Épisodes

  • Will the Court Actually Push Back Against Trump’s Unlawful Firings?

    Will the Court Actually Push Back Against Trump’s Unlawful Firings?
    Jan 26 2026

    First, Leah and Melissa explain the legal battles around the ICE occupation in Minnesota and what might come after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Then, Leah, Kate, and Melissa run through the latest legal news, including Jack Smith’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, before diving into this week’s blockbuster oral argument, Trump v. Cook, on whether Trump has the power to fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board. They also cover the week’s other oral arguments, including a Second Amendment case where Sam Alito came out as woke…for guns. Finally, with apologies to the Fifth Circuit, a new nominee for America’s worst circuit court. Preorder Melissa’s new book, The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader, out May 12, 2026.

    Favorite things:

    • Melissa: Valentino Was the Last of Fashion’s Old Guard, Robin Givhan (NYT); The Supreme Court Just Held an Anti-Trans Hatefest, Elie Mystal (The Nation)
    • Kate: The Purged, Franklin Foer (The Atlantic); There’s Much More at Stake in the Fed Case Than Interest Rates, Lev Menand (NYT); God of the Woods, Liz Moore; Broken Country, Clare Leslie Hall
    • Leah: Lindsey Halligan being a shitty lawyer; Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum; Stand With Minnesota; Your Friendly Neighborhood Resistance, Kerry Howley (New York Magazine)

    Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!

    • 3/6/26 – San Francisco
    • 3/7/26 – Los Angeles

    Learn more: http://crooked.com/events

    Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

    Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h et 47 min
  • Will SCOTUS Keep Trans Kids Out of Sports?

    Will SCOTUS Keep Trans Kids Out of Sports?
    Jan 19 2026

    Melissa, Leah, and Kate kick off by discussing the functional suspension of the Constitution in Minneapolis and Trump’s targeting of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Then they dissect the arguments in a pair of cases that came before the Court last week about whether state laws barring trans girls and women from their schools’ sports teams violate the Constitution or Title IX. Finally, they break down new opinions from SCOTUS involving criminal law, the Fourth Amendment, and mail-in ballots.

    Favorite things:

    • Kate: You’ve heard about who ICE is recruiting. The truth is far worse. I’m the proof., Laura Jedeed (Slate); Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt; God of the Woods, Liz Moore; Ulysses at the Public Theater
    • Leah: They Were Ordinary Germans. We Are Ordinary Americans., Shalom Auslander (NYT); What to know about the Insurrection Act, Steve Vladeck & Allison Gill (One First); Can Trump Actually Use the Insurrection Act? Steve Vladeck and Jennifer Rubin (The Contrarian)
    • Melissa: Nuremberg; Ammel vs. Sinema; This guy

    Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!

    • 3/6/26 – San Francisco
    • 3/7/26 – Los Angeles

    Learn more: http://crooked.com/events

    Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

    Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h et 33 min
  • Debunking Trump’s Bullsh*t Legal Arguments for Invading Venezuela

    Debunking Trump’s Bullsh*t Legal Arguments for Invading Venezuela
    Jan 12 2026
    Leah, Kate, and Melissa preview January’s major SCOTUS cases, including disputes over trans kids' participation in team sports, a concealed-carry ban in Hawaii, and Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. The hosts are then joined by Georgetown Law Professor Marty Lederman to break down the administration’s flimsy legal case for the regime-change operation in Venezuela, as well as the Court’s shadow docket ruling on the federalization and deployment of the National Guard in Chicago. Finally, some news: the horrific murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis, the Court’s opinion in an important habeas case, and an unhinged tweet from Trump’s Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.Favorite things:Leah: Jan Crawford’s attack on SCOTUS “corruption” narrative was its own substantive-free narrative, Chris Geidner (Law Dork); The Year America Broke Open, Sherrilyn Ifill (Sherrilyn’s Newsletter); State v. Johnson (Wyoming Supreme Court); Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid and on HBO Max (Game Changers series); Rally for America's Workforce: PAWA to the People on Wednesday, 1/14/26 at 12:00pm at Upper Senate Park in DCKate: Audition, Katie Kitamura; A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck, Sophie Elmhirst; The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann; The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, Robert Caro; FOTP Steve Vladeck’s Senate Judiciary Committee testimonyMelissa: The Heir Apparent, Rebecca Armitage; Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin; Ziwe’s interview with Vince Staples Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2026! 3/6/26 – San Francisco3/7/26 – Los AngelesLearn more: http://crooked.com/eventsBuy Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 3/6/26 – San Francisco3/7/26 – Los AngelesLearn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h et 50 min
  • Can America Pull Back From the Brink of Autocracy?

    Can America Pull Back From the Brink of Autocracy?
    Jan 5 2026

    Leah kicks off the episode with repeat guest Rebecca Ingber of Cardozo Law to discuss the wild illegality–both domestic and international–of Trump’s regime change operation in Venezuela. Then, Kate, Melissa, and Leah welcome Princeton professor and expert on the rise of modern autocracies, Kim Lane Scheppele to break down how Trump is consolidating power over the executive branch and the courts. Leah next catches up with president and CEO of Democracy Forward Skye Perryman on some of the legal developments over the holidays, including challenges to Department of Education funding cuts, the freezing of childcare payments to Minnesota, and a near-total abortion ban for veterans. Finally, the hosts speak with Demand Justice's Josh Orton about the worrying trends his organization is seeing among Trump 2.0’s judicial nominees.

    Kim’s favorite things: An “Almost Sacred Responsibility”: The Rule of Law in Times of Peril, Gerald J. Postema (Judicature); Judge Harvey Wilkinson’s opinion in Abrego Garcia v. Noem; Judge William G. Young’s opinion in AAUP vs. Rubio; Sara L. Ellis’s opinion in Chicago Headline Club v. Noem; The Dual State, Ernst Fraenkel; The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt

    Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2026!

    • 3/6/26 – San Francisco
    • 3/7/26 – Los Angeles

    Learn more: http://crooked.com/events

    Buy Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

    Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

    Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!

    • 3/6/26 – San Francisco
    • 3/7/26 – Los Angeles

    Learn more: http://crooked.com/events

    Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

    Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h et 41 min
  • Introducing Runaway Country: Justice Has Left the Building

    Introducing Runaway Country: Justice Has Left the Building
    Dec 29 2025

    Alex digs into the destruction of due process and rule of law under the Trump administration. First, she hears from Judge Anam Petit, a recently fired immigration judge who explains how the legal system is being quietly dismantled to prioritize deportations. Then, Alex speaks to Andrew Weissmann, former lead prosecutor in Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office, about whether our system is forever changed, and what it’s like to be in President Trump’s crosshairs.

    For a transcript of this episode, click here.

    Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!

    • 3/6/26 – San Francisco
    • 3/7/26 – Los Angeles

    Learn more: http://crooked.com/events

    Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

    Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h et 10 min
  • Our Favorite Things, 2025

    Our Favorite Things, 2025
    Dec 22 2025
    It’s that time of year when Leah, Melissa, and Kate put on their influencer hats and recommend the things that made their days a little brighter in 2025. This year, they’re joined by two special guests: rockstar Strict Scrutiny intern Jordan Thomas to share some of his picks, and former Chair of the Federal Election Commission Ellen Weintraub to discuss two of democracy’s favorite things—independent agencies and the regulation of money in politics. Favorite things: WANTLeah: Cozy Earth Bubble Cuddle Blanket, Jones Road Just Enough Tinted MoisturizerKate: Aventura electric scooter, Grüns Superfood Greens GummiesMelissa: True Botanicals, e.l.f. Camo Liquid BlushJordan: Tea Tree Leave-In Conditioner, Pink Oil Moisturizer, NEEDLeah: Peloton stretching classes, Farmhounds dog treats; Badlands Ranch dog foodKate: custom bobbleheads & action figures, Lilly Allen’s tour, Strict Scrutiny’s upcoming West Coast tourMelissa: Caddis readers, Blackwing Matte pencils, As Ever RoséJordan: 2026 Evanescence and Korn tours, these headphones WEARLeah: Forme Power Bra, Argent, TheRealRealKate: Strict Scrutiny onesies, Cozy Earth Studio Wide Leg PantMelissa: Quince yak wool sweaters, Uniqlo White T-Shirt, Clearly Collective Collegiate Scarves, WaySoft Cashmere BeanieJordan: Crooked Con Merch, Mavi jeans READLeah: The Wedding People, Alison Espach; Julie Anne Long’s Pennyroyal Green series; Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflowers series; These Summer Storms, Sarah MacLean; Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, V. E. Schwab; The God of the Woods, Liz Moore; Book of the MonthKate: The Power Broker, Robert Caro; Who Is Government? Michael Lewis; Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, Kate Conger & Ryan Mac; The Radical Fund, John Fabian Witt; Isola, Allegra Goodman; Heart the Lover, Lily King; Martyr! Kaveh Akbar; The History of Sound, Ben ShattuckMelissa: Matriarch, Tina Knowles; Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, Imani Perry; Jane Austen's Bookshelf, Rebecca Romney; Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid; The Book Club for Troublesome Women, Marie Bostwick; The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Kiran DesaiJordan: Lawless, Leah Litman; The Sirens' Call, Chris Hayes; Bad Law, Elie Mystal; Charles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation, Zaakir Tameez; Just Shine! How to Be a Better You, Sonia SotomayorEllen: Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell Mysteries; Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Benjamin Stevenson; The Black Wolf, Louise Penny; Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench; This Is Happiness, Niall Williams; Elizabeth Strout; Amor Towles Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 3/6/26 – San Francisco3/7/26 – Los AngelesLearn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h et 15 min
  • SCOTUS Is About to Turbocharge Presidential Power

    SCOTUS Is About to Turbocharge Presidential Power
    Dec 15 2025

    Leah, Kate, and Melissa recap the oral argument in Trump v. Slaughter, a case that could nuke the administrative state as we know it by giving Trump broad leeway to fire heads of independent agencies. They also cover the other arguments in cases involving campaign finance and the death penalty, and various and sundry bits of legal news including the antics of Judge Emil Bove and Trump’s ongoing game of U.S. attorney musical chairs.

    Favorite things:

    • Leah: At will? Whose will? By Don Moynihan (Can We Still Govern?)
    • Melissa: Trump’s Very Weird Night at the Kennedy Center Honors, Alexandra Petri (The Atlantic); A Flower Traveled in My Blood, Haley Cohen Gilliland
    • Kate: How a Manosphere Star Accused of Rape and Trafficking Was Freed, Megan Twohey and Isabella Kwai (NYT)

    Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!

    • 3/6/26 – San Francisco
    • 3/7/26 – Los Angeles

    Learn more: http://crooked.com/events

    Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

    Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h et 25 min
  • We Need To Talk About Trump’s Maritime Murders

    We Need To Talk About Trump’s Maritime Murders
    Dec 8 2025

    Kate, Melissa, and Leah are joined by Professor Rebecca Ingber of Cardozo Law to break down the blatant illegality of the administration’s murders of alleged “narcoterrorists” in the waters off South America. Then they dive into last week’s oral arguments, which featured cases involving “crisis pregnancy centers,” asylum claims, and whether internet providers are responsible for their users’ copyright violations.

    Favorite things:

    • Kate: This wild deposition; Disappeared to a Foreign Prison, Sarah Stillman (New Yorker), Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter’s White House slapdown
    • Leah: Dunking on this nonsensical op-ed; Republican Anger Erupts at Johnson as Party Frets About Future, Annie Karni (NYT); Hands Off Chicago
    • Melissa: WaySoft Cashmere Beanie; Ziwe interviews Eric Adams; Prince Harry on Colbert; Troublemaker; The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford, Carla Kaplan; Victoria (Netflix)

    Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!

    • 3/6/26 – San Francisco
    • 3/7/26 – Los Angeles

    Learn more: http://crooked.com/events

    Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

    Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    1 h et 8 min