The Citizen's Guide to the Supreme Court

By The Citizens Guide to the Supreme Court

Education Comedy Government & Organizations National

What's The Citizen's Guide to the Supreme Court about?

Brett and Nazim are two attorneys who hate being attorneys. In lieu of practicing law, they have instead developed a podcast to help make the Supreme Court more accessible to the average person. Each week, Brett and Nazim will discuss current Supreme Court cases and how they affect your daily life, while also ruminating on how their dreams of fame and fortune resulted in jokes about Star Wars and wondering how Antoine Scalia thinks about Facebook.

This Podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not legal advice. If anything you hear leads you to believe you need legal advice, please contact an attorney immediately.

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LAST EPISODE

Last RFRA-MAS, I Gave You M...

12.27.2020

Gather round, children, to hear the story of RFRA-MAS, as told by Brett and Nazim to a live google-hangout crowd. RFRA Claus and Burwell the Elf discuss the history of RFRA, it's current application in the case of Tanzin v. ...

The Citizen's Guide to the Supreme Court episodes:

12.27.2020 Last RFRA-MAS, I Gave You My Heart Gather round, children, to hear the story of RFRA-MAS, as told by Brett and Nazim to a live google-hangout crowd. RFRA Claus and Burwell the Elf discuss the history of RFRA, it's current application in the case of Tanzin v. ...
12.20.2020 Cold News From Cold Dudes This week's episode covers last week's news stories involving the Supreme Court, including the election, COVID-19, the death penalty, and the census. The law starts at (08:49), but you'd miss your invitation to the Citizen's Guide to the Supreme Court ...
12.13.2020 The Supreme Court is Not Reversing the Election, Part 2 This week's episode discusses Texas v. Pennsylvania and Kelly v. Pennsylvania, the two recent failed attempts to reverse the election through the Supreme Court. The podcast welcomes a Supreme Court expert to help analyze the heart of this issue, and ...
12.06.2020 Masterpiece Cakes 2: The Cakening This week's case covers Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which asks whether a Philadelphia law banning discrimination in the process of fostering children violates the First Amendment rights of a Catholic agency. The law starts at (07:20), but you'd miss ...
11.26.2020 The Annual Thanksgiving Mailbag Episode Happy Thanksgiving, folks. This year's mailbag covers everything from pandemic oral arguments to best Thanksgiving pies, with a lot of things in between. The law never starts, and this is light on law even for our standards.
11.22.2020 Takings Clause Me Home Tonight This week's amazingly-titled episode discusses the case of Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, which asks whether a California law that grants labor organizers access to private property violates the Fifth Amendment. The law kinda starts at (11:00), but actually starts ...
11.15.2020 Brett "the Hitman" Kavanaugh This week's episode covers the oral argument in California v. Texas, in which the Court once is asked to determine the Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Brett and Nazim start the law at (05:00), but get into the merits ...
11.08.2020 The Supreme Court is Not Reversing the Election This week's episode eschews any legal analysis about the election and instead covers the somehow less stressful conversation of whether children can be sentenced to life in prison without parole in Jones v. Mississippi. Brett's audio is lightly wonky around ...
11.01.2020 Delaware as an Allegory for Chaos This week's extra spooky episode broadly covers the Delaware Constitutional case before the Supreme Court, Carney v. Adams, but as a mechanism for discussing the recent Supreme Court election cases in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Law starts at (04:31).
10.25.2020 Amy Coney Barracuda This week's episode takes a deep dive into the Senate Confirmation Hearings of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, as Brett and Nazim discuss the point of confirmation hearings and how they view Justice Barracuda's responses. Law starts at (06:16).
10.18.2020 The Old Man and the Skateboard The boys are back, folks. This week's episode discusses the many ridiculous Voter Suppression lawsuits that have popped up over the last few weeks and whether the State action in question is valid, or just looking to stop people from ...
10.11.2020 GUEST EP: Gabe Roth from Fix the Court Good morning. This week, Brett is joined by Gabe Roth from Fix the Court, an organization aimed at Supreme Court reform. Brett and Gabe discuss term limits, the proper role of the Supreme Court in democracy and ethical obligations of ...
09.20.2020 In Memoriam Justice Ginsburg This week's episode covers the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an American icon both on and off the Court. Brett and Nazim discuss the impact Justice Ginsburg had on American jurisprudence and discuss the impact of appointing her replacement.
08.30.2020 SEASON FINALE LIVE: Fantasy Things Draft 2020 It's the end of the term, so Brett and Nazim are coming at you LIVE over ZOOM, covering topics like (1) judging predictions from last year, (2) picking story lines for next year, and (3) re-visiting the whole "cutting your ...
08.23.2020 COVID Mailbag In this week's episode, Brett and Nazim answer questions which include; but are not limited to, the Constitutionality of State mask regulations, the cancelled bar exam, sad sports defeats, a Federal law on masks, whether ice cream is soup, Kavanaugh ...
08.16.2020 What's the Deal with Admin Law? This week's episode covers two administrative law decisions that were not covered in previous podcast episodes, including Selia Law v. CFPB (separation of powers concerns cut the head, but not the body of the Consumer Financial Protection Board), and Little ...
08.09.2020 Governmental Health This week's podcast covers three cases involving the government, including Colorado v. Baca (the faithless electors case), US Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International (the First Amendment to international corporations case), and Land of Lincoln Mutual ...
08.02.2020 Vuoi la Moglie Ubriace e la Botte Piena This week's episode covers the case of Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru, which immunizes church schools from employment discrimination claims under the First Amendment, and also the Nevada COVID law that limits church attendance. The sound is lightly ...
07.26.2020 God One, Montana Zero Today's unnervingly straight-laced episode covers the unnervingly chaotic decision in Espinoza v. Montana Dept of Revenue, wherein the Court takes turns yelling at each other about the Free Exercise Clause, the Establishment Clause, and Montana's apparently oppressive effort to help ...
07.19.2020 Maybe The Supreme Court is Not That Into You The World's Greatest Podcast covers bias this week, as the incredibly handsome Brett and the always insightful Nazim discuss how our preexisting beliefs can affect decisions on the 9th Amendment, the Presidency, and the recent decision in Trump v. Vance ...
07.12.2020 BUZZFEED QUIZ 2020: Which Justice Are You? To celebrate the 300th episode, the podcast goes through a 2020 edition of the "Which Justice Are You" Buzzfeed Quiz from a few years ago. You can also submit your answers for review on any of our social media accounts. ...
07.05.2020 Nazim, What Do You Think About That? This week's episode asks Nazim (specifically) what he thinks about each of the strange opinions in June Medical Services v. Russo, the recent Supreme Court decision which struck down a Louisiana law which set high medical requirements for abortion clinics. ...
06.28.2020 DACA Flynn Boyle This week's episode is a symposium on weird political opinions, as Brett and Nazim discuss the DACA decision in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of California, while also discussing the Flynn criminal dismissal. We also talk about the Undertaker. ...
06.21.2020 Let's Talk About (Statutory Definitions of) Sex Baby In this week's episode, Brett and Nazim talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be about Bostock v. Clayton County, the recent landmark decision by the Supreme Court holding that employers cannot fire LGBT employees ...
06.14.2020 In re Robocallers This episode is a tale in two-parts. The first is about Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants, which discusses whether a ban on political robo-calls violates the First Amendment. The second is Brett and Nazim discussing multiple questions about ...
06.07.2020 Qualified Immunity This week's episode covers the Supreme Court's discussion around qualified immunity, which covers the recent case of Mesa v. Hernandez, plus a few of the pending cases which have not been accepted to the Supreme Court's docket. Law starts at ...
05.31.2020 De Facto Officer and a Gentleman This week's episode covers the collection of cases dealing with the Puerto Rico Oversight Management and Economic Stability Act, and whether or not the appointment of an oversight board complies with Article II of the Constitution. Law starts at (09:53).
05.24.2020 Rules v. Outcome: Political Armageddon Edition Listen, if the prospect of Colorado Dept. of State v. Baca (i.e. can electoral college voters do whatever they want) brings you anxiety, allow this episode to calm you down. Recorded in two parts because we lost part of the ...
05.17.2020 No One Owns The Law This week's episode covers the recent decisions in Kansas v. Glover (does the 4th Amendment protect against police stops to investigate suspended licenses) and Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org (does copyright law protect annotations to the Georgia Code). Come for the legal ...
05.10.2020 Teleconferencin' Aint Easy If there's one overarching theme this week, it's that technology is not easy for lawyers. Brett and Nazim discuss US Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International (regarding free speech and government coercion), while also discussing how ...
05.03.2020 Action and Inaction The Supreme Court gives us something to write home about this week, as the podcast covers cases that are dismissed on procedural grounds, and not on the merits. This includes City of Boise v. Martin (criminalizing homelessness), NY Rifle Assoc. ...
04.26.2020 Nine Angry Justices This week's podcast covers Ramos v. Louisiana, in which a DEEPLY DIVIDED COURT provides multiple opinions on whether the Fourteenth Amendment requires States to have unanimous jury verdicts. Law starts at (04:14).
04.19.2020 The Ballad of the M/T Athos I Gather 'round, podcast listeners, and lend your ears to the case of CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co, a case that is as much about "safe-berth clauses" and "strict liability", as it is about sea monsters, the uncharted ...
04.17.2020 Sharp Cheddar Epilogue Brett and Nazim address a few factual issues that were not addressed in last week's episode on the Wisconsin voting case and discuss whether anything changes their opinion from last Sunday.
04.12.2020 Sharp Cheddar Democracy So check it out, this episode is not as fluffy as the last few weeks, but does cover the recent case of RNC v. DNC, in which a 5-4 majority either (1) upheld Constitutional protections against tyranny, or (2) disenfranchised ...
04.05.2020 The PTO Can GTFO This week's episode covers PTO v. Booking.com, a case that not only discusses the application of "generic" terms to websites, but also continues are on-going efforts of covering the least-stressful cases as possible. Enjoy this one with a cup of ...
03.29.2020 Kagan and the Dudes Turns out we couldn't quit you that easily. This week covers the recent decision in Kahler v. Kansas, which is as much about State's rights and Due Process as it is about dogs who want you to murder people. Law ...
03.22.2020 Delaware Are You? This week's episode accomplishes two things. First, your boys cover the Delaware-centric case of Carney v. Adams, which asks why a clearly unconstitutional way to appoint judges took this long to fix. Second, your main dudes discuss pie (a lot), ...
03.15.2020 Roe v. Wa(De Ja Vu) This week's episode covers June Medical Services v. Russo, which addresses the value of precedent and third party standing in abortion cases by essentially re-litigating the Whole Women's Health case from a few years ago. Law starts at (04:02).
03.08.2020 It's a Small World After All Ok, here's the situation. Brett went away on a weekend's vacation, so the first half of this is talking about the Star Wars Theme Park at Disney World. Around the (15:00) mark, the episode turns to Barton v. Barr and ...
03.01.2020 Sotomayoral Debate This week's episode covers Justice Sotomayor's dissent in Wolf v. Cook County, which generally discusses injunctions, the power of judicial review and the current Court's approach to the current Administration. The law starts from the beginning and generally stays on ...
02.23.2020 Don't Go Chasing Water Definitions The podcast continues Confusing Statute Month, as Brett and Nazim discuss the Clear Water Act through the case of City of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund. This case covers exciting things like the definition of the word "from", so there's ...
02.16.2020 What's Wrong with Obamacare This Time?? This week's episode brings back another dysfunctional reoccurring guest, the Affordable Care Act, through the case of Land of Lincoln Mutual Health Insurance Co. v. United States, which asks whether or the not the government can refuse to pay insurers ...
02.09.2020 It's Not Fun to Sue with A! C! C! A! This week's episode involves reoccurring guest the Armed Career Criminals Act, as Brett and Nazim discuss Shular v. U.S., which asks whether a categorical approach to drug crimes under the ACCA has officially renders this statute a dumpster fire, legally ...
02.02.2020 Never Trust Arizona, when DEATH is on the Line This week's episode re-visits the procedural nuances of the death penalty, by covering McKinney v. Arizona, which essentially asks whether Death Penalty review cases are stuck back in time (like Back to the Future) or can go forward in time ...
01.26.2020 We Improved The Sound For Chris Christie That's right, folks. To celebrate New Jersey's most notorious traffic scandal, Nazim no longer sounds like hes recording from the inside of a trash can. This week's episode covers BRIDGE-GATE(!!), i.e. Kelly v. U.S., which asks whether or not a ...
12.29.2019 MID-SEASON FINALE - Oral Argument Re-Runs Brett and Nazim revisit three cases that were covered last term through their recent oral arguments, including Bostock v. Clayton County (considering the applicability of "sex" discrimination to sexual orientation under Title VII), R.G. v. G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. ...
12.22.2019 RFRA Claus is Coming to Town It's RFRA-MAS here at the podcast this week, as Brett and Nazim cover two cases involving religious rights before the Supreme Court, (1) Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru (whether the Court can decide employment discrimination cases for religious ...
12.15.2019 Anne-otations of Green Gables Listen, the amount you enjoyed/understood the pun in the title to this episode is directly proportionate to how much you're gonna like this episode, which covers George v. Public.Resource.Org, a case that asks whether or not annotations in the State ...
12.08.2019 All (SCOTUS of) American Rejects This week's episode covers a few cases that have stalled out before making the vaunted grounds of the Supreme Court's docket. These cases include Remington Arms v. Soto (Sandy Hook lawsuit on gun advertising), Trump v. Vance (the never-ending quest ...

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