Season 6, Episode 13 (Show 274): Last Branch Stands, the Barbara Court Sits – Special Guest Sarah Isgur
April 15, 2026
We continue our analysis of the oral argument in Trump v. Barbara. And the author of a new book on the Supreme Court, Sarah Isgur, joins us with an inside look at the Court, and at this important book.
CLE Credit Available for this episode from podcast.njsba.com.
This week it’s Attorney Cecilia Wang’s turn, as she appears before the Supreme Court to defend birthright citizenship in the Trump v. Barbara case, and we continue to analyze clips of the oral argument. Meanwhile, we are joined by the host of the popular Advisory Opinions podcast: Sarah Isgur, who has written a new book that will be published, well, today. Last Branch Standing takes us inside the Supreme Court from the life of a clerk to a tour of the Court’s history to a statistical analysis of voting patterns on the Court – which are far more complex than is commonly thought. You can’t help but know more after this episode than you did coming in!
(LAWYERS AND JUDGES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION CREDIT by visiting podcast.njsba.com after listening.)
Show Notes:
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Season 6, Episode 12 (Show 273): New World, Same Constitution
April 8, 2026
Professor Amar and Andy attend the oral argument. Hear their reactions in the moment outside the courthouse, and then a lengthy analysis of the argument itself, with the Justices’ and advocates own voices.
CLE Credit Available for this episode from podcast.njsba.com.
Trump v. Barbara – the birthright citizenship case – reaches the Supreme Court, and we are there. Akhil and Andy are at the oral argument, and immediately afterwards we stand outside the courthouse and you hear (and see, from the linked video) the emotions that affected not only your hosts, but no doubt the justices themselves as the case unfolded. Then it’s off to the audiotape, as we play the clips of the Justices and the advocates, and Akhil does his Howard Cosell imitation, analyzing the arguments as you hear them. Given the Professor’s status as the author of an amicus brief in the case, a brief the Solicitor General chose to take on in his own reply brief, the perspective this episode offers our audience – you – is unique. So with the arguments of the advocates; the questions of the justices; and the knowledge of the amicus, you will know as much as anyone and be in the best position to assess the case as a whole – after listening to this special episode and those to follow.
(LAWYERS AND JUDGES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION CREDIT by visiting podcast.njsba.com after listening.)
Show Notes:
Season 6, Episode 11 (Show 272): Crib Sheets for Barbara
April 1, 2026
The oral argument in the birthright citizenship case is about to take place. We offer a series of resources that will prepare you for a unique experience as you listen to the verbal battle to come.
CLE Credit Available for this episode from podcast.njsba.com.
On the eve of the oral argument in Trump v. Barbara, we offer you a listener’s guide to the spectacle. What is the essence of the argument? What are the hard questions for Solicitor General Sauer, representing Trump? What should Attorney Wang, ACLU attorney for petitioners, be prepared to answer? What should the audience be listening for – clues to how the argument is going? We provide all this and more, so you can put yourself in the seat of a Supreme Court law clerk, listening to the argument, preparing to offer your thoughts to your justice. Professor Amar, as an amicus who has submitted a brief to the Court, is your guide.
(LAWYERS AND JUDGES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION CREDIT by visiting podcast.njsba.com after listening.)
Show Notes:
Season 6, Episode 10 (Show 271): Created to Born to Barbara
March 25, 2026
We take a detour to Garden City, NY, to meet with amazing high school students who discuss Born Equal with us, and in the process, shed more light on the road to birthright citizenship, in the process helping to bring the forthcoming oral argument into focus.
CLE Credit Available for this episode from podcast.njsba.com.
Akhil and Andy visit a high school in Garden City, NY, to speak with outstanding high school students about Born Equal. In the process, we trace one of America’s great credos – “All Men Are Created Equal” – from the Founding, all the way to Lincoln – and beyond, to the fourteenth amendment; and finally to birthright citizenship and next week’s momentous Supreme Court case, Trump v. Barbara. The students’ great questions help show the way.
(LAWYERS AND JUDGES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION CREDIT by visiting podcast.njsba.com after listening.)
Show Notes:
Season 6, Episode 9 (Show 270): A Brief Ecosystem
March 18, 2026
We begin our analysis of Professor Amar’s amicus brief in Trump v. Barbara with a look at its structure and its argument.
CLE Credit Available for this episode from podcast.njsba.com.
We’ve been mentioning the birthright citizenship case, Trump v. Barbara, and Professor Amar’s amicus brief in the case. Now we begin to analyze it in depth. We begin with the structure of the brief; why is it so different from most such briefs? Why is it uniquely wide-ranging? How can it cover many aspects of the case with a strict word limit – what is it about the way it is done that allows this when other briefs – well-executed briefs – cannot cover as much ground? And then, what is the outline of the argument? We also show where you can go from here; where you can find expansion and discussion beyond the brief. Or you can come back here in subsequent weeks when we will expand on the outline of the argument presented here.
(LAWYERS AND JUDGES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION CREDIT by visiting podcast.njsba.com after listening.)
Show Notes:
Season 6, Episode 8 (Show 269): Substantive Expansion – with Advisory Opinions and Divided Argument
March 11, 2026
It’s a new day for Amarica’s Constitution as we join forces with two other great podcasts to expand our reach and our grasp. We also cover a recent case with substantive due process at its core, and more.
CLE Credit Available for this episode from podcast.njsba.com.
Amarica’s Constitution has joined with two other great podcasts! We’re still ourselves, but today we bring all three podcasts together to look at a recent case, Mirabelli v. Bonta, which brings substantive due process back to center stage. And because we are who we are, we take a look ourselves at some more aspects of – what else? – the birthright citizenship case. Learn what the future holds for our listeners, as we bring you what we always have, and more.
(LAWYERS AND JUDGES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION CREDIT by visiting podcast.njsba.com after listening.)