What SCOTUS Wrote Us

By Pippah Getchell

Audio of Supreme Court opinions. Finally.

Listen to full-length readings of the most current opinions as they are issued by the Court. Or, browse through a library containing dozens of landmark opini... more

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How many episodes does What SCOTUS Wrote Us have?

The podcast currently has 370 episodes available.

What SCOTUS Wrote Us episodes:

December 06, 2022 Part 1: Skilling v. United States (2010) Jury Bias, Pretrial Publicity, Enron
Audio of parts II and III of the opinion of the Supreme Court in Skilling v. United States (2010)
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59min
December 04, 2022 Employment Division v. Smith (1990) Religious Use of Controlled Substance, Peyote, Native American Church
Audio of the 1990 opinion of the Court in Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith.

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34min
December 02, 2022 Purcell v. Gonzalez (2006) Purcell Principle, Imminent Elections, Changes in Election Laws
Purcell v. Gonzalez (2006) Per Curiam Opinion (Purcell Principle, Imminent Elections, Changes in Election Laws)

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12min
November 29, 2022 Dissent Part 2: Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021) Dissenting Opinion (Arizona; Voting Rights Act, Section 2)
Audio of Part 2 of 2: Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021)

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44min
November 24, 2022 Dissent Part 1: Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021) Dissenting Opinion (Arizona; Voting Rights Act, Section 2)
Audio of Part 1 of 2: Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021) Dissenting Opinion (Arizona; Voting Rights Act, Section 2)

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51min
November 21, 2022 Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021) Voting Rights Act, Section 2; Arizona
Audio of the opinion of the Supreme Court in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021)

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1h 20min
November 19, 2022 Shoop v. Cunningham (2022) Justice Thomas Dissenting from Denial of Certiorari
Audio of Shoop v. Cunningham (Nov 14 2022) Justice Thomas Dissenting from Denial of Certiorari

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30min
November 18, 2022 McDonnell v. United States (2016) Honest-services Fraud, Bribery
Audio of the Unanimous opinion of the Court in McDonnell v. United States (2016)

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1h 5min
November 18, 2022 Case Preview: Percoco v. United States (2022) (Honest-services Fraud, Bribery, Lobbying)
A quick case preview regarding an upcoming case before the Court this term: Percoco v. United States.
"When a public official accepts money to convince the government to do something, we call him a crook. But when a private citizen accepts money to convince the government to do something, we call him a lobbyist." That's from the opening paragraph of petitioner's brief in Percoco v. United States begins. It's not just a well-worded sentiment, either - it's true.
This is because public officials are entrusted to make decisions in the best interest of the public; they have power over those they serve - and if they are making decisions for us based on what's best for their bank account rather than what's best for the public, we all suffer. But the First Amendment permits citizens to petition the government to make decisions that aligns with their self-interests - including lobbyists.
On November 28, the Court will hear one of the more ridiculous cases I've encountered in quite a while: Percoco v. U.S. - asking the court whether a private citizen who holds no elected office or government employment, but has informal political or other influence over governmental decision-making, owes a fiduciary duty to the general public such that he can be convicted of honest-services fraud. I'll pause here while you get your laughter under control. Why am I so quick to offer my opinion in this case? First as a political scientist, a former government affairs person, and a general observer of mankind, I don't think it's overstepping to express my doubts over any proposition that suggests criminalizing the influence that private citizens may have over public officials. And second, if it were a crime for members of the general public to convince public officials to make certain decisions, I imagine there wouldn't be nearly enough jails to house them all.
If this sounds like an interesting case to you, you'll want to keep an eye out for it because I plan to read it to you all just as soon as it is issued by the Court.

Music by Epidemic Sound
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3min
November 16, 2022 Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018) Free Exercise, Free Speech, Same-Sex Marriage
Audio of the 2018 Opinion of the Supreme Court in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission

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39min

FAQs about What SCOTUS Wrote Us:

How many episodes does What SCOTUS Wrote Us have?

The podcast currently has 370 episodes available.