Opening Arguments is a law show that helps you make sense of the news! Comedian Thomas Smith brings on legal analysts to help you understand not only current events, but also deeper legal concepts and areas! The typical schedule will be M-W-F with Monday being a deep-dive, Wednesday being Thomas Takes the Bar Exam and patron shoutouts, and Friday being a rapid response to legal issues in the news!
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episode 48: Three Cases You Care About - Planned Parenthood, Gay Florists, and Litigious Quacks
Today's episode is a little bit different than our usual format; today, we take a look at three cases that our listeners have asked about on Twitter and Facebook. First up is an order entered by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas enjoining the state of Texas (and nitwit Attorney General Ken Paxton) from disqualifying Planned Parenthood as an authorized Medicaid service provider on the basis of fake videos. Next, we tackle a recent ruling by the Washington Supreme Court applying that state's anti-discrimination law to a florist that decided she couldn't sell wedding flowers if the participants were gay. Is this really the worst violation of individual freedom in the history of Western Civilization? Third, we look at the recent victory in the 11th Circuit by our colleague Dr. Steven Novella of the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Podcast, and discuss what the ruling means for (say) podcasters who get sued for libel. Finally, we end with a brand new Thomas Takes the Bar Exam question #13 regarding hearsay. Remember that TTTBE issues a new question every Friday, followed by the answer on next Tuesday's show. Don't forget to play along by following our Twitter feed (@Openargs) and/or our Facebook Page and quoting the Tweet or Facebook Post that announces this episode along with your guess and reason(s)! Recent Appearances: Thomas was interviewed by Conatus News about the development of the atheist community on the internet, including the role played by his other podcast, Serious Inquiries Only. Andrew was a guest panelist on an episode of The Thinking Atheist show, "Donald Trump's America." Show Notes & Links
- This is the W.D. Texas order restraining the state from blocking Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood.
- Here is a link to Washington's anti-discrimination law.
- Click here to read David French's hilariously over-the-top description of this case in the right-wing garbage mag, the National Review.
- This is the 11th Circuit's ruling in Tobinick v. Novella.
- Click here to check out Dr. Novella's podcast, the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe.