Sidebar by Courthouse News

Courthouse News
  • 4.8 (20)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Sidebar by Courthouse News tackles the stories you need to know from the legal world. Join reporters Hillel Aron, Kirk McDaniel, Amanda Pampuro, Kelsey Reichmann and Josh Russell as they take you in and out of courtrooms in the U.S. and beyond and break down all the developments that had them talking.

  1. 6D AGO

    The Self-Driving Dilemma

    Hold on to your butts as we take a ride through the self-driving car revolution to see if the future of transportation is a techno-utopia or another way for Big Tech to grab the wheel of our lives. While some see a world where you can nap through a traffic jam, others see a data-hungry machine poised to replace human workers. In our sixth episode this season, we ride along in a Waymo through the streets of Austin, Texas, to explore how "the law of the newly possible" is struggling to keep up with cars that see the world through lasers and algorithms. Who gets the ticket when an autonomous car breaks the law? And what happens to rideshare drivers when the "human" is removed from the equation? Special guests: Bryant Walker Smith, professor at the University of South CarolinaNassim Parvin, professor at the University of Washington Information SchoolSergio Avedian, contributor to The Rideshare Guy and The Driverless DigestThis episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.  Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

    33 min

  2. APR 28

    Across the Pond

    Grab your passport, doughty listener. We're headed across the Atlantic to see how justice works in England and France, and why it looks so different from the U.S. While a judge in France takes an active role seeking the absolute truth, the U.S. system functions more like a high-stakes sporting event, where the judge serves as a referee between two competing sides. In our fifth episode this season, we trace the evolution of trials from the Middle Ages, when "trials of ordeal" involved boiling water and "cursed morsels," to the Salem witch trials and how lawyers came to dominate U.S. courts. Which system comes out on top? The answer may depend on what you think justice is supposed to do. Special guests: Benjamin Legendre, journalist for Agence-France-PresseWalter Olson, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and founder of OverlawyeredCarlton Larson, professor of constitutional law at UC DavisLissa Griffin, professor of comparative law at Pace UniversityThis episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.  Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

    25 min

  3. APR 7

    The Two Murder Trials of Luigi Mangione

    What began as a brazen early morning shooting outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel quickly escalated into a nationwide manhunt and a complex legal and cultural phenomenon. In our fourth episode this season, Josh Russell sits down with his New York courts colleague Erik Uebelacker to unpack the high-profile killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the looming dual trials for suspect Luigi Mangione. Spanning state and federal courts, Mangione's prosecution raises questions for some about double jeopardy and due process. Beyond the courtroom, the case has taken on a life of its own, with Mangione emerging as both a polarizing figure and "progressive icon" as he galvanizes critics of the U.S. health care system and fuels debates over jury nullification and the influence of public opinion. This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.  Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

    17 min

  4. MAR 10

    Armed With Impunity

    As immigration enforcement intensifies, so do questions about the limits of federal power. In our third episode this season, we unpack the legal maze surrounding federal law enforcement and the steep uphill battle for victims who want to hold agents accountable for constitutional violations. We trace the roots of the civil rights law Section 1983 and Bivens, which once gave citizens a path to sue federal officers. But decades of court decisions have narrowed those paths dramatically. When national security and policy discretion enter the picture, do they become shields for misconduct? Today, many victims are trapped in a legal black hole, where federal agents are often harder to sue than local counterparts. Special guests: Mike Fox, legal fellow at the Cato Institute’s Project on Criminal JusticeMarie Miller, attorney with the Institute for JusticeAnya Bidwell, attorney with the Institute for JusticeThis episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.  Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

    27 min

  5. FEB 24

    Predicting the Future

    In our second episode this season, we dive into the high-stakes world of online wagering. We trace the path of online sports betting from offshore sites like the World Sports Exchange to the landmark 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Murphy v. NCAA, which dismantled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act ban on sports gambling and launched a billion-dollar industry. What was once a legal grey area has moved into the mainstream, as betting doesn't stop with sports and has led to the rise of digital prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi, where stats nerds and political junkies trade futures contracts on real-world outcomes on everything from Billboard charts to the next occupant of the Oval Office. Are these digital markets the new YouGov poll, or just a gamified version of the public square? These markets often beat traditional polling by aggregating real-time data and financial incentives, but are they free from their users' biases? Special guests:  Seth Shankle, avid sports bettorKoleman Strumpf, professor of economics at Wake Forest UniversityTom Miller, faculty director of the data science program at Northwestern University and operator of The Virtual Tout This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.  Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

    27 min

  6. FEB 3

    Pop Culture Court: Harry Potter, Star Trek and the Tinhatting of Originalism

    Welcome back! We're kicking off our sixth season of Sidebar by dissecting imaginary legal codes of fiction to uncover truths about our real-world search for fairness. From the ethical dilemmas of "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Better Call Saul" to the lawless world of Harry Potter, where a lack of attorneys often leaves characters in peril, we examine how pop culture shapes our understanding of justice.  The surprising top dog in fantasy law? "Star Trek," with its prophetic examinations of AI and ownership. Should rights be reserved for biological life alone? Does the Prime Directive offer a universal model for human rights? We also dive into the connection between fanfiction tinhatting and Supreme Court originalism, exploring why interpreting 18th-century intent is not so different from fans extrapolating the secret lives of Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. Join us as we learn why 90% of Harry Potter's problems could have been solved with a lawyer. [Editor's note: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is indeed named, numerous times, within. Proceed with caution!] Special guests: Lenora Ledwon, professor of law at St. Thomas UniversityStacey Lantagne, professor of law at Suffolk UniversityKiersten Marcil, attorney and author of The Enlightened sagaFabrice Defferrard, professor of law at the University of ReimsThis episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.  Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

    34 min

  7. SEASON 6 TRAILER

    Sidebar Season Six - Official Trailer

    The Sidebar crew is back for 2026 with a brand-new season of deep dives and analysis. From the world of online gambling and fictional laws of the land to a new round of life-altering decisions from the nation's highest court, join the Courthouse News team for another season of your favorite legal news podcast.  This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.  Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

    1 min

  8. 12/23/2025

    From Diddy to the Deli, 2025 in Review

    It's that time of the year again, dear listener: our season five finale, where three cases, three courtrooms and one very strange year collide.  We kick things off with the trial that dominated headlines with its circus-like atmosphere: The United States of America v. Sean "Diddy" Combs. The rapper and producer was acquitted in Manhattan of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking by a jury, but convicted of transporting individuals for prostitution. The mixed verdict spared Combs a life sentence while raising questions about how far prosecutors can stretch RICO law as fans proclaimed, "Freako is not a RICO." Next, with help from our France correspondent, Lily Radziemski, we head overseas to a trial fueled by internet rumor. French First Lady Brigitte Macron has gone on the offensive as conspiracy theorists spread false claims about her biological sex, testing the limits of free speech and whether courts can rein in online harassment. And finally, back in Washington, D.C., reporter Ryan Knappenberger walks us through the sandwich heard 'round the District: Sean Dunn, a former Justice Department lawyer, was acquitted of assault after throwing a sandwich at federal agents during an immigration crackdown. The viral incident turned Dunn into a case study in protest, power and prosecutorial restraint. This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.  Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

    35 min
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Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

Sidebar by Courthouse News tackles the stories you need to know from the legal world. Join reporters Hillel Aron, Kirk McDaniel, Amanda Pampuro, Kelsey Reichmann and Josh Russell as they take you in and out of courtrooms in the U.S. and beyond and break down all the developments that had them talking.

Information

  • Creator
    Courthouse News
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    80
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sidebar by Courthouse News
  • Show Website
    Sidebar by Courthouse News

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