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PODCAST

Advisory Opinions

Advisory Opinions is a legal podcast by The Dispatch. Hosts David French and Sarah Isgur meet twice a week to talk about the law, the courts, their collision with politics, and why it all matters.

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All Episodes

78:33

Can Trump Deport Hamas-Supporting Students?

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/03/11

Between President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Perkins Coie and interim D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin sending letters to Georgetown Law, it has been quite the week for weaponized government. Sarah Isgur and David French dive into these two headliners, as well as a First Amendment debate involving green card holders.The Agenda: —More Sarah lore: Combative hula-hooping —Perkins Coie and President Trump's executive orders —FIRE's response to the Trump administration's threat to deport

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69:31

Rod Rosenstein and Robert Hur Talk Special Counsels

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/03/04

Sarah Isgur invites former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and special counsel Robert Hur to discuss the significance of special counsels, including the appointment process involved and the public’s perception of their independence and accountability.The Agenda: —Historical context of special counsels —Evolution of special counsel regulations —The personal impact —Role of predication —Public confidence —Q&A! Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering

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75:36

Origins: From Kings to Executives

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/02/27

David French is off doing David French things, so Sarah Isgur takes over the podcast and invites Judge Charles Eskridge of the Southern District of Texas and Judge Brantley Starr of the Northern District of Texas to discuss all things Texas—and the powers of the executive branch.The Agenda: —What’s exciting about Locke? —Here comes the Old Whig —King of England vs. the American president —Appeal to heaven —Second terms are bad news —The shallow state —Departmentalism and lawsuits Show

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82:50

The Hallway Interviews

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/02/25

Sarah Isgur and David French chased down a handful of authors over the weekend at the National Constitution Center for hallway interviews about life, liberty, and ... witches.The Agenda: —Jeff Rosen teaches us about happiness —Virtue vs. pleasure —Salem witch trials! —Nobody burns, they hang —What does it mean to be a lawyer? —Living beyond the billable hour Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan,

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70:55

Friends With DOJ Benefits

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/02/20

David Lat joins Sarah Isgur and David French to analyze what’s behind the Department of Justice’s motion to dismiss the case agains New York City Mayor Eric Adams.The Agenda: —Friends get benefits in the Trump admin —Attorneys operating under a dual sovereignty —How good of a narc can you be? —Listener questions! —How Rome falls —Retribution —Grading the judiciary Show Notes: —Will Chamberlain's tweet —Denise Cheung resigns —AO's emergency-ish episode on Sassoon Advisory Opinions is a production

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64:50

Are Trump's Friends Above the Law?

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/02/17

In an emergency-ish episode, Sarah Isgur and David French go over the timeline of the Thursday Afternoon Massacre and its immediate fallout. What does the past week portend for President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice?The Agenda: —Danielle Sassoon’s letter and future —Worst possible way to do a not-insane thing —The state of the DOJ —Trump’s Napoleon tweet —How much power does Elon Musk actually have? Show Notes: -Nick Catoggio on Danielle Sassoon Advisory Opinions is a production of The

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59:10

Lawless or Just Unwise?

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/02/14

Is President Donald Trump breaking the Justice Department or simply reshaping its priorities? As federal prosecutors resign, Sarah Isgur and David French debate whether we’re looking at another Saturday Night Massacre—and whether that’s how the justice system should work.The Agenda: —What is (and isn’t) lawless? —More on the independence on federal agencies —One magnificent speech away —Justice Brett Kavanaugh on fiduciary discretion —“F— cheerleading” Advisory Opinions is a production of The

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71:14

Hiding in the Proverbial Attic

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/02/11

Sarah Isgur and David French steal away to sunny Stanford University to talk shop with law students and bask in a friendlier climate.The Agenda: —Casual antisemitism at Cooper Union? —How to handle disagreement at elite schools —Gender identifiers for government employees —Bad injunction takes —Rejecting the president’s understanding of the Constitution —Q&A Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan,

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61:42

Can Churches Commit Fraud?

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/02/06

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss our two favorite topics: God and guns. Can you sue your church, and do young adults have the right to bear arms? ’Merica!The Agenda: —Corrections! On USAID comments. —It is still illegal to murder FBI agents —SCOTUS chooses to stay out of religious cases —You can't sue for your tithes —Young adults have a right to guns —Bruhimi —Civic vs. individual rights Show Notes: —Tess Bridgeman's article on firings —Hosanna-Tabor case —Jack Smith's and Bob Bauer's article

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81:19

You’re Fired

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/02/04

Sarah Isgur and David French are joined by Erin Hawley, senior counsel to the appellate team at the Alliance Defending Freedom, to discuss the latest, er, kerfuffle that sent federal employees scrambling. Who is in control of executive agencies?The Agenda: —Tariffs, funding freeze, and firings —Congress has the power to collect —Trump’s workaround —Barrett vs. Gorsuchian doctrines —Elon Musk’s power grab —Where does the fire-at-will power end for the president? —The Founders say we’re all

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61:25

The Great and Powerful President

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/01/30

With Donald Trump’s second term in full swing, Harvard Law Professor Jack Goldsmith joins Sarah Isgur and David French to discuss the unitary executive theory. Also: We need to discuss law reviews.The Agenda: —Unitary executive theory —President Trump’s sledgehammer —Congressional oversight no more? —The Take Care clause —Interstate tariff prohibitions —Student-led law reviews: good or bad? —Expert explains cowrie shells Show Notes: —Trump v. United States —South Dakota v. Wayfair —Professor Eric

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61:04

Officer-Created Danger

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/01/28

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss a case before the Supreme Court that challenges the Moment of Threat Doctrine. They predict concurrences all the way down.The Agenda: —Are police reasonable in high-stress situations? —The youngins’ are advocating —Dicta and slut puppies —OPM, Oh No —Justice Jackson’s fashion choices Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The

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91:43

Trump's Executive Orders

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/01/23

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the encroaching powers of the executive branch and what it means for the balance of government.The Agenda: —Teaching sex in elementary school —It really is those darn phones! —WTF David —Trump takes office —DOGE violating FACA —Trump's executive orders —Vivek’s out of DOGE —Biden pardons criminals, some really not good ones —What is the American dream? Show Notes: —United States v. Wong Kim Ark Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media

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62:40

Law Schools vs. Conservative Scholars

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/01/21

David French makes his long-awaited return to Catholic University of America after thatincident for a live Advisory Opinions taping with Sarah Isgur and two special guests: Joel Alicea, director of the Center for the Constitution and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and Trevor McFadden, a district court judge for the U.S. District Court for D.C. The Agenda: —A Jewish joke then a Catholic joke ... —Constitutional law is now mandatory? —Breaking down the originalist court —Learning corpus

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62:22

TikTok Decision Emergency Pod

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/01/17

David French and Sarah Isgur come at you on this Friday evening to enumerate the absurdities of the TikTok ban-or-sale discourse following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the law, a plangent (and perhaps futile) homage to Congress actually doing its job.Plus: Biden “ratifies” the Equal Rights Amendment and Sarah loses it. Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access

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58:18

On Porn and Paxton

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/01/16

Is limiting access to porn a free speech violation? Sarah Isgur and David French discuss that question following oral arguments in Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton.The Agenda: —Best argument of the term —Does context protect a lie? —Burden of proof in age verification laws —Project Veritas and press freedom —Breaking down the Laken Riley Act Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative

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69:59

Trump Sentencing at the Supreme Court: Live at GWU

Advisory Opinions ·

2025/01/14

Sarah Isgur and David French record live at George Washington University covering the Alito-Trump phone call and new challenges to explicit content age-verification laws.The Agenda: —Justice Alito's phone call with Trump —False statements case —Challenges to Texas' age-verification law —Constitutionality of ID laws —Title IX and Chevron —Questions from GWU students Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan,

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93:27

Origins of the Federal Constitution

Advisory Opinions ·

2024/12/24

Have you done your assigned reading? Because Sarah Isgur and David French are joined by Judges Charles Eskridge and Brantley Starr to take us to law school. Specifically, a class on the origins of the federal constitution.The Agenda: —Why it matters —The Founders’ Constitution —The Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights —The origins of “rights” —Positive vs. negative rights —The legacy of “witch hunts” —The anti-federalists —The argument against a Bill of Rights —Civic engagement Show Notes

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82:32

Tick Tock, TikTok,

Advisory Opinions ·

2024/12/19

The Agenda:—Christmas is canceled for the legal teams working on the TikTok case —Why in the world did Yashar Ali get the Federalist Society leak? —Justice Jackson and 'Juliet' drama —ERA DOA —It's an ethics violation to question the ethics of a Supreme Court Justice Show Notes (assigned reading for next episode): —Origins Part 1 —Origins Part 2 —Origins Part 7 Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan,

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80:05

Southern Squabbles

Advisory Opinions ·

2024/12/17

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including court disagreements. Sarah Isgur and David French discuss Fifth Circuit drama with an eye toward a Ken Paxton lawsuit.The Agenda: —Taxes, the First Amendment, and Catholics —SCOTUS takes a gamble with seating —Ken Paxton's abortion lawsuit —Diversity quotas and the SEC —En banc-ers —Donny gets $15 million —Senior status … sike! —Bring back booze anniversary Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy,

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147 results

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