Tag: William Barr

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OA271: Dis-Barred (?) – The Mueller Report

Today, we break down the just-released [REDACTED] Mueller report. The top-line analysis? This is much worse than we anticipated in Episode 264. This report may not be the end of the road for Trump — but it almost certainly is the end of the road for Attorney General William Barr.

That’s it! We spend nearly 90 minutes delving through the minutiae and correcting the egregious misquotations in Barr’s now-laughable “summary” of the report.

Show Notes & Links

1. You can click here to read the full Mueller report, and here for the searchable PDF.

2. We first covered Barr’s summary in Episode 264, and you can read his laughably dishonest letter again right here. Oh, and we followed up with Prof. Randall Eliason in Episode 265.

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OA245: More on Barr and the Shutdown

Today’s episode covers the William Barr confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee to become the next Attorney General, as well as the ongoing legal battles regarding Trump’s shutdown of the government.

We begin with Barr, who’s proven to be a complex individual.  How did he fare in his testimony before the Senate?  Are there reasons for optimism? Is his notorious memorandum (which we covered in Episode 237) not really that bad?  The answers… are all over the map, and will certainly surprise you.

Then, we discuss the ongoing shutdown, which looks to prove Andrew Wrong by not ending tomorrow.  What are the legal implications?  How are they going to be resolved?  Is there any hope, either politically or legally?  Listen and find out!

Finally, it’s time for Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #110 which involves a dentist being sued for malpractice and product liability.  As always, remember to follow our Twitter feed (@Openargs) and like our Facebook Page so that you too can play along with #TTTBE!

Appearances

Andrew was just a guest on Episode 138 of the Naked Mormonism podcast.  Give it a listen!  And if you’d like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com.

Show Notes & Links

1. Kamala Harris’ statements regarding her opposition to Barr’s nomination.
2. Former Justice Department official of the George H.W. Bush administration Zachary Terwiliger and the speculation that he will once again be Barr’s deputy.
3. Barr’s concerning views on executive power and reasons he has drawn so much criticism.
4. We discuss our past Episode OA 237: Lowering the Barr (Memo)
5. Jonathan Turley, GWU Law professor and gadfly, arguing about Barr
7. Jack Goldsmith, HLS professor, has written a response.  “A Qualified Defense of the Barr Memo: Part I”
8. The 1995 OLC memo: Application of 28 U.S.C. § 458 to Presidential Appointments of Federal Judges
9. 28 U.S.C. § 458: Relative of Justice or Judge Ineligible to Appointment
10. Marist polling data on the Shutdown
11. NTEU v. Mulvaney
12. Barr’s written testimony

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And email us at openarguments@gmail.com

 

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OA244: Clarence Thomas vs. Thurgood Marshall

Today’s episode features a little more about Corey Robin, including the argument addressed on the show that criticisms of Clarence Thomas’s competence are a racist echo of similar claims made against Thurgood Marshall.  Find out why Andrew made the mistake he did in Episode 242, and also why Andrew still stands behind his answer to that question.

We begin with Robin, winding our way from his blog posts to the jurisprudence of two of Andrew’s heroes, Laurence Tribe and Ronald Dworkin!  Ultimately, you’ll learn why Andrew continues to defend the proposition that attacks on Thomas’s competence are not inherently racist.

After that, it’s time for some behind-the-scenes news about Attorney General nominee William Barr just in time for his confirmation hearings.  What company does he keep when it comes to interpreting the Founding Fathers?  Listen and find out!  (Hint:  this isn’t good.)

Finally, it’s time for the answer to Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #108 regarding real property.  As always, remember to follow our Twitter feed (@Openargs) and like our Facebook Page so that you too can play along with #TTTBE!

Appearances

None!  If you’d like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com.

Show Notes & Links

  1. We first discussed Robin in Episode 242 as part of a listener question.  You can click here to read his Tweet criticizing us for engaging in “tribalism” and playing identity politics.
  2. We discuss two Robin blog posts in depth:  (a) “Everything is in the Hands of Heaven Except the Fear of Heaven”, and (b) “The Scandal of Democracy”
  3. It was, in fact, Elena Kagan who said “we’re all textualists now” in 2015.
  4. Click here to check out Tribe’s 2008 book, The Invisible Constitution, which openly contests originalism (and directly engages Scalia in particular).
  5. You should also check out the Ronald Dworkin speech that was turned into an article in the Fordham Law Review.
  6. This is the 2001 Keith Whittington law review article that credits Robin with an assist.  This is Whittington’s page at the Federalist Society.
  7. We engage with this tweet from Robin listing four supposed examples of intellectual laziness leveled against Thurgood Marshall.
  8. Some Thurgood Marshall links:  (a) his confirmation as reported by the New York Times; and (b) this lovely retrospective on Thomas’s career penned by Juan Williams for the Washington Post.
  9. Finally, you can read some more stuff on Clarence Thomas:  (a) the 2014 rates of agreement among Supreme Court justices; and (b) this anecdote reported by attorney Matt Howell.
  10. If you have HeinOnline, you can read the Mark Tushnet law review article in the Georgetown Law Review we discuss on the show.  (Otherwise, you’re stuck reading the first page only.)

Support us on Patreon at:  patreon.com/law

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Don’t forget the OA Facebook Community!

For show-related questions, check out the Opening Arguments Wiki

And email us at openarguments@gmail.com

 

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