Advisory Opinions

Is Press Access a Constitutional Right?

Advisory Opinions

Show Notes

David French talks to CNN’s chief legal analyst, Elie Honig, at a time when CNN is in the news following President Donald Trump’s ban of the cable network from the White House. Honig takes us through CNN’s lawsuit seeking to regain access and the First Amendment argument media outlets are making. The two also discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Missouri redistricting case, and Sarah Isgur makes a provocative argument that may trigger any true crime fans.

The Agenda:

–The third time is not the charm in Missouri redistricting map case

–Can the White House ban the press?

–True Crime entertainment is bad

–Thank you, SNL

Advisory Opinions is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from Advisory Opinions

Oct 22, 2026

Sarah Isgur and David French go through a few orders from the Supreme Court (including one that’ll have our libertarian friends jumping from the second-story window), a CNN article on Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and two dueling en banc decisions from the 3rd Circuit.

Oct 20, 2026

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the legal battle between the Trump administration and the East Potomac Golf Course, a certiorari grant on race-neutral admissions, and another on distilling booze at home. Finally, David asks Sarah about the Department of Justice’s hiring standards.

Oct 15, 2026

Sarah Isgur and David French are joined by Vince Chhabria, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and Stanford professor Nora Engstrom to discuss the incredibly high number of motions granted to seal documents and the line between secrecy and protecting the public interest. They also discuss three new cases that SCOTUS added to its oral argument docket and Big Law red flags.

Oct 13, 2026

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss what’s on the Supreme Court’s docket, debate whether anonymous speech is protected by the First Amendment, and undergo a grim historical review of the death penalty after the Pentagon’s announcement that an execution will be livestreamed.

Oct 8, 2026

Sarah Isgur and David French discuss the surprisingly complicated Suncor SCOTUS oral argument, Justice Samuel Alito and his AI usage, and circuit cases on child sex abuse material, vaccine exemptions, and racial harassment.

See all episodes →