SCOTUS Rewrites the Rules for One Special Boy

SCOTUS Rewrites the Rules for One Special Boy

Author: Slate Podcasts September 5, 2026 Duration: 1:09:16

It’s past time to say it. This Supreme Court is helping President Donald J. Trump evade accountability. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the Berkeley School of Law, joins Dahlia Lithwick to break down the conservative majority's procedural toolkit—standing, ripeness, the Purcell principle, and inscrutable rulings on the shadow docket —and how these doctrinal headfakes are being used to ensure Trump always wins in court, even when he loses. They dig into the White House ballroom case and Trump’s attempt to disrupt mail-in voting and the midterms, they explore what's different from Trump's first term, and ask which of the justices are worried about the court's legitimacy.

Plus, we remember Gloria Steinem, who died at 92 this week. From co-founding Ms. magazine to her lifelong allyship with the civil rights movement, Steinem's legacy of building coalitions, lifting up others, and never letting anyone steal her joy carries urgent lessons for a moment in which so much of what she fought for is being erased. Dahlia talks with legal scholar and Ms. Studios executive producer Professor Michele Goodwin.


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Dahlia Lithwick guides Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts through the complex and often opaque world of the American legal system. This isn't just a dry recap of rulings; it's a vital exploration of how the law shapes lives, freedoms, and the very fabric of society. The focus frequently rests on the Supreme Court, unpacking the philosophies, personalities, and profound consequences stemming from its nine justices. Each episode seeks to demystify the court's operations and its towering influence on everything from civil rights to everyday governance. You'll hear insightful conversations with legal scholars, journalists, and practitioners who provide clarity on landmark decisions and the simmering cases poised to change the nation. Produced by Slate Podcasts, this series operates with the understanding that justice is not a static concept but a living, breathing, and fiercely debated process. The podcast serves as an essential companion for anyone striving to understand the forces that govern us, offering narrative depth and analytical rigor far beyond the headlines. For those who want to dive deeper, a Slate Plus membership offers additional weekly episodes with extended legal analysis, alongside an ad-free listening experience across Slate's network.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts
Podcast Episodes
Bad History Will Kill America [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:49
The Supreme Court just wrapped the term with a blitz of extremely consequential decisions, and the smoke hasn’t cleared yet. (In fact, it’s looming like a dark storm cloud over our Fourth of July and America 250th festiv…
A Constitutional Travesty Narrowly Avoided [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:32
It was a weird and wild ride as the Supreme Court handed down the last decisions of the term that started all the way back in October of 2025. We were so much younger then. After 58 argued cases and a steady, sneaky stre…
Preview: Trump Can Fire (Almost) Anyone Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:47
The end is nigh! Or, the end of this Supreme Court term is nigh, at least. On the second to last day of this term, the court’s right wingers delivered a sweeping ruling that will reshape the federal government for years…
The Roberts Court Shows Its True Colors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:47
Donald Trump ran for office threatening to use mass deportations, closed borders, and emergency wartime powers to “clean up” American immigration. On Thursday, the Supreme Court’s right-wing supermajority gifted him with…
Preview: All Gas, No Brakes for this 6-3 Court [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:17
In this exclusive Opinionpalooza extra, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern take stock of today’s truly horrendous decisions handed down by a right-wing Supreme Court supermajority that’s marching in perfect lockstep o…
Guns, Weed, and the Forgotten Framers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:25
The Supreme Court handed down a unanimous ruling this week in United States v. Hemani, holding that a marijuana user cannot be stripped of his Second Amendment right to own a firearm simply because he sometimes uses cann…
A Huge Shift is Underway at SCOTUS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:04
The Second Reconstruction is being dismantled piece by piece, and this past month has seen that project attain terminal velocity. On this week’s Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick talks with Stanford law professor and leadi…
Concrete Plans to Restore Law, after Trump [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:35
One of the challenges of modern legal journalism is recalling that case law, doctrine, and Supreme Court decisions aren’t a complete picture, without including the lived realities of the people whose lives and communitie…
Preview: A Shattering Blow to Fair Elections [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:06
The Supreme Court’s Republican-appointed justices seem to be in a big rush to dismantle voting rights for non-white people. On Tuesday night, the right-wing supermajority handed down an unsigned shadow docket order that…
The Myth of John Roberts vs. Donald Trump [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:21
Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern, Slate’s dynamic legal duo, preview the final weeks of the Supreme Court term. It’s a “three-ring circus”: the merits docket, the shadow docket, and the justices’ increasingly public…