About this episode

Jim Bopp Jr. discusses his unconventional legal career, campaign finance, and the rule of law.

Jim Bopp Jr. has argued 14 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, sued 45 states, and built one of the most unconventional legal careers in American conservative jurisprudence, all from Terre Haute. In this conversation with host Maura Johnson, Bopp traces his path from organizing high school students for Barry Goldwater in 1964 to becoming general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, a role he has held since 1978. Bopp discusses how his high school and collegiate debate experience shaped his approach to advocacy, why he believes understanding both sides of an argument is essential to sound legal reasoning, and how he structured his firm to prioritize pro bono work over billable hours. He also reflects on two cases that defined his career: a jury trial loss early on that taught him never to accept a client unwilling to fully commit to their own defense, and his 5-4 victory in Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, the first U.S. Supreme Court case to apply the First Amendment to judicial campaign ethics canons. The conversation closes with Bopp's definition of the rule of law, framed as the foundational distinction between governance by pre-established statute and…

People in this episode

Host: Maura Johnson

Guest: Jim Bopp Jr.

Topics covered

• campaign finance
• Supreme Court
• rule of law
• legal advocacy
• constitutional law

Keywords

• campaign finance
• Supreme Court
• legal career
• pro bono
• First Amendment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Right to Life Committee, Bopp Law Firm

Places: Terre Haute

More episodes of The Indiana Lawyer Podcast with Maura Johnson

• Ken Falk on his career, the ACLU's work and the rule of law · June 24, 2026 · 38 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Indiana Lawyer Podcast with Maura Johnson podcast page.