Trial Tapes

Roe v. Wade: The Case That Made Abortion a Constitutional Right

Wed, 27 May 2026 02:33:42 GMT

In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution protects a woman's right to have an abortion. Jane Roe, a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey, challenged a Texas law that criminalized abortion except to save the mother's life. The Court's 7-2 decision established a trimester framework that would shape American law for nearly fifty years. This episode traces the legal arguments, the justices' reasoning, and the lasting impact of one of the most consequential rulings in Supreme Court history.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

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Miranda v. Arizona: The Case That Changed How Police Question Suspects

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:53:39 GMT

In 1966, the Supreme Court decided that the Constitution requires police to inform suspects of their rights before questioning them. Ernesto Miranda had confessed to kidnapping and rape after two hours of interrogation, without ever being told he could remain silent or have a lawyer present. This episode traces the case from a Phoenix police station to the highest court in the land, and the legal battle that gave us the Miranda warning.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

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Hernandez Corrato v. Trump: One Citizenship Application and a Federal Fight

Sat, 23 May 2026 11:42:54 GMT

On May 21, 2026, a new case landed on a federal docket in Pennsylvania. No trial date, no oral arguments, just a cause number and a name: Hernandez Corrato v. Trump. At the center is a single naturalization application and the question of what happens when the machinery of citizenship grinds to a halt. Trial Tapes walks through what the filing reveals and what it leaves unanswered.

The Lizzie Borden Trial: 40 Whacks and a Not Guilty Verdict

Fri, 22 May 2026 22:05:19 GMT

On August 4, 1893, someone killed Andrew and Abby Borden with a hatchet in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. The only suspect was their daughter, Lizzie. What followed was the most sensational murder trial of the 19th century, a case built on circumstantial evidence, conflicting testimony, and a defendant who never took the stand. The jury deliberated for ninety minutes. Built from trial transcripts, witness testimony, and historical court records.

District of Columbia v. Heller: The Case That Made Gun Ownership a Personal Right

Thu, 28 May 2026 11:52:30 GMT

In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own a firearm for self-defense in the home. A security guard in Washington, D.C. challenged the city's handgun ban. The 5-4 decision reshaped gun law in America and sparked a debate that continues today.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

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Dobbs v. Jackson: The Case That Overturned Roe v. Wade

Thu, 28 May 2026 11:50:22 GMT

In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade after nearly 50 years. Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban became the vehicle for the most consequential reversal of precedent in a generation. This episode traces the legal strategy, the oral arguments, and the 6-3 decision that sent abortion law back to the states.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

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Trump v. United States: Does a President Have Immunity from Criminal Prosecution?

Wed, 27 May 2026 02:31:45 GMT

In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled on whether a former president can be criminally prosecuted for actions taken while in office. The case arose from federal charges against Donald Trump related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The Court drew a line between official and unofficial acts, granting broad immunity for core presidential functions. This episode breaks down the arguments, the ruling, and what it means for the future of presidential power.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

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Brown v. Board of Education: The Case That Ended Separate but Equal

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:55:14 GMT

In 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. For fifty-eight years, the "separate but equal" doctrine from Plessy v. Ferguson had allowed states to keep Black and white children in different schools. This episode traces the legal strategy of Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP, the arguments before the Court, and the decision that changed America.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

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Bill Charles v. Donna McQueen: A Homeowner's Fight Over a Fence in a Planned Community

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:51:49 GMT

A homeowner in a planned community outside Nashville left a gate open and let a fence fall into disrepair. The HOA sued. What followed was a years-long legal battle over property rights, restrictive covenants, and how far a homeowners association can go to enforce its rules.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

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State v. Jury: A Decade-Long Fight to Reopen a Rape Conviction

Tue, 26 May 2026 11:00:25 GMT

More than a decade after a jury convicted him of rape, Brian Jury tried to force the courts to DNA-test the evidence and reopen his case by claiming the sex was consensual. This episode traces his long legal battle through post-conviction relief motions, procedural barriers, and the court's ultimate decision that he had simply run out of chances to be heard.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

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Knight Institute v. United States: The First Amendment and Government Transparency

Sat, 23 May 2026 19:21:44 GMT

The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University sued the federal government over access to public records. A federal court in Washington, DC weighed whether the First Amendment requires the government to be transparent about how it makes decisions that affect all of us. Trial Tapes reads the ruling and examines what it means for press freedom, public accountability, and the right to know.

In Re CVS Opioid Insurance: Who Pays When the Crisis Hits the Pharmacy Counter

Sat, 23 May 2026 18:46:37 GMT

The opioid crisis produced thousands of lawsuits. This one asks a different question: when a pharmacy chain faces billions in liability, does the insurance policy actually cover it? The Delaware Supreme Court took up In Re CVS Opioid Insurance Litigation and issued a ruling that could reshape how corporate insurance works for the next wave of mass tort cases. Trial Tapes reads the opinion.

Oklahoma v. EPA: A State Takes On the Federal Government Over Clean Air

Sat, 23 May 2026 18:44:57 GMT

Oklahoma challenged the EPA all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing the agency overstepped its authority in regulating air pollution that crosses state lines. Trial Tapes reads the opinions, traces the oral arguments, and examines the tension between state sovereignty and federal environmental regulation in a case that reshaped the Clean Air Act.

SEC v. Veldhuis: An Insider Trading Case in the First Circuit

Sat, 23 May 2026 14:18:01 GMT

The SEC accused a trader of insider dealing and took the case to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Trial Tapes reads the opinions, traces the evidence the government put forward, and examines how the appellate court weighed the line between a lucky trade and a crime. A case about what the government has to prove and how far a tip can travel before it becomes illegal.

Wawa Data Breach: When 30 Million Cards Get Stolen at the Gas Pump

Sat, 23 May 2026 14:09:31 GMT

Between 2019 and 2020, hackers stole payment card data from more than 850 Wawa convenience stores across the East Coast. The breach exposed roughly 30 million cards. A massive class action followed, and a federal appeals court in the Third Circuit had to decide whether the settlement was fair. Trial Tapes walks through the breach, the lawsuit, and what the court ruled about who gets paid and how much.

K.C. v. Las Vegas Metro Police: Excessive Force and Qualified Immunity

Sat, 23 May 2026 14:07:52 GMT

A child is hurt during a police encounter in Las Vegas. The family sues. The officers invoke qualified immunity. A federal appeals court in the Ninth Circuit weighs whether the force used was excessive and whether the law was clearly established enough to hold anyone accountable. Trial Tapes examines the facts, the legal doctrine, and the line between protection and impunity.

Perlmutter v. Blanche: Who Owns Art Made by AI?

Sat, 23 May 2026 13:26:31 GMT

Can a work of art created entirely by artificial intelligence be copyrighted? The U.S. Copyright Office says no. One man has been fighting that answer through the federal courts for years. Trial Tapes breaks down Perlmutter v. Blanche, the DC Circuit case that could define the legal boundary between human creativity and machine output for a generation.

National TPS Alliance v. Noem: The Fight to Stay After Decades in America

Sat, 23 May 2026 13:24:29 GMT

Hundreds of thousands of people have lived in the United States for decades under Temporary Protected Status. Now, a federal appeals court in the Ninth Circuit is deciding whether the government can end that protection and send them back to countries they left a generation ago. Trial Tapes breaks down National TPS Alliance v. Noem, the legal arguments on both sides, and what the court's decision could mean for families who built their lives here.

Torres Basanta v. Trump: A Deportation Case Filed One Day Ago

Sat, 23 May 2026 12:33:35 GMT

One day before this episode was recorded, a new case appeared on a federal docket. Torres Basanta v. Trump. No opinion, no transcript, just a filing and a defendant. Trial Tapes reads the docket entries, traces what can be known from the public record, and examines the legal machinery that moves faster than the courts can write about it.

Payne v. Trump: A False Claims Act Fraud Suit, Freshly Filed

Sat, 23 May 2026 11:48:07 GMT

On May 13, 2026, a False Claims Act complaint was filed in the Southern District of Texas. The defendant named on the caption: Trump. Trial Tapes reads the docket, examines what little the public filings reveal, and sits with how much remains unknown in a fraud suit that is just getting started.

Cali v. Trump: When a Judge Blocked a Presidential Sanction on a UN Investigator

Sat, 23 May 2026 11:46:31 GMT

In May 2026, a single federal trial judge in Washington did something trial judges almost never do. He blocked a presidential sanction on a United Nations investigator, not just for the family that sued, but for the entire world. Then, at the eleventh hour, a federal appeals court carved the order back. Trial Tapes traces the legal fight between executive power and judicial review in one of the most unusual sanctions cases in recent memory.

Kohute v. Trump: The Lawsuit Against the First Lady That Lasted One Day

Sat, 23 May 2026 11:44:50 GMT

On May 14, 2026, a federal lawsuit naming the First Lady of the United States as its only defendant arrived at a courthouse in Texas. By the end of that same day, it was over. The court screened the complaint, found it barred, and dismissed it outright. Trial Tapes reads the order and unpacks what happened in the fastest federal case dismissal you will hear about this year.

Equal Means Equal v. Trump: The Fight to Draft Women or Draft No One

Sat, 23 May 2026 11:41:17 GMT

On May 20, 2026, a civil-rights nonprofit and one woman asked a federal appeals court in Boston to overturn a ruling against the President and the Selective Service System. At stake: whether the male-only military draft violates the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. Trial Tapes breaks down the case, the legal arguments, and what it could mean for the future of selective service in America.

Freedom of the Press v. Trump: The FOIA Fight for Government Records

Fri, 22 May 2026 22:05:48 GMT

In April 2026, the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed a mandamus petition against the Trump administration, demanding the release of government records under the Freedom of Information Act. The case tests whether FOIA still works when an administration decides it would rather not answer. Built from real RECAP court filings from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

United States v. Google: The Biggest Monopoly Trial in a Generation

Fri, 22 May 2026 21:55:16 GMT

In August 2024, a federal judge ruled that Google is an illegal monopolist. But naming a monopolist is the easy part. This episode follows the case from the landmark liability ruling through the remedies trial, where the court had to answer a much harder question: what do you actually do about the most-used product on Earth? Built from real court filings and judicial opinions from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Terry v. Ohio: The Case That Gave Police the Power to Stop and Frisk

Thu, 28 May 2026 11:54:47 GMT

In 1968, a Cleveland detective watched two men pace back and forth in front of a store. He stopped them, patted them down, and found concealed weapons. The Supreme Court ruled the stop was legal, creating the "stop and frisk" doctrine that changed policing in America forever.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

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Citizens United v. FEC: The Case That Opened the Floodgates of Political Spending

Wed, 27 May 2026 02:27:07 GMT

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot restrict independent political expenditures by corporations, unions, and other organizations. The case began when a nonprofit wanted to air a film critical of Hillary Clinton during election season. What followed was a landmark First Amendment battle that reshaped American campaign finance law.

Trial Tapes breaks down real court opinions into dramatic, accessible stories. New episodes every week.

Search "Trial Tapes" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.