Minor correction: On today's show Matt stated that the 1933 Reichstag Fire was not the act of a lone arsonist & that the Nazis assisted. This is not a fully established historical fact, although many historians have made the case for it. Sources in the next post

This Week's Onion Magazine:

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As anyone who has been online in the past week already knows the death of Charlie Kirk generated enough to fuel several years of Vapid Response Wednesdays, but we got it down to 2 hrs. Part I: the man in his own words, & the (very bad) case for Kirk as the "American Socrates"

"complete gibberish, nonsense, and balderdash" --Charlie Kirk on the idea that climate change is an existential threat to humanity (2024) "not incredibly important" --Charlie Kirk on global warming (August 2025) of course Trump's EPA loves him

OA is now three shows in one! STILL GOOD LAW MONDAYS: Matt & Jenessa break down classic Warren Court-era SCOTUS cases VAPID RESPONSE WEDNESDAY: Matt & our producers give their unedited review of the worst opeds we can find RAPID RESPONSE FRIDAY: Matt & Jenessa explain law in the news (classic OA)

Next week in our Still Good Law series; Katz v US (1967), the Warren Court's landmark holding that the Fourth Amendment is for people, not places. Working title: KATZ RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME

Another friendly reminder that the sister show to @openargs.bsky.social, Gavel Gavel, has been going DEEP on the lawsuit(s) between Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni, and the related cases that most people overlook. BONUS! Coverage of a SH case from people who haven't been credibly accused of SH! 🙃

If Vapid Response Wednesday didn't already exist we would have had to create it just to process the harvest of truly deranged takes the past few days has brought us

Just FYI Thomas is still producing the show and joining live with Matt and Lydia for Vapid Response Wednesdays (be sure to catch one if you haven't yet!), but Matt and Jenessa Seymour are holding it down for a bit with Monday deep dives and Rapid Response Fridays to give him a much-needed break

By loud and popular patron demand we finally did a My Cousin Vinny episode! The whole thing is up now on Patreon, and one big spicy meatball of an excerpt is available anywhere else you get podcasts Patreon.com/law

Please support independent media, where shows like ours still have the freedom to remind you that Charlie Kirk made his name on hate and division without anyone getting fired

In a totally disingenuous NYT oped we covered on OA's Vapid Response Weds last month, Harvard law prof Adrian Vermeule pretended (inter alia) as if the Wilcox order was some kind of clear and binding precedent & blamed lower courts for not receiving it as "notice"--all w/o mentioning Humphrey's

90 yrs ago SCOTUS told FDR directly that he couldn't fire an FTC commissioner over policy disagreements--only for cause. This court has now for at least the 3rd time this year indicated *on the shadow docket w/out explanation* that it no longer considers Humphrey's Executor to be good law

I have this thing about end credits songs which tell you about the movie you just watched. I'll reveal on our upcoming special episode on legal comedy GOAT "My Cousin Vinny" what my favorite is--what's yours? (Travis Tritt's MCV "Bible Belt" rewrite for reference) www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7QB...

Just because everything else is terrible, we're sparing ourselves a Law'd Awful Movie for a second straight month and following the very good "Juror #2" with the absolute legal comedy GOAT "My Cousin Vinny"

If you are one of these former DOJ lawyers (or you can connect us with one), we want to talk to you! Drop a note to [email protected]

as the DHS hiring surge gets going there's really only one realistic way that we can pull together to stop what's coming with ICE. But the good news is that (A) it's hardly any effort, and (B) you're probably already doing it here's THE BIG FREEZE in 40 shareable seconds

NOW ON YOUTUBE & EVERYWHERE YOU GET PODCASTS! Is this the most corrupt thing the DOJ has ever done in public? How many helicopters could someone could forget purchasing? OA's got the most extensive breakdown of DOJ's bizarre hang w/Epstein accomplice #GhislaineMaxwell yet youtu.be/vqMXN-IgFoU?...

Some title proposals for this week's multi-part episode on the most corrupt thing DOJ has ever done in public in the style of Robert Maxwell's Daily Mail: MAXWELL'S SILVER YAMMER ALL'S WELL THAT MAXWELL MS. MAXWELL BEGS YOUR PARDON A PROFFER TRUMP CAN'T REFUSE INSANE IN THE GHISLAINE

Did the founding fathers want a king? Here's what a group of originalist legal scholars had to say.

My working title for this episode which we'll be recording tonight with resident OA NYC defense expert @lizskeen.bsky.social is MAXWELL'S SILVER YAMMER which is somehow not already an actual NY Post headline about this unspeakably bizarre moment in DOJ history

Today’s @openargs.bsky.social redistricting in TX, why NY probably won’t join that fight, Trump’s on his bs again about absentee ballots, changes to immigration standards, & a trademarks case Check it out on Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o... Or Overcast (not a sponsor, just my fav player):

OA EXCLUSIVE: @seriouspod.bsky.social has cleaned up and stitched together the best version of the audio of Ghislaine Maxwell's bizarre DOJ sitdown available to the public, just fyi for anyone who enjoys their lies in the highest possible fidelity youtu.be/fghaerQY6oA?...

On this Friday's OA: The Trump administration has decided that it is now the arbiter of "good moral character" (loll) and which speech, associations, and activities should be considered "anti-American" as a matter of law

OA Book Club, is that anything?

Whiny opeds from insecure white guys complaining about how unqualified and unprofessional Ketanji Brown Jackson is have become a whole-ass genre recently! Join us next week on Vapid Response Wednesday for a tour of some especially delicate psyches thefederalist.com/2025/08/20/k...

Unlike the total squares at THE CITY we are pleased to announce that our palms are open to receiving the greasiest cash money the Eric Adams campaign can offer. We will never relent in our coverage of America‘s weirdest mayor, but we will take the money www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/w...

This week on Vapid Response Wednesday: The Boston Globe is wicked frickin' stupid, kehd! We review two consecutive opeds from Matt's hometown paper on why DC needs a police state and Trump needs a Nobel Peace Prize youtu.be/P8FymX_92L4?...

Really appreciating Jenessa’s work on recent episodes. You’re assembling a great team over there!

I was kind of hoping when we started this series that takes bad enough to justify a response from a general-interest legal podcast with an international audience would actually be some work to find every week, but no

Last week the Globe gave space to two of the stupidest op-eds I've ever read* and I have just turned my brain to applesauce ripping them apart with @seriouspod.bsky.social and @seriouslydiaonly.bsky.social in this week's Vapid Response (coming this Weds on @openargs.bsky.social)

In addition to being on mic for some of our projects, I also serve in a producer capacity for all of @seriouspod.bsky.social podcasts, including @openargs.bsky.social ! If you have a pitch for a show, reach out! I'm always looking for fantastic guests. #lawsky

Check out today's episode for more on THE BIG FREEZE and Matt's thoughts on how we can all fight the coming massive expansion of ICE where we are

It's true! Just a wealth of Dershowitz content in the past few weeks

This week on OA's Vapid Response Wednesday: the editors of @nationalreview.bsky.social think we're all "totally cracked" for noticing that ICE sure is doing a lot of Gestapo-like stuff. We discuss why this dumbass op-ed is a willful misunderstanding of the history of both ICE & the Gestapo

Was listening to @openargs.bsky.social and Matt wondered where to locate homeless data. Idk how much longer it will continue, but HUD does a point in time count each year. Here's info on it! (P.s. People can volunteer locally to help!) www.hudexchange.info/programs/hdx... pca.st/episode/8805...

The EO on homelessness is cruel, not evidence-based, and will hit major legal challenges. Learn more on episode 1180 of @openargs.bsky.social Browser link: directory.libsyn.com/episode/inde...

You heard that right in today's episode: in addition to our classic opening theme written and produced by Thomas, our new outro music was written and produced by Matt! Here's the full track on.soundcloud.com/mL6OWKYisInC...

"Hundreds of people attended the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market this week to show support for the pierogi vendor who refused to sell dumplings to prominent attorney Alan Dershowitz at the market last week."

The chef-owner of Good Pierogi on Alan Dershowitz: "Our handcrafted pierogi, made with love from locally sourced ingredients, are so undeniably delicious, he'll do anything to get his hands on them."

Vital followup to today's Patreon bonus video from one of our new favorite Massholes on why Alan Dershowitz doesn't deserve to eat his tasty pierogi

We have a solid starting lineup for this series planned, but please share your favorite lesser-appreciated Warren Court decisions here for future consideration (or just because) #lawsky

High Priest of LSD" Dr. Timothy Leary might be the most famous person not named Donald Trump to bring his criminal case before the US Supreme Court. @jenessaseymour.bsky.social brings her unique background to discuss this surprisingly little-known moment in US drug policy podbay.fm/p/opening-ar...

I listened to this the same day as @openargs.bsky.social's two part interview with progressive prosecutor Chesa Boudin came out. It was interesting to see decarceration taken from the top down and bottom up, and I'd recommend listening to both. pca.st/episode/4ad4...

This was a fun one! Come to satisfy your curiosity about what we look like, stay for the gumballs. You really don't want to miss the gumballs

On today's first-ever Vapid Response Wednesday: (1) Epstein lawyer/alleged conspirator Alan Dershowitz would like you to know that there is literally "nothing to see here" and (2) immigration hardliner Roy Beck builds a giant strawman entirely out of gumballs youtu.be/zCFQsgsbZnI?...

Judge Trina Thompson cited comments from Noem and others comparing TPS holders — who have lawful status — to criminals and people in the country illegally. She said Noem's comments seemed to espouse replacement theory. "Color is neither a poison nor a crime" storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

"likely"

Tragedy strikes again in this week's #T3BE (quote skeet to play) and I don't know about you, but I'm not buying this "boating accident" story. Anthony definitely did it.