On our May 3rd show we talked to Mark Caramanica  of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, about the Supreme Court’s recent decision concerning FOIA requests. Caramanica told us that as a result of the high court’s decision, if you live outside of a state like Virginia, that limits public records requests to state residents, you will have to find a “straw man” to file on your behalf. Michael Morisy, co-founder of MuckRock, is one of those straw men. MuckRock has filed some 2000 FOIA requests for citizens, academics and journalists in all 50 states. Brooke talks to Michael Morisy, who says access to information has obsessed him since he was reporter on his college paper.

In the next couple of months the Supreme Court will issue a decision in the case of Fisher vs. University of Texas at Austin. The case may determine the future of Affirmative Action, but news coverage that centers on the sympathetic plaintiff in the case misses a fascinating back story. Bob talks with ProPublica reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones about the case.

When "Obamacare" first debuted, opponents of the legislation criticized its cost and reach—not the possibility that it might be unconstitutional. But this week the Supreme Court spent three days hearing arguments on the mandated health care law. Brooke speaks to Politico's Josh Gerstein about how challenging Obamacare on constitutional grounds went from a zany fringe idea to a mainstream conversation.

On the Media has followed legal standards around warrantless GPS tracking since October of 2010. In January of this year, the Supreme Court decided a case called US v. Jones, which dealt specifically with this subject. The Supreme Court decision was pretty nuanced, but George Washington University professor and Volokh conspiracy blogger Orin Kerr told us that the decision was a victory for privacy advocates.

This week the Supreme Court decided a case called US v Jones about the constitutionality of warrantless GPS tracking. Bob talks to Orin Kerr, George Washington University law professor and blogger for The Volokh Conspiracy about what the Supreme Court's decision means for the future of GPS tracking by law enforcement.

There’s been lots of critique of the Citizens United decision, but a few weeks ago came a surprising rebuke.  The Montana Supreme Court decided that because of the state’s unique history of money influencing politics, Citizens United shouldn’t apply in Montana.  Even the dissenting judges didn’t spare the U.S. Supreme Court their scorn.  New York Times Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak tells Brooke the case is very likely to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Oddisee - Closed After Dark

The latest session of the Supreme Court began on October 3rd, and, as usual, the court will be hearing cases on the First Amendment, surveillance, copyright - all topics we regularly cover at On the Media. Brooke talks to The New York Times Supreme Court correspondent Adam Liptak about some of the cases on the Supreme Court docket, and their potential ramifications.