# Recommended legal news websites for non-lawyers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2025, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278 "2025-12-01T02:07:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/1 "2025-12-01T02:07:55Z")
SD legal eagles: what are good websites for legal news, covering especially defense of democracy in the US? IANAL: please review these websites: [The Volokh Conspiracy](https://reason.com/volokh/): “Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent | Est. 2002”. This center-left observer has this conservative website bookmarked. [Lawfare](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/): I just added them. [Lawdork](https://www.lawdork.com): Chris Geidner on Substack. “With more than 75,000 total subscribers, Law Dork is a go-to source for legal reporting and analysis about some of the biggest news stories of our day, from the Supreme Court to the Trump administration to courts and legislatures across the nation… Since 2022, I have published my unique brand of in-depth, skeptical legal journalism here at the latest iteration of Law Dork… This is my full-time job.” Reviews of other legal websites are welcome. I lack the training to evaluate them and I’d rather not fall down a dubious rabbithole. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/2 "2025-12-01T02:15:26Z")
I would add Marc Elias’s [Democracy Docket](https://www.democracydocket.com/). He is responsible for many of the successful lawsuits against the Trump “Administration”. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/3 "2025-12-01T17:23:27Z")
Thanks. C’mon some of our legally inclined must read legal blogs. Or can tell me about ones I should avoid because the writers are ignoramuses. Are Lawfare and/or Lawdork worth reading? I’ve added Democracy Docket to my link list. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/4 "2025-12-01T22:29:57Z")
A youtuber’s channel, but I highly recommend [LegalEagle](https://www.youtube.com/@LegalEagle). Done by a practicing California lawyer. Since Trump came out of the woodwork again, he and his associates have been reporting closely on his and his associates’ actions and commenting on the assault to democracy wrought by Trumps regime. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/5 "2025-12-01T23:37:12Z")
I’ll throw in the humorous [Lowering the Bar](https://www.loweringthebar.net/), which is good for a chuckle. Seriously, you could spend hours going down rabbit holes. I mean, who _ **wouldn’t** _ want an update on _United States v. 1855.6 Pounds of American Paddlefish Meat_ ? Tripler Real law. Real funny. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/6 "2025-12-02T00:30:11Z")
David Schraub’s [The Debate Link](https://dsadevil.blogspot.com/?m=1) is one of my go-to lefty-ish blogs. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/7 "2025-12-02T00:31:53Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > C’mon some of our legally inclined must read legal blogs Actually, I never do. If I have some free time I’ll check out your suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/8 "2025-12-02T05:36:35Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > Seriously, you could spend hours going down rabbit holes. I mean, who _ **wouldn’t** _ want an update on _United States v. 1855.6 Pounds of American Paddlefish Meat_ ? I wrote “Rabbit hole”, but it’s not what I meant. I’m more concerned about reading bad commentary without having the legal background to know that the writer is applying dubious, fringy, or even cranky legal reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/9 "2025-12-02T06:01:41Z")
[Just Security](https://www.justsecurity.org/) also deserves a mention. > _Just Security_ provides expert analysis and informational resources on the issues that matter most—without paywalls, subscriptions, or ads. _Just Security_ is an editorially independent, non-partisan, daily digital law and policy journal housed in the Reiss Center on Law and Security at the New York University School of Law. I would bet that they are legit. So far my top 2 are Just Security and Democracy Docket (for better or worse). Which legal website should win the coveted 3rd position? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/10 "2025-12-02T10:24:32Z")
If you’re open to podcasts, I’ll throw in a plug for the [5-4 Podcast](https://www.fivefourpod.com/) (or why the Supreme Court sucks) which goes through various historically important supreme court cases and punctures the notion that the supreme court was ever that good at their jobs. They’re open that the current supreme court is the absolute most terrible SC we’ve ever had but do a good job laying out how this was not just some historical aberration but a clear manifestation of trends that have been allowed to fester for decades that have brought us to our current moment. For more contemporary legal issues, I really like the [Slate Amicus Podcast](https://slate.com/podcasts/amicus). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/11 "2025-12-02T11:05:11Z")
You could take a look at Above the Law: > **[Above the Law](https://abovethelaw.com/)** > > A Legal Web Site – News, Insights, and Opinions on Law Firms, Lawyers, Law School, Law Suits, Judges and Courts ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/12 "2025-12-02T12:54:21Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > A youtuber’s channel, but I highly recommend [LegalEagle](https://www.youtube.com/@LegalEagle). Done by a practicing California lawyer. Since Trump came out of the woodwork again, he and his associates have been reporting closely on his and his associates’ actions and commenting on the assault to democracy wrought by Trumps regime LegalEagle was the first person (and channel, along with the other contributors) I thought of regarding the OP. It covers fairly complex legal topics and cases while remaining very accessible to non-lawyers. Also, worth noting for anyone that looks at his channel, they do cover a lot of the Trump cases, but that’s because there’s a lot of Trump cases to cover. But they do cover quite a bit of non-Trump and non-political cases as well. PS IIRC, he (Devin) went to school in California, but he’s a lawyer in Washington DC. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/13 "2025-12-05T00:37:09Z")
I request an informed review of [Lawdork](https://www.lawdork.com/). Does Chris Geidner add value over and above Democracy Docket, Just Security, and Lawfare? ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommended-legal-news-websites-for-non-lawyers/1025278/14 "2025-12-05T18:14:11Z")
I just glanced through that website so not informed, but it appears to mostly be his commentary on a vast array of everything that is going on. One lawyer, covering everything, is always going to be problematic in getting the legal right. Lawfare or Just Security will have several reporters/guest writers covering an array of what is going on. They are better at staying in their lane and getting the legal right. I’d add [Emptywheel](https://www.emptywheel.net/) - one person, non-lawyer, but extremely deep dives into topics over sustained periods of time - if you like rabbit holes, she’s your gal; and [War on the Rocks](https://warontherocks.com/) - war related, several reporters. The real problem is the more accurate the legal, the more boring it is to read. So read what’s easiest to understand. If I’m trying to explain concepts to first-timers/no firm grasp, I don’t even pretend to be accurate. Much more important to lay a solid clear ground in non-legalese terms that is understood that you can build upon; and then layer legal accuracy on top of that. If you start with the legal exceptions and stuff, it’s never going to click.