SCOTUS 101

By The Heritage Foundation

What's SCOTUS 101 about?

A Heritage Foundation podcast breaking down what's happening at the Supreme Court, what the justices are up to, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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SCOTUS 101 episodes:

04.26.2024
Tent Cities, Immunity, and Natural Law
It's the end of oral arguments, and this week the Court heard two big ones. Your hosts discuss Grants Pass, where the Court will decide whether it's "cruel and unusual punishment" to enforce anti-camping laws, and they discuss the Trump...
04.19.2024
Aristotle's Ethics and Harlan's Great Dissent
This week the Court heard oral arguments in a case challenging a January 6th prosecution, had a spirited debate about nationwide injunctions, and issued major opinions on property rights and employment discrimination. Your hosts discuss all those developments, and then...
03.28.2024
Abortion, Immunity, and Originalism
This week the Court heard oral arguments in the high-profile case challenging the Food and Drug Administration's expansion of access to the abortion drug mifepristone. GianCarlo discusses that case, oral arguments, and the mess of standing doctrine. After that, Zack...
03.22.2024
Proper Property Rights
This term is shaping up to be a big one for free speech cases. The Court heard arguments in three such cases this week and handed down decisions in other cases involving public officials blocking people on social media, the...
03.14.2024
Rehearing: Justice Caleb Stegall
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with Kansas Supreme Court Justice Caleb Stegall. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please...
03.08.2024
Trump v. Anderson
This was a big week for former president Trump who prevailed in Trump v. Anderson against an attempt to remove him from the ballot in Colorado. Your hosts dive deep into that decision unpacking the majority opinion, the debate among...
02.29.2024
How to Sue the Feds
This week brings the Court another Trump-related lawsuit and a bevy of high-profile oral arguments. Among those, the NetChoice cases, which will decide to what extent states can stop social media companies from censoring users because of their political views....
02.22.2024
Rehearing: Judge Paul Kelly Jr.
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with Judge Paul Kelly, Jr.. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions,...
02.16.2024
Rehearing: Judge John Nalbandian
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with the Judge John Nalbandian. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions,...
02.08.2024
Trump v. Anderson & Class Action Madness
This week brings us the biggest oral argument of the term: Trump v. Anderson, which will decide whether states can disqualify President Trump from the ballot. Your hosts recap the complicated legal issues and explore oral arguments. Zack and GianCarlo...
01.26.2024
Rehearing: Judge Allison Jones Rushing
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with the Judge Allison Jones Rushing. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send...
01.19.2024
Chevron on the Chopping Block
This week your hosts discuss newly granted cases including one challenging a decision by the Ninth Circuit holding that camping regulations are "cruel and unusual punishment" when applied against the homeless. They also discuss the oral arguments in the Relentless...
01.12.2024
Disqualify Trump?
Welcome back to SCOTUS 101 after the Court's winter break. The Court has granted several new cases, including Donald Trump's appeal from a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court disqualifying him from the presidential election under Section 3 of the...
12.08.2023
Remembering Justice O'Connor
This week your hosts remember Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who passed away last week. Your hosts also discuss the first opinion of this term and the oral arguments from this week and last, which included challenges to administrative tribunals and...
11.17.2023
The Dangers of Judicial Supremacy
With GC out, Jack Fitzhenry once again joins Zack to dive into what's happening at SCOTUS. They discuss the new cases the Court has agreed to hear, the Rahimi oral argument, and NCAA/sports-related SCOTUS trivia. Zack then interviews Yonatan Green about...
11.03.2023
The Joseph Story Lecture: Judge James Ho
GianCarlo is back, the Court is hearing arguments again, and free speech is on the docket. Your hosts discuss a newly granted case that will decide whether the Biden Administration's coordination with social media companies to censor what it labeled...
10.13.2023
Money and Mootness at the Court
With GC on vacation, Jack Fitzhenry joins Zack to dive into what's happening at SCOTUS. They discuss the new cases the Court has agreed to hear, the oral arguments involving the CFPB's funding, whether an ADA tester's lawsuit is...
10.06.2023
Heritage's Annual Supreme Court Preview
Another term is here! Check out what to expect when Zack hosts veteran Supreme Court advocates Paul Clement and Lisa Blatt to discuss several of the biggest cases the Court will hear this term. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter)...
06.30.2023
Racial Preferences, Student Loans, and Free Speech
The end of the term has arrived, and all the biggest cases came with it. Your hosts explain the Harvard and UNC cases, the challenge to Biden's student loan bailout, 303 Creative, Groff v. Dejoy, and all the rest. There...
06.23.2023
The People's Justice — Judge Thapar on Justice Thomas
It's the second-to-last week of the term, and the Court handed down its big immigration case, United States v. Texas, another case involving Indian tribes, and cases involving murder-for-hire, a fantastical Russian financial fraud, and a scam to trick people...
06.16.2023
Tribes and Textualism
This week the Court handed down five opinions, two of which involved questions related to Indian Tribes, including one of the term's major cases, Haaland v. Brackeen. The decisions are heavy on textual analysis, showing that Justice Kagan was right...
06.09.2023
SCOTUS in Wonderland
Zack is out this week, so Cully Stimson is filling in. Cully and GianCarlo discuss the four opinions of the week, which include the Jack Daniels parody case and the race-based challenge to Alabama's congressional district maps. GianCarlo then interviews...
06.02.2023
Judgment for Journalists
Four weeks to go in the term, and the Court handed down three opinions, which involved Medicare fraud, securities fraud, and labor union shenanigans. After your hosts discuss those opinions, Zack interviews veteran journalist James Rosen about his latest book...
05.26.2023
Legal Thrillers
The Court handed down big decisions this week, all unanimous, including Sackett v. EPA and Tyler v. Hennepin County. After your hosts discuss those cases, GianCarlo interviews lawyer and novelist Chad Boudreaux. The two talk about his fascinating career and...
05.19.2023
Judicial Sass
This week the justices decided six more cases including those against Twitter and Google for allegedly aiding and abetting ISIS terrorists, and the copyright dispute over Andy Warhol's images of Prince. Zack interviews Judge Jennifer Perkins of the Arizona Arizona...
05.12.2023
Savin' the Bacon?
The opinions are coming fast now. This week the Court handed down five, dealing with immigration, wire fraud, the Puerto Rico Financial Oversight Board, and the famous bacon case. Did SCOTUS save the nation's bacon? Tune in to find out...
05.05.2023
Rehearing: Judge Raymond Randolph
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with Judge Raymond Randolph. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions, comments,...
04.27.2023
Cases Made for the Movies
It has been a very busy few weeks for the Supreme Court. The Court enjoined a lower court order rescinding the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the abortion pill. It heard oral arguments in a major religious liberty case,...
04.14.2023
Rehearing: Judge Lawrence VanDyke
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with the Judge Lawrence VanDyke. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions,...
03.31.2023
Supreme Crimes & State Constitutions
This week, the Court was the scene of several crimes, or rather, several oral arguments about crimes. Your hosts discuss the fascinating issues of double-jeopardy, criminal speech, and out-of-court confessions that those arguments raised. GianCarlo then interviews Arizona Supreme Court...
03.23.2023
Judge Kyle Duncan Talks About Stanford
In this episode your hosts discuss the amusing oral arguments in the Jack Daniels parody case and unpack the one opinion of the week. Judge Kyle Duncan also joins the show to talk about the recent free-speech debacle at Stanford...
03.17.2023
Rehearing: Judge Stephen Vaden
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with the Judge Stephen Vaden. The interview is especially relevant in light of the recent free-speech controversy at Stanford Law, because Judge Vaden talks about the free-speech crisis in legal academia. Rehearings...
03.10.2023
Rehearing: Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with the Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send...
03.03.2023
Student Loans and Major Questions
Oral arguments in the cases challenging President Biden's student loan cancellation plan dominated the news this week while other interesting SCOTUS developments flew under the radar. Zack discusses the opinions you may have missed, while GianCarlo does a deep dive...
02.23.2023
A Dubious Expediency
The Court is back, and this week it heard oral arguments in two high-profile cases against Google and Twitter that will decide the extent of the protection they can claim when their users support terrorism. It also issued opinions in...
02.16.2023
Rehearing: Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk
In this Rehearings episode, we replay our interview with the Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And please send questions,...
02.10.2023
Rehearing: Judge Douglas Ginsburg
In the second of our Rehearings series, we replay our interview with the Judge Douglas Ginsburg. Rehearings airs our favorite old interviews on weeks when things are otherwise quiet at the Supreme Court. Follow us on Twitter @scotus101 and @tzsmith. And...
02.03.2023
Rehearing: Judge Marty Feldman
In this first episode of our Rehearings series, we replay our interview with the late Judge Martin Feldman. Rehearings will re-air our favorite old interviews on weeks when we don't have a usual episode because the Supreme Court is not...
01.27.2023
Originalism 101
Late last week, the Court issued a report about its investigation into the Dobbs leak. Your hosts discuss the report and share their thoughts about the Marshal's investigation. GianCarlo then gives a preview of some of the Court's new cases...
01.13.2023
"Learned in the Law"
The Court is back from its break, adding new cases to its docket, and hearing oral arguments. In this episode, GianCarlo previews the newly granted cases and explains the oral arguments in a rare professional ethics case, and Zack discusses...
12.09.2022
Does A Cat Have a Tail?
The Court heard oral arguments in two of the biggest cases of the term, 303 Creative v. Elenis and Moore v. Harper. Your hosts explain those cases and discuss the Court's decision to take up the case challenging President Biden's...
12.02.2022
Texas Fights the Feds, Again
This week your hosts go to lengths to explain why the apparently esoteric cases argued this week are, in fact, much more interesting than they sound. Meanwhile, Texas is back at the Court fighting the feds, something Texas S.G. Judd...
11.11.2022
Agencies on Trial
This week the Court heard arguments in two major cases involving challenges to executive-branch agencies, and another race case involving a federal statute that restricts adoption and foster placement for Native American Children. Your hosts discuss those arguments, and then...
11.03.2022
Race, College, and the Constitution
This week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases challenging the use of racial preferences in college admissions at Harvard and The University of North Carolina. Your hosts do a deep dive into those arguments, pulling out the...
10.28.2022
Special Episode with Justice Alito
It was another quiet week at the Court, but Justice Samuel Alito came to Heritage for our annual Joseph Story lecture. He sat down with John Malcolm and shared stories about his career and discussed topical issues like the leak...
10.20.2022
Special Episode: An Interview with V.P. Mike Pence
In this special episode, former Vice President Mike Pence joins your hosts to share some inside-baseball about the judicial selection and confirmation process. He also shares his thoughts about the role of the Court in our constitutional system, how Justice...
10.14.2022
The Bacon Wars?
It was a quiet week for orders, but a very exciting week for oral arguments. Your hosts discuss the copyright fight between the Andy Warhol Foundation and legendary rock-and-roll photographer Lynn Goldsmith, and the ideologically unpredictable Bacon Case, which might...
10.07.2022
Justice Jackson's First Day
The Justices are back in their marble palace, and their newest member has joined the fray of oral argument. Your hosts, Zack and GianCarlo, share the latest SCOTUS news, discuss new cases, and chat about Justice Jackson's oral argument style....
09.29.2022
We're Back!
The Court is back next week, and the docket is already shaping up to be very exciting. This week we have a special preview of the upcoming term with former Solicitor General Paul Clement and former Acting Solicitor General Jeff...
07.01.2022
The End of the Term
We've reached the end of the term after a blockbuster month and an incredibly full week of orders and opinions. Your hosts wish farewell to Justice Breyer who is now officially retired and welcome Justice Ketanji Jackson. This week the...

What's SCOTUS 101 about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

SCOTUS 101 episodes:

Tent Cities, Immunity, and Natural Law

Aristotle's Ethics and Harlan's Great Dissent

Abortion, Immunity, and Originalism

Proper Property Rights

Rehearing: Justice Caleb Stegall

Trump v. Anderson

How to Sue the Feds

Rehearing: Judge Paul Kelly Jr.

Rehearing: Judge John Nalbandian

Trump v. Anderson & Class Action Madness

Rehearing: Judge Allison Jones Rushing

Chevron on the Chopping Block

Disqualify Trump?

Remembering Justice O'Connor

The Dangers of Judicial Supremacy

The Joseph Story Lecture: Judge James Ho

Money and Mootness at the Court

Heritage's Annual Supreme Court Preview

Racial Preferences, Student Loans, and Free Speech

The People's Justice — Judge Thapar on Justice Thomas

Tribes and Textualism

SCOTUS in Wonderland

Judgment for Journalists

Legal Thrillers

Judicial Sass

Savin' the Bacon?

Rehearing: Judge Raymond Randolph

Cases Made for the Movies

Rehearing: Judge Lawrence VanDyke

Supreme Crimes & State Constitutions

Judge Kyle Duncan Talks About Stanford

Rehearing: Judge Stephen Vaden

Rehearing: Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod

Student Loans and Major Questions

A Dubious Expediency

Rehearing: Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk

Rehearing: Judge Douglas Ginsburg

Rehearing: Judge Marty Feldman

Originalism 101

"Learned in the Law"

Does A Cat Have a Tail?

Texas Fights the Feds, Again

Agencies on Trial

Race, College, and the Constitution

Special Episode with Justice Alito

Special Episode: An Interview with V.P. Mike Pence

The Bacon Wars?

Justice Jackson's First Day

We're Back!

The End of the Term