Melissa interviews journalist Joshua Prager about his book, The Family Roe: An American Story. Prager spent hours interviewing Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe), her daughters, and other key figures throughout the decades-long debate over abortion

Smashing Precedents and Making Up Facts

Jul 4th, 2022 1h 11m

The Supreme Court finally finished the OT2021 term-- and it was a doozy. Kate and Leah recap the last few opinions, including Oklahoma v. Castro Huerta, with special guest Greg Ablavsky of Stanford Law [3:55], and the "praying coach" case, Kenn

Sad Girl Autumn

Nov 29th, 2021 54m

It’s sad girl autumn at the Supreme Court -- Melissa, Kate, and Leah preview the upcoming cases, including the frontal challenge to Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and discuss the Court’s lack of action on the S.B.

Hashtag YOLO

Sep 27th, 2021 33m 39s

Recorded in partnership with the 2021 Texas Tribune festival, Dahlia Lithwick joins us to discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s busy summer and do a lightening-round preview of 2.5 cases on the docket for the Court’s upcoming term. Follow us on I

Untitled Dating Show

Sep 6th, 2021 43m 13s

It’s law school advice time, Strict Scrutiny style! Melissa and Leah chat with Mark Moran, graduate of UVA Law and contestant on FBoy Island, for the first ever Strict Scrutiny x FBoy Island Crossover. What can law school teach you about realit

The Dobbs Decision Hasn't Aged Well

1 Aug 7th, 2023 1h 45m

It's been over a year since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The majority opinion, concurrences, and joint dissent all made a lot of predictions about life wit

SCOTUS Seems to Normalize Authoritarianism

3 hours ago 1h 23m

Melissa, Leah, and Kate recap the oral arguments in the Idaho case about the legality of abortions in emergency situations, and the case about whether former President Trump is immune from prosecution in the federal election interference case a

Will SCOTUS Let January 6 Defendants Off the Hook?

7 days ago 1h 22m

Melissa, Leah, and Kate recap oral arguments in cases about January 6, political corruption, malicious prosecution claims, and the right to counsel. They also break down a batch of decisions, and look ahead to how SCOTUS may address state bans

SCOTUS’s Final Sitting of the Term Is A Doozy

14 days ago 1h 14m

In the next two weeks, SCOTUS will hear arguments in cases on political corruption, criminalizing houselessness, whether a state abortion ban can override a federal policy permitting abortion in emergency medical care, the statute under which m

Florida Becomes a Battleground for Reproductive Rights

21 days ago 1h 9m

Kate and Leah break down the latest court news with Errin Haines, Editor-at-Large for The 19th and host of The Amendment, including developments in abortion access in Florida and the discourse around whether Justice Sotomayor should retire. The

The Absurd Fiction of the Mifepristone Case

28 days ago 1h 16m

Melissa, Kate, and Leah recap the oral arguments in the case challenging the FDA's approval of mifepristone, one of the drugs used in medication abortion. They also recap arguments in cases about the Armed Career Criminal Act and Indian Health

The Supreme Court Abortion Pill Case

Mar 26th, 2024 18m 41s

Leah, Melissa, and Kate give a quick take on the bottom line from the oral arguments in the medication abortion case that is currently unraveling in the Supreme Court.Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Threads, and Bluesky

Texas, Immigration, and Easily Avoidable Chaos

Mar 25th, 2024 1h 22m

Steve Vladeck joins Kate and Leah for the play-by-play of what happened with SB4, Texas's restrictive and extreme anti-immigration law that wound up on the U.S. Supreme Court's shadow docket. Kate and Leah also recap the oral arguments in cases

Welcome to Conservative Grievance Week

Mar 18th, 2024 1h 23m

The Supreme Court will hear arguments this week on two First Amendment cases that ask whether the REAL victims of government coercion today are… conservatives with fringe views! Leah, Melissa, and Kate preview those cases, along with the mifepr

The TLDR of Trump's Indictments

Mar 11th, 2024 55m 40s

Our very own Melissa Murray has a new book out with co-author Andrew Weissmann-- The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary-- and it was an instant New York Times bestseller. Melissa and Andrew talk with Kate and Lea

SCOTUS Restores Trump to the Colorado Ballot, Unanimously (Kind Of)

Mar 5th, 2024 48m 34s

The Supreme Court released its opinion in Trump v. Anderson, saying Colorado and other states can't disqualify Trump from the ballot under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. Kate, Melissa, and Leah break down the (expected) outcome, the (he

Content Moderation, Machine Guns, and Trump's Trial Calendar

Mar 4th, 2024 1h 25m

Leah and Kate analyze the ramifications of the Supreme Court agreeing to hear Trump's immunity case... seven whole weeks from now. They also recap the arguments in a case about whether the federal government can ban bump stocks, a device that t

The Alabama Supreme Court Embraces Fetal Personhood

Feb 26th, 2024 1h 33m

Looks like we have to add a new segment to the show: Fetal Personhood Watch. Leah, Melissa, and Kate break down the decision from the Alabama Supreme Court that ruled frozen embryos used in IVF treatment are "extrauterine children." They also r

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From State Courts

Feb 19th, 2024 1h 25m

Kate, Melissa, and Leah preview the cases the Supreme Court will hear this week, explain the latest news in the Trump criminal cases, and survey the significant decisions happening in lower courts.Read Melissa and Kate's article in the Harvard

SCOTUS Has Their Own Theories About Trump’s Eligibility

Feb 12th, 2024 1h 10m

The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case about whether Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment disqualifies Donald Trump from appearing on the presidential ballot or holding the office of the presidency because of his role in January 6th. Me

Why Did Trump Get Denied Immunity?

Feb 7th, 2024 36m 31s

This morning, the US Court of Appeals for the DC circuit ruled that Donald Trump doesn't have immunity in the D.C. election interference case. Kate, Melissa, and Leah break down the D.C. Circuit's decision, Trump's arguments and whether or not

Does the Constitution Disqualify Trump from Presidency?

Feb 5th, 2024 53m 5s

This week the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case about whether Donald Trump is eligible to run for president, or whether he's disqualified from doing so by a provision of the 14th Amendment that prevents individuals from holding publ

E. Jean Carroll and Robbie Kaplan on Trump's "Defamation Rampage"

Feb 2nd, 2024 55m 52s

E. Jean Carroll and attorney Robbie Kaplan join us to share the process and aftermath of Carroll's defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump-- in which a jury just awarded her $83.3 million. What was Trump's vibe in the courtroom? Will he actuall

Who Has Final Authority At The Border?

Jan 29th, 2024 1h 31m

Kate, Melissa, and Leah break down the legal fight in Texas at the U.S.-Mexico border, and the Supreme Court's take on it all. Plus, Melissa and Kate do a deep dive on another outlandish era in the Supreme Court's history with Cliff Sloan, auth

AITA? SCOTUS Edition

Jan 22nd, 2024 1h 10m

Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a pair of cases that threaten to topple four decades of precedent about federal agencies' authority to interpret statutes. Leah, Melissa, and Kate recap the arguments and outline the Koch-fun