mexico attorney is forced to defend an appellate brief in which ChatGPT made up the law and the facts.
Cases and sources discussed:
“The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way,” William Turton, Avi Asher-Schapiro, Molly Redden, and Kristen Berg, ProPublica (9/22/2026)
Indictment in U.S. v. Kao et al (2/10/2022)
“Unannounced Inspection of ICE’s Florida Soft-Sided Facility (“Alligator Alcatraz”) in Ochopee, Florida,” Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (9/11/2026)
In Re Stephen Aarons, New Mexico Supreme Court #S-1-SC-40845
Show Cause Hearing: State v. Sandoval, S-1-SC-40845 (8/21/2026)
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Coyote vs. Acme is such a fun movie. Thomas and Lydia saw it with the kids, Matt tried to borrow some kids to see it with, and has some fun legal observations for us.
BUT! Before that, it's a special series premiere of ACCOUNTING'ed AWFUL MOVIES! Because there is some real financial shenanigans with this movie. Everyone says it got shelved for tax reasons. But that's wrong! It's actually so much worse than that...
$2+ Patrons already have the full episode at patreon.com/law.
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OA1298 - Voting rights attorney Jenessa is back with a sprawling tour of election chaos, starting with the Supreme Court's unsigned order in USPS v. California: nobody knows the vote count, and the real fight on the merits waits for 2028. Then: the USPS whistleblower letter reveals a system built on oral-only instructions and batch ballot rejection for any single problem, from a mismatch to a misscanned barcode. Meanwhile, a district court in DSCC v. Trump adds another layer: an injunction that even bars states from volunteering. Next, a USCIS whistleblower letter exposes an unlawful voter-fraud investigation targeting naturalized citizens, built on private corporate databases and vibes, with data gaps the training video promises will be filled by, quote, “supplemental magic.” Finally, Missouri redistricting: how the chaos unfolded from dueling maps to a secretary of state whose compliance plan was apparently to “evaluate options” until a judge told him otherwise, all captured in a contempt hearing you have to hear to believe.
Cases and sources discussed:
USPS v California, 609 U.S. ___ (2026)
DSCC v Trump, (D.D.C. 2026)
USPS whistleblower letter (August 31, 2026)
USCIS whistleblower letter (September 13, 2026)
Hugh Cameron (September 10, 2026), Missouri’s Midterm Map Fight: How the Chaos Unfolded, Newsweek.
Contempt hearing for Hoskins at Missouri Supreme Court
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OA1297 - This week on Rapid Response Friday: SCOTUS once again confirms the color of the sky, the latest failures in DOJ’s attempts to prosecute Trump’s political opponents, why the most important immigration agency you’ve never heard of has decided as a matter of law that Trump fixed Venezuela by illegally kidnapping its president, and how NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani is  trying to stop Trump 2.0 from bringing new life to one of the worst failed immigration policies of 1.0.
Finally, in today’s footnote: Kash Patel screws the pooch while trying to explain the FBI’s bizarre new hiring guidelines in some of the funniest Congressional testimony we’ve ever heard.
USPS v. California et al, 609 U. S. ____ (2026)

Audio from Fourth Circuit oral arguments in U.S. v. James (9/15/26)

Matter of A-E-V-M-, 30 I&N Dec. 20 (BIA 2026) 

Complaint in New York et al v. Mullin et al, SDNY Case #1:26-cv-07978 (9/14/2026)

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VR44 - This week on Vapid Response: we survey some of MAGA’s worst takes on the recent mistrial of Lindsay Clancy, all the way from “women are too woke and emotional to be on juries," to “the man who acted out of emotion to ignore the law is the true hero.” Also: the manosphere’s casual endorsement of domestic violence against women who want to talk about their own mental health, and a quick refresh on the incredibly nuanced reality of a mental health defense in Massachusetts.
You can watch the episode here!
Jury instructions in Commonwealth v. Clancy, delivered August 26, 2026 

“Lindsay Clancy’s Activist Jury Is a A Consequence of Democrats’ Soft-on-Crime Creep,” Jordan Boyd, The Federalist (9/14/2026)

“What a Lindsay Clancy Juror Said About the Case is Just Insane,” Matt Vespa, Town Hall (9/13/26)

“Men, Get Ahold of Your Lindsay Clancy-Supporting Wives and Girlfriends Before It’s Too Late,” Eddie Scarry, The Federalist (8/24/26)

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