Opening Arguments Podcast
@openargs.bsky.social
Explaining law in the news to non-lawyers every Mon/Fri and responding to the right's worst legal takes on video every Weds. Join the community at patreon.com/law!
We recently came hard for America First Legal's "Bad Legal Takes" podcast segment, which as we noted was generally not in response to things which were bad, legal, and/or takes. The feature has since disappeared from the show.
not saying we did it, but we totally did it.
youtu.be/C4CBkO6KdyI?...
not saying we did it, but we totally did it.
youtu.be/C4CBkO6KdyI?...
Stephen Miller's America First Legal Has a YouTube Show (and it sucks real bad)
YouTube video by Serious Pod Network
youtu.be
September 16, 2026 at 1:43 AM
We recently came hard for America First Legal's "Bad Legal Takes" podcast segment, which as we noted was generally not in response to things which were bad, legal, and/or takes. The feature has since disappeared from the show.
not saying we did it, but we totally did it.
youtu.be/C4CBkO6KdyI?...
not saying we did it, but we totally did it.
youtu.be/C4CBkO6KdyI?...
Got a question about law in the news for Rapid Response Friday? Let us know here, or our DMs are always open. We'll credit you by name, and probably not even make fun of you at all
September 16, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Got a question about law in the news for Rapid Response Friday? Let us know here, or our DMs are always open. We'll credit you by name, and probably not even make fun of you at all
We'd like to send a special shoutout tonight to The Federalist for just consistently continuing to crank out the worst fucking legal takes known to the Anglosphere, day after goddamn day. It takes true dedication and a deep love of the game to be this shitty!
September 16, 2026 at 1:15 AM
We'd like to send a special shoutout tonight to The Federalist for just consistently continuing to crank out the worst fucking legal takes known to the Anglosphere, day after goddamn day. It takes true dedication and a deep love of the game to be this shitty!
CORPORATE MEDIA: the president has promised a 5K cash bonus to voters if they give him the one branch of government it doesn't already control. Can he do that?
THE ONLY PODCAST THAT EXPLAINS LAW IN THE NEWS: *takes a deep hit from a high-THC jazz cigarette, stares into the middle distance*
THE ONLY PODCAST THAT EXPLAINS LAW IN THE NEWS: *takes a deep hit from a high-THC jazz cigarette, stares into the middle distance*
Trump offers $5000 to every American if the GOP retains the House & Senate.
He adds:
“America is not for sale.”
He adds:
“America is not for sale.”
September 10, 2026 at 4:36 PM
CORPORATE MEDIA: the president has promised a 5K cash bonus to voters if they give him the one branch of government it doesn't already control. Can he do that?
THE ONLY PODCAST THAT EXPLAINS LAW IN THE NEWS: *takes a deep hit from a high-THC jazz cigarette, stares into the middle distance*
THE ONLY PODCAST THAT EXPLAINS LAW IN THE NEWS: *takes a deep hit from a high-THC jazz cigarette, stares into the middle distance*
Reposted by Opening Arguments Podcast
knowing a bit about how immigration works is very helpful these days
saving this one for the weekend, can't wait
saving this one for the weekend, can't wait
ICE boot enthusiast Milo Yiannopolous's account of his own immigration history makes no sense, and can't possibly be true. Matt breaks down the lie the media has totally missed at the center of the one of the most karmically appropriate deportations of all time
youtu.be/vdVrnwTRuYA?...
youtu.be/vdVrnwTRuYA?...
Milo Yiannopoulos Lied About His Immigration Status (And We Can Prove It)
YouTube video by Serious Pod Network
youtu.be
September 10, 2026 at 1:19 PM
knowing a bit about how immigration works is very helpful these days
saving this one for the weekend, can't wait
saving this one for the weekend, can't wait
ICE boot enthusiast Milo Yiannopolous's account of his own immigration history makes no sense, and can't possibly be true. Matt breaks down the lie the media has totally missed at the center of the one of the most karmically appropriate deportations of all time
youtu.be/vdVrnwTRuYA?...
youtu.be/vdVrnwTRuYA?...
Milo Yiannopoulos Lied About His Immigration Status (And We Can Prove It)
YouTube video by Serious Pod Network
youtu.be
September 10, 2026 at 2:49 AM
ICE boot enthusiast Milo Yiannopolous's account of his own immigration history makes no sense, and can't possibly be true. Matt breaks down the lie the media has totally missed at the center of the one of the most karmically appropriate deportations of all time
youtu.be/vdVrnwTRuYA?...
youtu.be/vdVrnwTRuYA?...
Some classic OA in this one as we go beyond the headlines and explain the law that the media is missing in two of this week's biggest stories. And even better: it's Thomas and Matt in the same room for only the second time ever!
This week on OA: why is no one actually talking about the law in the Lindsay Clancy trial? And how did Milo Yiannopolous end up in deportation proceedings anyway? Plus a quick footnote on an upstart social media company called... Twitter?
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
Most Lindsay Clancy Coverage Has the Law All Wrong
Podcast Episode · Opening Arguments · September 4 · 1h 1m
podcasts.apple.com
September 5, 2026 at 12:17 AM
Some classic OA in this one as we go beyond the headlines and explain the law that the media is missing in two of this week's biggest stories. And even better: it's Thomas and Matt in the same room for only the second time ever!
Happy 40th to OA's creator, host, and executive producer Thomas Smith! (he's the one on the left)
July 30, 2026 at 10:35 PM
Happy 40th to OA's creator, host, and executive producer Thomas Smith! (he's the one on the left)
Reposted by Opening Arguments Podcast
As we discuss here, the rate of ASD/AuDHD/neurodiversity amongst lawyers almost certainly has to be greater than that of the general population--and yet the stigma remains bad enough in this inherently conservative profession that hardly any of us are open about it. We can all change that, together.
July 20, 2026 at 9:26 PM
As we discuss here, the rate of ASD/AuDHD/neurodiversity amongst lawyers almost certainly has to be greater than that of the general population--and yet the stigma remains bad enough in this inherently conservative profession that hardly any of us are open about it. We can all change that, together.
Reposted by Opening Arguments Podcast
This was the single most meaningful episode of OA I've been a part of yet. Peter's book helped me to better understand myself as someone with #AuDHD, and to finally feel pride rather than shame for it.
I hope that this joyful meeting of autistic minds can do the same for anyone else who needs it
I hope that this joyful meeting of autistic minds can do the same for anyone else who needs it
Law on the Spectrum, with Peter O'Neil
Opening Arguments · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 20, 2026 at 9:20 PM
This was the single most meaningful episode of OA I've been a part of yet. Peter's book helped me to better understand myself as someone with #AuDHD, and to finally feel pride rather than shame for it.
I hope that this joyful meeting of autistic minds can do the same for anyone else who needs it
I hope that this joyful meeting of autistic minds can do the same for anyone else who needs it
July 20, 2026 at 9:04 PM
How much of Ben Shapiro’s deranged Daily Wire column about the Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship decision was written by AI? The answer may actually surprise you!
Find out on this week's Vapid Response Wednesday
Find out on this week's Vapid Response Wednesday
July 8, 2026 at 1:37 AM
How much of Ben Shapiro’s deranged Daily Wire column about the Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship decision was written by AI? The answer may actually surprise you!
Find out on this week's Vapid Response Wednesday
Find out on this week's Vapid Response Wednesday
Are there any questions from law in the news this week on any front that you want answered on Friday's show? Please think them very hard at us!
(or reply here! Also our DMs are open)
(or reply here! Also our DMs are open)
July 7, 2026 at 4:42 AM
Are there any questions from law in the news this week on any front that you want answered on Friday's show? Please think them very hard at us!
(or reply here! Also our DMs are open)
(or reply here! Also our DMs are open)
THIS WEEK ON OA:
The worst birthright citizenship takes we could find
The Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby makes his first Vapid Response appearance, and it is a stinkah for the frickin' ages kehd
that one time William Shatner and Dan Crenshaw teamed up to try to turn Space Force into Starfleet
The worst birthright citizenship takes we could find
The Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby makes his first Vapid Response appearance, and it is a stinkah for the frickin' ages kehd
that one time William Shatner and Dan Crenshaw teamed up to try to turn Space Force into Starfleet
July 7, 2026 at 4:38 AM
THIS WEEK ON OA:
The worst birthright citizenship takes we could find
The Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby makes his first Vapid Response appearance, and it is a stinkah for the frickin' ages kehd
that one time William Shatner and Dan Crenshaw teamed up to try to turn Space Force into Starfleet
The worst birthright citizenship takes we could find
The Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby makes his first Vapid Response appearance, and it is a stinkah for the frickin' ages kehd
that one time William Shatner and Dan Crenshaw teamed up to try to turn Space Force into Starfleet
This month's OA Book Club selection is a memoir by an attorney who only realized that he was living on the autism spectrum as he was about to retire at 65--and author Peter O'Neil will be joining to discuss it at our next meeting on July 26th!
www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYCCZ53...
www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYCCZ53...
My So-Called Disorder: Autism, Exploding Trucks, and the Big Daddy of Rock and Roll: O'Neil, Peter: 9798218156985: Amazon.com: Books
My So-Called Disorder: Autism, Exploding Trucks, and the Big Daddy of Rock and Roll [O'Neil, Peter] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. My So-Called Disorder: Autism, Exploding Trucks...
www.amazon.com
July 2, 2026 at 3:15 AM
This month's OA Book Club selection is a memoir by an attorney who only realized that he was living on the autism spectrum as he was about to retire at 65--and author Peter O'Neil will be joining to discuss it at our next meeting on July 26th!
www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYCCZ53...
www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYCCZ53...
Reposted by Opening Arguments Podcast
It really sucked that DOJ put @katmabu.bsky.social and the other Broadview defendants through all of that, but these transcripts that no one was ever supposed to see were funnier than anything we ever could have hoped for
We read a lot of transcripts around here, but reading the unredacted excerpts from the Broadview 6 grand jury proceedings that DOJ tried to cover up was about as much fun as we have ever had. Both parts out now on Gavel Gavel!
open.spotify.com/episode/2ij6...
open.spotify.com/episode/2ij6...
GG73: We Have the Broadview Grand Jury Transcripts. They Are Incredible.
Gavel Gavel · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 2, 2026 at 2:52 AM
It really sucked that DOJ put @katmabu.bsky.social and the other Broadview defendants through all of that, but these transcripts that no one was ever supposed to see were funnier than anything we ever could have hoped for
We read a lot of transcripts around here, but reading the unredacted excerpts from the Broadview 6 grand jury proceedings that DOJ tried to cover up was about as much fun as we have ever had. Both parts out now on Gavel Gavel!
open.spotify.com/episode/2ij6...
open.spotify.com/episode/2ij6...
GG73: We Have the Broadview Grand Jury Transcripts. They Are Incredible.
Gavel Gavel · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 2, 2026 at 2:37 AM
We read a lot of transcripts around here, but reading the unredacted excerpts from the Broadview 6 grand jury proceedings that DOJ tried to cover up was about as much fun as we have ever had. Both parts out now on Gavel Gavel!
open.spotify.com/episode/2ij6...
open.spotify.com/episode/2ij6...
Reposted by Opening Arguments Podcast
A great breakdown of the Prairieland sentencing by the always-excellent @openargs.bsky.social
open.spotify.com/episode/1CSa...
open.spotify.com/episode/1CSa...
Prairieland - 30 Years for Moving Magazines. These Are Real Human Lives, Ruined.
Opening Arguments · Episode
open.spotify.com
June 28, 2026 at 11:58 PM
A great breakdown of the Prairieland sentencing by the always-excellent @openargs.bsky.social
open.spotify.com/episode/1CSa...
open.spotify.com/episode/1CSa...
Reposted by Opening Arguments Podcast
Trump v. Barbara may go down as one of the most expected outcomes in SCOTUS history and these people are holding it until the last minute just to look as beneficent and fair-minded as possible when they side with the plain text of the 14th Amendment over a memo that Stephen Miller wrote for Trump
June 29, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Trump v. Barbara may go down as one of the most expected outcomes in SCOTUS history and these people are holding it until the last minute just to look as beneficent and fair-minded as possible when they side with the plain text of the 14th Amendment over a memo that Stephen Miller wrote for Trump
Reposted by Opening Arguments Podcast
the timing of this decision is the message: this is Important, and we are Making History by doing it
when it is in fact much more like a shitty boyfriend making a whole thing out of actually remembering your birthday this year
when it is in fact much more like a shitty boyfriend making a whole thing out of actually remembering your birthday this year
June 29, 2026 at 3:06 PM
the timing of this decision is the message: this is Important, and we are Making History by doing it
when it is in fact much more like a shitty boyfriend making a whole thing out of actually remembering your birthday this year
when it is in fact much more like a shitty boyfriend making a whole thing out of actually remembering your birthday this year
This Friday on OA we'll be going deep on just how poorly constructed the government's case against the Prarieland defendants was, the absurd stretch to "terrorism" charges, and what this national travesty can tell us about how Trump's DOJ will continue to criminalize and prosecute dissent
Repost this if you "share a similar ideology" to these kind, decent, community-minded people who took a brave stand against the same American fascism which has just condemned them to spend most of the rest of their lives in federal prison for attending a peaceful protest
Judge O’Connor stated from the bench that he is giving maximum sentences to the Prairieland sentences because “the state wants to send a message to anyone who shares a similar ideology.”
Additionally, motions 29 and 33 for acquittal and a new trial were denied from the bench.
Additionally, motions 29 and 33 for acquittal and a new trial were denied from the bench.
June 24, 2026 at 7:53 PM
This Friday on OA we'll be going deep on just how poorly constructed the government's case against the Prarieland defendants was, the absurd stretch to "terrorism" charges, and what this national travesty can tell us about how Trump's DOJ will continue to criminalize and prosecute dissent
Reposted by Opening Arguments Podcast
regular reminder: most of the millions of projected USAID / DOGE deaths haven't happened yet. they are absolutely still preventable — but only if we demand that democrats prioritize it once they retake power. it's a moral imperative
June 23, 2026 at 11:00 PM
regular reminder: most of the millions of projected USAID / DOGE deaths haven't happened yet. they are absolutely still preventable — but only if we demand that democrats prioritize it once they retake power. it's a moral imperative
Reposted by Opening Arguments Podcast
Vital context for this case that every American should know something about in our interview with a @dfwsupportcommitt.bsky.social member and attorney. So many people have done so much to support these cases, an absolute model of community defense
podcasts.apple.com/bn/podcast/p...
podcasts.apple.com/bn/podcast/p...
Peaceful Protestors Are Facing Decades in Prison - Inside the Prairieland Trial
Podcast Episode · Opening Arguments · 13 April · 1hr 2min
podcasts.apple.com
June 23, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Vital context for this case that every American should know something about in our interview with a @dfwsupportcommitt.bsky.social member and attorney. So many people have done so much to support these cases, an absolute model of community defense
podcasts.apple.com/bn/podcast/p...
podcasts.apple.com/bn/podcast/p...
What should we read next for Book Club? We are looking for law-related books (fiction or non)/longform journalism pieces written for a general audience. We're aiming to have each book club meeting include time both to discuss the book amongst ourselves and at least 30 minutes with the author
June 20, 2026 at 1:03 AM
What should we read next for Book Club? We are looking for law-related books (fiction or non)/longform journalism pieces written for a general audience. We're aiming to have each book club meeting include time both to discuss the book amongst ourselves and at least 30 minutes with the author
Reminder to join fellow patrons next Sunday June 28th for our inaugural Book Club discussion of Peter Canellos's excellent new first-ever biography of our least favorite sitting Supreme Court justice--featuring a visit from the author!
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Reveng...
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Reveng...
Revenge for the Sixties
The first-ever biography of the most pivotal Justice on the Supreme Court whose decisions, like the overturning of Roe, will drive the reshaping of...
www.simonandschuster.com
June 20, 2026 at 12:55 AM
Reminder to join fellow patrons next Sunday June 28th for our inaugural Book Club discussion of Peter Canellos's excellent new first-ever biography of our least favorite sitting Supreme Court justice--featuring a visit from the author!
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Reveng...
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Reveng...