Supreme Court Brief

On this week's episode of Supreme Court Brief, Jimmy interviews University of Washington School of Law Professor Eric Schnapper, who will argue his latest Supreme Court case Monday, fifty-four years after his debut at the high court in 1974 before Chief Justice Warren Burger and others. Schnapper describes how the court has changed over the years, and why he thinks the "bad old days" of statutory interpretation, in fact, get a bad rap from today's high court.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Guest: Eric Schnapper

Producer: Charles Garnar

On this week's episode, Law.com reporters Jimmy Hoover and Alyssa Aquino break down the latest week in Supreme Court news, from an emergency order blocking Trump's gender-care ban for trans prisoners to the latest cases added to this term's merits docket. Those include whether the 160-year-old federal ban on distilling spirits at home violates the Constitution.

Hosts: Jimmy Hover and Alysa Aquino

Producer: Charles Garnar

On this week's episode, Supreme Court reporter Jimmy Hoover interviews law professor Neil Siegel about his latest scholarship on how the Supreme Court practices judicial self-preservation to mitigate conflicts with the Trump administration. Plus, Jimmy breaks down a new DOGE case set to be argued later this term, along with this week's hearings in cases about federal sentencing and online privacy.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Guest: Neil Siegel

Producer: Charles Garnar

On the first day of the October 2026 term Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court confronted a wave of new state climate lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry. Law.com reporters Jimmy Hoover and Alyssa Aquino discuss the justices' tough questions for energy giants Exxon Mobil and Suncor as they seek to end one such lawsuit from Boulder County, Colorado. Plus, recapping the latest headlines from Justice Samuel Alito's new book tour.

Hosts: Jimmy Hoover and Alyssa Aquino

Producer: Charles Garnar

Catch up on all the latest episodes of Supreme Court Brief at Law.com, Apple and Spotify.

The start of the October 2026 term is almost here, bringing major cases on climate change lawsuits, the Second Amendment and voting rights. Listen as Supreme Court reporter Jimmy Hoover and co-host Alyssa Aquino break down the top issues to watch in this special preview episode of Supreme Court Brief. Hosts: Jimmy Hoover & Alyssa Aquino Producer: Charles Garnar

This week on Supreme Court Brief, Jimmy recaps the latest developments on the Supreme Court's emergency docket concerning the November midterms. Plus, Supreme Court lawyer Dan Geyser joins the show to discuss his new firm's SCOTUS practice and how to navigate the court's shrinking merits docket.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Guest: Dan Geyser

Producer: Charles Garnar

On this week's episode, Jimmy interviews University of Oklahoma Law Professor Hayley Stillwell about her recent experiments using various AI tools to try to predict the outcome of Supreme Court cases. While broadly accurate, the tools often failed to anticipate areas of consensus among the court's nine members, she said. Also this week, Jimmy discusses the latest Supreme Court news about President Donald Trump's White House ballroom.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Guest: Hayley Stillwell

Producer: Charles Garnar

Just one in three Americans approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing, the lowest figure on record. Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones joins Supreme Court Brief host Jimmy Hoover to discuss the group's latest findings, and what's behind the court's sinking reputation.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Guest: Jeff Jones

Producer: Charles Garnar

On this episode of Supreme Court Brief, Jimmy Hoover interviews law professor Ilya Somin about his big takeaways from the October 2025 term, which served up several conservative wins across a range of areas, even as the court distanced itself from some of President Donald Trump's more controversial policies.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Guest: Ilya Somin

Producer: Charles Garnar

interviews University of Chicago Law School Professor Curtis Bradley about the court's recent rulings in Cisco Systems v. Doe I and Exxon Mobil v. Corporacion Cimex. Bradley, a well-known international legal scholar, explains how the Cisco decision spells the end of lawsuits from foreign nationals brought under the centuries-old Alien Tort Statute over human rights abuses. He also breaks down the court's ruling in Exxon that the oil giant may may sue Cuban state oil entities over property allegedly stolen by the Castro regime following the revolution, holding they are not shielded by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. Host: Jimmy Hoover Guest: Curtis Bradley Producer: Charles Garnar

This week on Supreme Court Brief, Jimmy breaks down Thursday's unanimous decision barring prosecutions of recreational marijuana users for gun possession—a major victory for weed and gun rights advocates alike. Also this episode: Law.com litigation reporter Alyssa Aquino returns to the show to break down a recent ruling curbing suits from activist investors seeking more voting power at hedge funds. In other news this week, a look at Thursday's decision reining in appeal waivers for criminal sentences, which have become a standard part of plea agreements signed by criminal defendants. In an 8-1 decision, the court said that those waivers should be unenforceable if they would lead to a "miscarriage of justice" that brings the judiciary into "disrepute." Host: Jimmy Hoover Guest: Alyssa Aquino Producer: Charles Garnar

This week, a breakdown of the Supreme Court's unanimous decision in Sripetch v. SEC, upholding the regulator's power to order disgorgement from fraudsters in insider trading and other complex fraud cases with no easily identifiable victims. Jimmy interviews Law.com and New York Law Journal litigation reporter Alyssa Aquino about what this means for the SEC's enforcement powers going forward. Plus, a look at the FCC's pyrrhic victory over AT&T and Verizon over its in-house forfeiture orders, and why generic drugmakers came out on top in a patent ruling over so-called "skinny labels" for pharmaceuticals. Host: Jimmy Hoover Guest: Alyssa Aquino Producer: Charles Garnar

On this week's episode of Supreme Court Brief, Jimmy speaks with Jennifer Bennett of Gupta Wessler on recent Supreme Court rulings in favor of workers, including her unanimous victory last week on behalf of a last-mile delivery driver in Colorado. Also, Jimmy breaks down the latest action from the justices affecting the midterm elections, and a recent ruling curbing the availability of "compassionate release" for federal prisoners.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Guest: Jennifer Bennett

Producer: Charles Garnar

On this episode of Supreme Court Brief, Jimmy updates listeners about a recent decision from the Supreme Court exposing four major cruise lines to $110 million judgments for docking at Havana during a thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations. Plus, a look at the court's summary reversal ending a suit by immigration judges saying their free speech rights are being stifled by the federal government.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Producer: Charles Garnar

On this week's episode of Supreme Court Brief, Jimmy interviews Jeff Wall, who recently joined the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher from Sullivan & Cromwell. Wall talks about his time in the U.S. solicitor general's office and what he hopes to accomplish at his new firm, which he described as the "Yankees" of appellate lawyering. Also this week: a look at a major new employment case at the Supreme Court next term focusing on whether college employees—from sports coaches to professors—may sue for sex discrimination under Title IX. Host: Jimmy Hoover Guest: Jeff Wall Producer: Charles Garnar

On this week's episode, Jimmy breaks down the latest election disputes to hit the Supreme Court's docket, including a last-ditch effort from Virginia Democrats to preserve the states new voter-approved map giving them five additional House seats. Plus, Jimmy talks through the Supreme Court's two unanimous rulings Thursday morning.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Producer: Charles Garnar

On this week's episode, Jimmy does a deep-dive on the Supreme Court's recent decision weakening the Voting Rights Act with UCLA Law Professor Rick Hasen, who explains why the case has left the justices' emotions "bubbling up to the surface." That was most evident from an extraordinary clash between Justices Samuel Alito and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Plus, a look at the latest battle over the abortion drug mifepristone to land on the Supreme Court's shadow docket. Host: Jimmy Hoover Guest: Rick Hasen Producer: Charles Garnar

On this week's episode, Jimmy breaks down Wednesday's decision in Louisiana v. Callais delivering a major blow to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In an ideologically split-6-3 ruling, the court largely prohibited states from intentionally boosting minority voting representation through the redistricting process. The decision led to a forceful dissent from liberal Justice Elena Kagan, who said the majority had set back a half-century of gains in minority representation in government. Also this week, Jimmy interviews Stanford Law Professor Orin Kerr about Monday's hearing in a cutting-edge Fourth Amendment case involving so-called "geofence warrants." Host: Jimmy Hoover Guest: Orin Kerr Producer: Charles Garnar

On this week's episode of Supreme Court Brief, host Jimmy Hoover touches on the recent leak of internal memos from a 2016 Supreme Court case, and previews an important First Amendment case set to be heard next term. This week's guest is Law.com and New York Law Journal reporter Alyssa Aquino, who joins the program to discuss Tuesday's Supreme Court hearing in a case over the SEC's power to order disgorgement from securities fraudsters.

Host: Jimmy Hoover

Guest: Alyssa Aquino

Producer: Charles Garnar

This week on Supreme Court Brief, host Jimmy Hoover interviews Gabe Roth, the head of the judicial watchdog group, Fix the Court. They discuss Roth's latest findings about the justices' overseas travel activities from a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. State Department, documents his group had to sue to obtain. Also on this episode: the Supreme Court's move clearing the way for the dismissal of Trump ally Steve Bannon's criminal case. The court in an order on Monday, April 6, granted the Justice Department's request to throw out an appeals court ruling upholding Bannon's convictions for contempt of Congress. Bannon was prosecuted during the Biden administration after refusing to comply with subpoenas from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The "MAGA" podcaster served a four month prison sentence following the convictions. Host: Jimmy Hoover Guest: Gabe Roth Producer: Charles Garnar