Supreme Court Brief

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