Opening Arguments

OA1241 - This Rapid Response Friday:* everything you need to know to explain to anyone who will listen exactly why what the US is doing in Iran is illegal. We also review oral arguments in an unusual case involving the federal statute under which Hunter Biden was  recently convicted which has brought weed, guns, and Amy Coney Barrett’s illegal Ambien habit (?) before the Supreme Court at the same time.
Finally, in today’s footnote: A man who drinks unpasteurized milk, swims in sewage, and once left a dead bear in Central Park has some opinions about what we should be putting in our coffee--and Matt might agree with him? Can RFK Jr really stop America from running on Dunkin?
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*N.B.: this episode was recorded before the news of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s forced departure, but we’ll have plenty more to say about her and replacement nominee Markwayne Mullin next week!
“Top Experts’ Backgrounder: Military Action Against Iran and US Domestic Law,” Brian Egan and Tess Bridgeman, Just Security (2/28/2026)

“AUTHORITY TO USE MILITARY FORCE IN LIBYA,”DOJ Office of Legal Counsel memorandum, (4/1/2011)

Certiorari petition in United States v. Hemani (6/2/2025)

Audio from oral arguments in United States v. Hemani  (3/2/2026)

“Six Senators Accuse Deputy Attorney General of “Glaring” Crypto Conflict, Cite ProPublica Investigation,” Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica (1/29/2026)

“RFK Jr. wants Dunkin’ to prove drinking its iced coffee is safe,” Tal Kopan, The Boston Globe, (3/4/2026)

“Dunkin' Nutritional Facts” (2026) [PDF]

E24 - Today on Vapid Response Wednesday: the story of a wealthy family that lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to try to defend his sister after she was convicted of abusing and trafficking minors with (and for) Jeffrey Epstein. For this special episode we read through Ian Maxwell’s entire body of published work for The Spectator and unseriously consider some of the many questions the tabloid heir raises about the arrest and conviction of his sister Ghislaine, the evils of the First Amendment, and of course a lengthy digression about some people named Todd. 
Watch this episode on YouTube!
Nobody's Girl, Virginia Roberts Giuffre (2025)

Virginia Giuffre’s full 2019 interview on 60 Minutes Australia

Ian Maxwell’s video interview with The Telegraph, Feb. 20, 2026

Ian Maxwell’s author page at The Spectator

“The truth about my sister, Ghislaine Maxwell,” Ian Maxwell, The Spectator, 12/16/2021

“My sister Ghislaine was denied justice,” Ian Maxwell, The Spectator (UK edition), 7/1/2022

“Don’t take Virginia Giuffre’s memoir at face value,” Ian Maxwell, The Spectator, 11/5/2025

“How my sister Ghislaine beat the Epstein conspiracy theories,” Ian Maxwell, The Spectator, 9/9/2025

“My sister Ghislaine became a prop in the theater of global online outrage,” Ian Maxwell, The Spectator, 2/25/26

Full Department of Trade and Industry report regarding the investigation into Robert Maxwell's pension fund embezzlement and corporate fraud (2001)

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OA1240 - Shaina Aber, Executive Director with Acacia Center for Justice, joins today to discuss immigration nonprofit work during Trump 2.0. Find all of the tools and programs we talked about at their website, Acacia Center for Justice.

OA1239 - Did the Supreme Court just hand Donald Trump the biggest L in US presidential history? We go beyond the headlines to break down the first decision on the merits of any of the second Trump term’s policies. What is the deal with the “major questions doctrine” and why can’t the conservative justices agree about what it is and how to use it? Why did Neil Gorsuch choose this case to drop a lengthy diss track with bars about every one of his colleagues? And is there anything Clarence Thomas wouldn’t let a Republican president do? We then review a lesser-noticed SCOTUS decision from this week on whether you can sue USPS for intentionally stealing your mail for openly racist reasons (the answer may surprise you!). 
Finally, in today’s footnote: Thomas Takes the ICE Exam!
Learning Resources, Inc. et al. v. Trump (2/20/2026)

United States Postal Service v. Konan  (2/24/2026)

“The Postmaster,” William Shawn, The New Yorker (11/14/1970)(letter addressed to William Faulkner from Post Office Inspector Mark Webster)

Memorandum Summary of Documents Newly Received from DHS Whistleblowers, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (2/23/2026)(with leaked ICE training documents attached)

Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!

OA1238 - Dive in to an “old” case from the 90’s that secured a critical right for people with disabilities: The right to be free from unnecessary institutionalization. Learn about some of the more obscure portions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the different ways we can define discrimination, and what happens when a majority of  judges just cannot agree to sign on to an entire opinion.
Olmstead v. L.C. 527 U.S. 581 (1999)

Americans with Disabilities Act - Findings and Purpose; 42 U.S.C. § 12101(a)(2, 3, & 5)

Americans with Disabilities Act - Discrimination; 42 U.S.C. § 12132

28 CFR § 35.130(d)

Jesse Jackson (July 18, 1989). Statement before the Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Select Education (regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act).

Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!