First Mondays

After recapping some SCOTUS news and grants, we dig into a preview of Carpenter v. United States with Orin Kerr.

We wrap up the November sitting with argument recaps, the first opinions of the term, and a very unusual certiorari petition that the Department of Justice filed in a hot-button case that involves both abortion and undocumented immigrants.

We recap arguments in Wilson v. Sellers and Artis v. District of Columbia, and then we preview this week’s argument in Patchak v. Zinke, and debate why the Court cares about the separation-of-powers issue in the case. And, Leah gets a promotion.

For our first-ever live show, we traveled to the University of Michigan—go Blue—and are joined by alumna Leah Litman. Before we ring in the November sitting, we discuss the important stuff: expensive sandwiches, factual errors, and the travel ban.

The first sitting of OT17 has come to a close, and Nina Totenberg joins us again to discuss the term so far. We've got recaps of Jesner v. Arab Bank and Hamer v. Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, and a quick look at the December argument calendar.

We made it through the first week of the term, and not without some bumps along the way. (Looking at you, new transcription company.) Misha Tseytlin, Solicitor General of Wisconsin, joins us to recap his argument in Gill v. Whitford, the partisan gerrymandering case. We'll also recap some immigration rearguments, look ahead to next week, and find out just how Justice Gorsuch likes his steak. This episode is sponsored by Ironclad, a software solution that streamlines contract creation processes, such as redlining and signature collection. For more information or to request a demo, visit https://www.ironcladapp.com/

It's the first Monday of the Supreme Court's October Term 2017, and the first episode of the second season of First Mondays. We'll catch up on SCOTUS news, sift through the grants that came out of the long conference, and preview some of the cases to be argued this coming week. In other words: we're back. This episode is sponsored by Warby Parker, which offers boutique-quality eyewear at a revolutionary price point. To get five pairs of glasses to try on at home for free, go to http://www.warbyparker.com/firstmondays.

The Supreme Court did juuuust enough to warrant us stepping back into Historic First Mondays Studios. We’ll talk about the recently released November argument calendar, the latest in the travel ban, and whether or not Justice Gorsuch should give a speech at the Trump Hotel in DC. We also talk about Supreme Court specialization, the Solicitor General's office, and how to efficiently fact check our show with Willy Jay of Goodwin Procter's appellate practice.

We’re still about a month away from the kick-off of OT2017, and the Court has been pretty quiet. But we’ve been hard at working making some bonus episodes for our Patreon subscribers. First, we talked a little longer to John Elwood, who you heard a couple of weeks ago in the episode "Third Class Webelo." Turns out, he’s kind of a big deal. Then, this week, we got out of the law school and into the vineyard with professional wine consultant Danielle Callegari. They’re both great conversations, and they’ll help tide you over until Court is in session. Become a subscriber at patreon.com/firstmondays. It’s just five bucks a month, and you’ll get to hear all the rest of the bonus episodes we’ve made. Thanks for listening, and stay firstie.

While Ian is off on a boat somewhere, or maybe in the wilderness of Croatia (we're not super sure), Dan and Leah get up to speed on a surprisingly busy summer week at the Supreme Court. In additions to some briefs showing up, one case got the DIG treatment. And it's a bankruptcy case, so we bring in resident bankruptcy expert Danielle D'Onfro to make it understandable for the rest of us. Then, we have an interview with the great John Elwood, partner in Vinson & Elkins' Appellate practice group, and creator of SCOTUSblog's Relist Watch.

To celebrate our new partnership with SCOTUSblog, we're unlocking one of our favorite bonus episodes for everyone to enjoy. It's an interview with Lisa Blatt of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer. With a record of 33-2, she's one of the winningest Supreme Court advocates ever. She talks with us about what she goes through in preparing for a case, and the responsibilities advocates have toward their clients. To listen to the rest of our bonus episodes, visit patreon.com/firstmondays. Five bucks a month gets you access to all the ones we've out out so far, and all the ones we have coming up.

The Supreme Court maybe now be in recess for the summer, but there's still stuff going on. In our universe, we're pumped for a new partnership with everyone's favorite Supreme Court website, SCOTUSblog. Not to be confused with the Supreme Court's actual website, which got a much-anticipated makeover sometime after we recorded this episode. Plus, the October argument calendar was released, and those two weeks alone are already more interesting than all of OT2016 combined. Finally, we had a great conversation with Kannon Shanmugam, Supreme Court advocate extraordinaire and head of Williams & Connolly's SCOTUS and Appellate Litigation practice.

To kick off our summer schedule, we're pleased to rebroadcast the episode of Oral Argument we appeared on, which originally aired May 6th, 2017. We joined Christian Turner and Joe Miller to talk about physics conundrums, the politics of Supreme Court nominations, and radically changing the rules governing the Supreme Court’s docket. For more episodes of Oral Argument, visit oralargument.org.

It’s the finale of our first season! To celebrate all that was OT2016, and to look to the year ahead, we went to the queen of SCOTUS radio herself: Nina Totenberg. We also dish out superlatives— best dig at an advocate, best quip in an argument, worst opinion, etc. And you’ll notice that we replaced the theme music with something a little more, well, custom. Thanks for an amazing first season of First Mondays, and #stayfirstie. Much like the justices, we’ll be switching to a summer schedule. You can expect two episode a month, and if that’s not enough, become a Patreon subscriber to get two bonus episodes each month, too! Sign up for just $5/month at patreon.com/firstmondays.

We couldn't possibly keep it short for the last recap episode of OT2016. We all know the last week of the term means all the blockbuster opinions get announced, and we're here to help you make sense of them. And for Trinity Lutheran and the travel ban, we call in the big guns in the form of Professor Marty Lederman. So while you're driving to a cookout or watching fireworks in the back of a pickup truck, celebrate the good ol' US of A by listening to two glorious hours about her Supreme Court.

It’s the penultimate recap for the term, wherein the justices hath bestowed upon us twelve (12) new opinions in one week. Time for a lengthy—but spirited—Opin-o-rama! We pick out a few of our favorites to go in depth, and then we institute Lightning Round Rules to cover the rest. Then, it’s time for some game theory, so they say, as we try to figure out who is writing which of the remaining six opinions. Welcome to the Cyber Age, and thanks for listening.

With just a couple of weeks to go, we're racing toward the OT2016 finish line. Plenty of blunders, orders, and opinions to address-- including Justice Gorsuch's first opinion. Plus, we'll discuss one of the biggest cases of the year that has, in our opinion, made the world worse.

We hash out another week of SCOTUS news, this time with guest host Leah Litman. Yes, we recap orders and opinions, but more importantly, we finally solve a weeks-long First Monday mystery: who began the clerks' happy hour tradition? And don't stop listening after the credits. Leah came armed with Beckles-related puns, and you need them in your life.

One of us got married this weekend; the other read the opinions. Listen to the episode and try to figure who did what.

After a brief break for a trip to Vegas, we're back with a jackpot of opinions to recap. Yep, we break down each of the six opinions that have been released in the last couple of weeks. We've got everything from gerrymandering to patents to arbitration agreements to bankruptcy. Plenty to keep you entertained while you're stuck in holiday traffic.