Heather Loveridge

December 27, 2019December 27, 2019

Transcript of OA345: How John Roberts Saved Christmas (Or: Everything You Need to Know About Nixon v. US)

Listen to the episode and read the show notes

Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments. Merry Christmas Andrew Torrez! I’m Thomas Smith, how’s it going Andrew?

Andrew: Merry Christmas Thomas Smith, happy holidays, I am doing fantastic. How are you?

Thomas: Oh, good! I was visited by three ghosts in the night.

Andrew: Okay?

Thomas: And I’ve gotta turn myself around.

December 24, 2019December 24, 2019

Transcript of OA344: Did the Mormon Church Really Hide $100 Billion in Assets From the IRS? (Feat. Bryce Blakenagel)

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Topics of Discussion

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 344, I’m Thomas, that’s Andrew. How’re you doing, Andrew?

Andrew: I am fantastic, Thomas! How are you?

Thomas: Doin’ great. I am very excited to have our good friend, Bryce Blankenagel on the show from the various incendiary Mormon podcasts, ex-mormon podcasts, the Glass Box podcast and Naked Mormonism. So excited to get to that because it’s possible that the Mormon church is hiding $100 billion in taxable assets?

Andrew: I read this article in the Washington Post, I looked at it and I was like [Stammers] somebody – journalists are as bad with numbers as they are with the law. It has to mean they’re hiding $100 million, right?

Thomas: Which still would be insane, by the way.

Andrew: Right, which if you have $100 million that you would like-

Thomas: Patreon.com/law! [Laughs]

Andrew: Head on over to patreon.com/law. [Laughs] We will not tell! No, this story is amazing and I love the we have Bryce here to explain the facts, he knows some of the inner workings and I’m gonna get a chance to delve into arcane provisions in the tax law, which just – that’s like throwin’ a yule log on the fire over here at-

December 23, 2019December 23, 2019

Transcript of OA343: The End of the ACA? (Also: Some Stuff About Impeachment)

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to impeachmeeeeeent!!! [Celebratory clownhorns] Put those sound effects in-

Andrew: [Laughs] I like how you did a little Michael Buffer, there!

Thomas: [Laughs] Yeah! [Announcer voice] Let’s get ready to impeach in the Senaaate! Hello everybody, it’s Opening Arguments episode 343, I’m Thomas, that over there is Andrew and that over there is impeach President Trump.

[Trump – “So true!”]

Andrew: Yeah, yeah!

Thomas: It’s done. Happened.

December 18, 2019December 18, 2019

Transcript of OA342: Why the Supreme Court Should Scare You Even More Than It Already Does

Listen to the episode and read the show notes

Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 342. I’m Thomas Smith, that over there is Andrew Torrez, how’re ya doing sir?

Andrew: I am fantastic. I am on pins and needles for the drastic, dramatic OA fantasy football semi-finals tomorrow, I’ll be rooting for Blank Boxman since my team just narrowly missed making the playoffs.

Thomas: Yeah. Wait, this happens on Tuesday, so semi-finals already happened.

Andrew: Oh yeah. Well then there you go.

Thomas: Time machine malfunction, everybody! Andrew-

Andrew: I’m basking in the glory of your upset victory.

December 13, 2019December 13, 2019

Transcript of OA341: Articles of Impeachment (& Espinoza)

Listen to the episode and read the show notes

Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 341, I’m Thomas, that’s Andrew. How’re you doing, Andrew?

Andrew: I am spectacular, Thomas! How are you?

Thomas: Ah, doing great. I can’t wait for today’s episode, I wanna learn more about impeachment, and I also love that you’ve slotted our Wild Card segment that [Laughing] we haven’t been able to get to for, I dunno, a month.

Andrew: [Laughs]

Thomas: You’ve slotted that into the A Segment to make sure we get to this good listeners question. But before all that, a quick 35-minutes on my Fantasy Football birth.

Andrew: [Laughs]

December 11, 2019December 11, 2019

Transcript of OA340: OA and Serial, or, Why the Supreme Court Denied Cert in Syed v. Maryland

Listen to the episode and read the show notes

Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 340. I’m Thomas, that’s Andrew. How ya doing, Andrew?

Andrew: I’m fantastic, Thomas, how are you?

Thomas: I am mainly just in absolute cliffhanger mode, I just can’t even deal with the fact that I have no idea how I did on the bar question.

December 9, 2019December 9, 2019

Transcript of OA339: Who is Jonathan Turley, Anyway?

Listen to the episode and read the show notes

Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 339. I am Thomas Smith, that’s Andrew Torrez. How’re you doing Andrew?

Andrew: I am fantastic Thomas, how are you?

Thomas: I’m great! You know, we have so much to talk about today, so many good segments that I’m not even going to mention the fact that I have my 27^th consecutive cold in a row.

Andrew: [Laughs]

Thomas: Not even gonna bring it up!

December 5, 2019December 5, 2019

Transcript of OA338: Nondelegation and the “Administrative State”

Listen to the episode and read the show notes

Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 338, I’m Thomas Smith, that over there is P. Andrew Torrez, esquire. How ya doing?

Andrew: I am fantastic Thomas, how are you?

Thomas: I am probably still stuffed with non potato skin mashed potatoes.

Andrew: [Laughs]

Thomas: Just pure, directly into my arteries. That’s another reason you don’t want the skins in there, ‘cuz it’s just going in your bloodstream, it’s just so much potatoes, just part of my circulatory system.

December 1, 2019December 1, 2019

Transcript of OA336: Warren’s Wealth Tax & CRA for SCOTUS?

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 336. I’m Thomas Smith, that over there is Andrew Torrez, how’re you doing Andrew?

Andrew: I am doing fantastic Thomas! How are you?

Thomas: I am doing even better because we have got the deepest of deep dives, I can’t wait for this episode because there’s some really cool law stuff happening and I’m just excited, and it’s not necessarily revolving around Trump which is fun. It’s a nice change of pace, I think.

December 1, 2019December 1, 2019

Transcript of OA337: How to Talk to Your (Republican) Family About Impeachment

[Show Intro]

Thomas: Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 337. Gobble, gobble, gobble! I’m Thomas-

Andrew: [Laughs]

Thomas: -that’s Andrew. How’re ya doing?

Andrew: Gobble gobble to you, Thomas! Happy Thanksgiving, we’re gonna get this episode out a little bit early for listeners so that if you have a long commute on Thursday out to visit your family you’ll have something to keep you company and maybe we’ll have some guidelines for how to have a productive conversation with your Republican family over Thanksgiving. I think that’s kind of our goal for this episode, right?

Thomas: Yeah, I think we’re gonna touch on the controversial stuff, like for example, mashed potatoes: skins in or out? I think there’s no more contentious – I mean, there’s impeachment all that crap, but-

Andrew: Yeah, but obviously that’s a skins out.

Thomas: Oh thank god!

Andrew: You’ve gotta use a-

Thomas: Oh thank god, okay, finally! We don’t have to have a big public fight, Andrew and I agree on the correct opinion. Look, I’m not throwing mashed potatoes with skins out of bed, [Laughs]

Andrew: No, that’s right!

Thomas: I mean I’ll eat them, but…