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Gavel Gavel

Order! We hereby call this Patreon page to order! Gavel Gavel is the podcast that takes you inside the courtroom. We're starting with The People v Trump using actors to bring the transcripts to life, but there is so much room to grow beyond that one trial.

This podcast will be available on a public feed soon, but for now, the Trump Trial episodes that were on Opening Arguments are continuing behind the paywall until we can get the main show configured and get the full People v. Trump coverage repurposed for this podcast.

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Episodes

GG71: Why Alex Murdaugh Deserves a New Trial

The "trial of the century" in South Carolina is potentially going to happen for a second time this century. You may have seen some headlines about this but Liz Skeen is taking us even deeper.

Published: May 28, 2026

Thomas Smith headshot Host: Thomas Smith

GG70: A Consummating Professional

Part 3!

In this  very special episode, Thomas and Lydia Smith celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary in the most normal and romantic way possible: subjecting themselves to an extended interrogation about their marriage by a federal agent. After setting the scene in a (very slightly) parallel universe in which Thomas was born in Canada and committed a series of Nickelback-related misdemeanors before overstaying his student visa, Matt draws from his twenty years of experience in sitting through hundreds of immigration interviews to play out an unscripted simulation of what his clients and their U.S. citizen spouses go through when they are applying for residency through marriage.

We then reconvene to review how the Smiths did, and Matt takes us through some of the legal issues raised in this interview as well as some of the more interesting aspects of the residency process generally. 

Finally, we discuss some of the weirder aspects of the law surrounding immigration through marriage beyond the facts of this interview, including (among many others):

--Do you really have to prove to the satisfaction of an immigration officer that your marriage includes sex?

--Why might the US government refuse to recognize a prior divorce from your home country? 

--Will federal immigration authorities really recognize a Zoom wedding conducted from completely different continents?

--Can you bring multiple partners if you are coming from a country where polygamy is legal?

  1. "Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (1/20/2025 edition)

  2. "Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity," Congressional Research Service (5/28/21)

  3. Matter of Peterson, 12 I&N Dec. 663 (BIA 1968)

  4. "Kicking the INA Out of Bed: Abolishing the Consummation Requirement for Proxy Marriages," 22 Hastings J. Gender & L. 55 (2011)

  5. "Second Wives Club: Mapping the Impact of Polygamy in U.S. Immigration Law," Claire A. Smearman, Berkeley Journal of Immigration Law (Dec. 2009)

 

Published: May 5, 2026

Thomas Smith headshot Host: Thomas Smith

GG68: Extremely Married

In this  very special episode, Thomas and Lydia Smith celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary in the most normal and romantic way possible: subjecting themselves to an extended interrogation about their marriage by a federal agent. After setting the scene in a (very slightly) parallel universe in which Thomas was born in Canada and committed a series of Nickelback-related misdemeanors before overstaying his student visa, Matt draws from his twenty years of experience in sitting through hundreds of immigration interviews to play out an unscripted simulation of what his clients and their U.S. citizen spouses go through when they are applying for residency through marriage.

We then reconvene to review how the Smiths did, and Matt takes us through some of the legal issues raised in this interview as well as some of the more interesting aspects of the residency process generally. 

Finally, we discuss some of the weirder aspects of the law surrounding immigration through marriage beyond the facts of this interview, including (among many others):

--Do you really have to prove to the satisfaction of an immigration officer that your marriage includes sex?

--Why might the US government refuse to recognize a prior divorce from your home country? 

--Will federal immigration authorities really recognize a Zoom wedding conducted from completely different continents?

--Can you bring multiple partners if you are coming from a country where polygamy is legal?

  1. "Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (1/20/2025 edition)

  2. "Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity," Congressional Research Service (5/28/21)

  3. Matter of Peterson, 12 I&N Dec. 663 (BIA 1968)

  4. "Kicking the INA Out of Bed: Abolishing the Consummation Requirement for Proxy Marriages," 22 Hastings J. Gender & L. 55 (2011)

  5. "Second Wives Club: Mapping the Impact of Polygamy in U.S. Immigration Law," Claire A. Smearman, Berkeley Journal of Immigration Law (Dec. 2009)

Published: May 1, 2026

Thomas Smith headshot Host: Thomas Smith

GG69: The Most Dangerous Newlywed Game

Part 2!

In this  very special episode, Thomas and Lydia Smith celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary in the most normal and romantic way possible: subjecting themselves to an extended interrogation about their marriage by a federal agent. After setting the scene in a (very slightly) parallel universe in which Thomas was born in Canada and committed a series of Nickelback-related misdemeanors before overstaying his student visa, Matt draws from his twenty years of experience in sitting through hundreds of immigration interviews to play out an unscripted simulation of what his clients and their U.S. citizen spouses go through when they are applying for residency through marriage.

We then reconvene to review how the Smiths did, and Matt takes us through some of the legal issues raised in this interview as well as some of the more interesting aspects of the residency process generally. 

Finally, we discuss some of the weirder aspects of the law surrounding immigration through marriage beyond the facts of this interview, including (among many others):

--Do you really have to prove to the satisfaction of an immigration officer that your marriage includes sex?

--Why might the US government refuse to recognize a prior divorce from your home country? 

--Will federal immigration authorities really recognize a Zoom wedding conducted from completely different continents?

--Can you bring multiple partners if you are coming from a country where polygamy is legal?

  1. "Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (1/20/2025 edition)

  2. "Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity," Congressional Research Service (5/28/21)

  3. Matter of Peterson, 12 I&N Dec. 663 (BIA 1968)

  4. "Kicking the INA Out of Bed: Abolishing the Consummation Requirement for Proxy Marriages," 22 Hastings J. Gender & L. 55 (2011)

  5. "Second Wives Club: Mapping the Impact of Polygamy in U.S. Immigration Law," Claire A. Smearman, Berkeley Journal of Immigration Law (Dec. 2009)

 

Published: May 1, 2026

Thomas Smith headshot Host: Thomas Smith

U.S. v. Dunn 8 - A Meaty Legal Issue

GG67 - U.S. v. Dunn 8

Detective Henry finishes her direct testimony but not before the lawyers duke it out over admissibility of the body-worn camera footage that allegedly captures our hero admitting to his crime. How will the judge rule? PLUS: Matt brings us a case out of Massachusetts in which security footage that ceased to still exist was admitted. How did this happen?!

Published: April 14, 2026

Thomas Smith headshot Host: Thomas Smith

U.S. v. Dunn 4 - Victim #1

GG63 - U.S. v. Dunn 4

We hear from the mangled corpse of victim #1. It's a medical wonder that he's even talking.

Published: March 17, 2026

Thomas Smith headshot Host: Thomas Smith

U.S. v. Dunn 3 - Opening Condiments

GG62 - U.S. v. Dunn 3

More like US v FUN. Join Matt Thomas and Lydia and we finally get to listen to real, authentic, 100% genuine simulated trial audio! It's the opening statements from each side.

Published: March 10, 2026

Thomas Smith headshot Host: Thomas Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 59 - Causes of Action, Cause for Celebration!

GG60 - Lively v. Baldoni 59 - Wayfarer v. Lively 25

WE MADE ITTTTT! We're FINISHING the idiotic human rights abuse that is the Baldoni amended complaint! And to celebrate this immense accomplishment, we've got none other than MJ Morley for a double album extra longo!

Published: March 2, 2026

Thomas Smith headshot Host: Thomas Smith