Advisory Opinions

The Illusion of Campaign Finance Reform

Sarah Isgur and David French kick things off by revisiting the Slaughter case and responding to an insightful access-to-justice question from a listener. Then they break down the Supreme Court’s latest GVR on school vaccine mandates before diving into two fresh oral arguments: Olivier v. City of Brandon [https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/olivier-v-city-of-brandon-mississippi/] and NRSC v. FEC. Plus, a brief return of grifter Sarah. The Agenda: —A correction to our livestream —The Supreme Court argument that could have been an email —Religious exemptions and vaccine mandates —The case of the street preacher —Understanding campaign finance law [https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/national-republican-senatorial-committee-v-federal-election-commission/] —The super PAC dilemma —Can Jasmine Crockett win Texas [https://www.notus.org/senate/jasmine-crockett-nrsc-texas-senate]? Show Notes: —Sarah's piece for the New York Times [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/opinion/supreme-court-trump-congress.html] Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch [http://thedispatch.com], a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here [http://thedispatch.com/join]. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here [https://thedispatch.com/join-premium/]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Slaughter at SCOTUS: Reaganite Ends by Roosevelt Means

Following the Supreme Court arguments in Slaughter v. United States, Sarah Isgur and David French join legal scholar Adam White to break down a session that became a referendum on whether Congress can insulate modern independent agencies from presidential control. SCOTUSblog [https://www.scotusblog.com/]’s Amy Howe also joins from the steps of the Supreme Court to relay her observations from inside the courtroom. Watch the livestream here [https://youtube.com/live/SGOR4GkALqM?feature=share]. 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 Dispatch’s offerings including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

All About Slaughter

Sarah Isgur and David French answer the masses’ demands in this pre-argument, foundational episode, diving into new levels of legal nerdery as they preview the oral arguments in the obscure administrative and constitutional law battle better known as Trump v. Slaughter. The Agenda: —Creating the modern administrative state —Striking the class of bureaucrats —‘But this wolf comes as a wolf [https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/06/the-lone-wolf/]’ —Taft takes care of his bros —Military justice and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s actions Show Notes: —Adam White’s episode with Sarah Isgur [https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/the-future-of-the-administrative-state-interview-adam-white/] —Join us for our December 8 livestream [https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/oral-argument-live-blog-for-monday-december-8/?_ptid=%7Bkpdx%7DAAAAy1RxNnvzdAoKbGtjVUlwd3NwdRIQbWlxZndhNjNwa25udmM5YxoMRVhDOFhXVFkxNUVGIiUxODA3cm1vMGJzLTAwMDAzNm41cWlwY2FybmFzZzR0dmpvNXBrKhpzaG93VGVtcGxhdGUxRUpQNEw1VkJXUzAyNzABOgxPVFVWMkNPSDhLQ0lSEnYtdQDwMjV0Ym54d2JqY1onMjYwNzpmYjkxOjQwMDA6ODU5NDo1MTRiOmY1MWQ6NjIyYTo3M2Y5YgNkbWNowdTHyQZwDXgE]! —Meyers v. United States [https://www.oyez.org/cases/1900-1940/272us52] —Can you challenge a state subpoena in federal court [http://scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/first-choice-womens-resource-centers-inc-v-platkin/]? Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch [http://thedispatch.com], a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here [http://thedispatch.com/join]. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here [https://thedispatch.com/join-premium/]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

‘Kill Everybody’

Sarah Isgur and David French break down Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s military orders [https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/28/hegseth-kill-them-all-survivors-boat-strike/] on the suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean. The Agenda: —Breaking down Hegseth’s orders —Catch our live AO episode next Monday! —Bloomberg law’s documentary —A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, Independent School District [https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/605/24-249/] —Frivolous lawsuits [https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5623505-penalties-trump-clinton-lawsuit/] —Sidelining Alina Habba [https://www.njd.uscourts.gov/sites/njd/files/StandingOrder2025-03USAttyAppointment.pdf] —President Trump’s last criminal case dismissed [https://www.newsweek.com/trump-no-longer-held-criminally-accountable-trying-overturn-election-11121021] —Catch up on our last podcast [https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/the-future-of-the-administrative-state-interview-adam-white/] Show Notes: —Jonathan Adler: Is the 4th Circuit the new 9th Circuit? [https://reason.com/volokh/2025/11/24/is-the-fourth-circuit-the-new-ninth/] —9th Circuit Judge Patrick Bumatay’s speech at the Federalist Society Convention [https://fedsoc.org/conferences/2025-national-lawyers-convention] Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch [http://thedispatch.com], a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here [http://thedispatch.com/join]. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here [https://thedispatch.com/join-premium/]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Future of the Administrative State | Interview: Adam White

Sarah Isgur invites Adam White, co-director of the Antonin Scalia Law School’s C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State, to identify the major administrative law issues on the horizon in the next five to 10 years. The Agenda: —The Roberts Court and the Trump Term —The legislative veto —Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha [https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep462/usrep462919/usrep462919.pdf] —Decline of congressional power —Supreme Court reform and the future of judicial powers Show Notes: —Adam's currently nameless newsletter at AEI [https://info.aei.org/adam-white-email-updates-sign-up] —Adam's column at SCOTUSblog [https://www.scotusblog.com/author/adam-white/] —The Foreshadow Docket [https://journals.law.harvard.edu/jlpp/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/2025/11/McFadden_Foreshadow-Docket-FINAL-PRINT.pdf] —Is Humphrey’s Executor headed for Slaughter [http://xn--is%20humphreys%20executor%20headed%20for%20slaughter-r036adi/?]? Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch [http://thedispatch.com], a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here [http://thedispatch.com/join]. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here [https://thedispatch.com/join-premium/]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]