How do we restore public trust in the Supreme Court amid this monumental blue wave? Leah, Kate, and Melissa are joined by Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund; Jamelle Bouie, New York Times columnist; and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) for a CrookedCon panel on Reforming the Supreme Court!. They dig into a range of proposed reforms, including a gift ban, changes to the shadow docket, SCOTUS term limits, and revisiting presidential immunity. They also discuss the growing constitutional crisis, the current makeup of the Court, and what it would take to restore public trust in the institution.

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Post-blue wave and on the eve of Crooked Con, Kate, Melissa, and Leah break down what went right on election night, and how the Supreme Court did its very best to prevent it by disenfranchising voters and enabling Trump’s lawlessness. Then, some executive branch news both welcome (see ya, Harmeet Dhillon) and horrifying (the ascension of Stephen Miller to chief of staff), before a breakdown of the biggest case SCOTUS heard last week. Is there a constitutional right to use public funds to discriminate against gay and trans people? Brett Kavanaugh seems to think so! Finally, Sherrilyn Ifill, founding director of the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy at Howard University, joins to talk about one of the most important tasks for Democrats ahead: Court reform.

Favorite things:

• Leah: Barrett Adair’s Election Night Instagram content; Stacey Abrams, Ayanna Pressley, Debbie Dingell, & Mallory McMorrowtelling Haley Stevens to go pound sand and dragging her for filth; Governor elect Amy Acton not picking up the phone when Vivek called to concede and adding that she doesn’t plan to speak to him.
• Melissa: American Hagwon, Min Jin Lee
• Kate: The Most Dangerous Way to Misread the Midterm Results, M. Gessen

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Election Day is upon us, and President Trump is already trying to sow doubt in the results – with the help of the courts. But first, Leah, Kate, and Melissa preview the cases the Supreme Court will be hearing this week, including St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a Colorado case that puts anti-LGBT discrimination back in the spotlight. Then, it’s time to get into the DOJ’s failed attempt to segregate ballots in California, and its lawsuit against Alaska for allowing more than one candidate named Dan Sullivan to run for Senate. Plus, some fun reenactments of a bonkers hearing on the D.C. golf course Trump wants to renovate.

Favorite Things:

• Leah: Jon Lovett and Tim Miller on supporting Abdul El-Sayed | The Cheesecake Factory discourse
• Kate: Former President Barack Obama's response to The Cheesecake Factory discourse | The Osborne Association’s annual benefit
• Melissa: Supporting Kate at the Osborne Association’s annual benefit | Obama’s shade about The Cheesecake Factory | Leah’s supercut of President Trump talking about Republican Senator Jon Husted’s butt | Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

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Leah and Melissa break down the administration’s latest lawsuits, from the DOJ’s fight over Alaska’s Senate candidacy, to its efforts to force California to turn over voter information, to Trump’s golf course fiasco. They also recap the latest developments at the Supreme Court, including a lower court ruling on New Hampshire’s election guidance for student IDs and the Court’s decision not to hear a significant copyright dispute out of the Fifth Circuit. Plus, they unpack the administration’s seemingly endless legal corruption, from Alina Habba to Vivek Ramaswamy’s disgusting Ohio campaign ads targeting his opponent, Amy Acton. Then, Kate talks with Rachel Shelden about her new book, The Political Supreme Court: A Forgotten History.

Favorite Things:

• Leah: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell | Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas | Talarico x The Chicks | You Can See Everything | Pablo Torre on Vivek | Lily Allen celebrating the one-year anniversary of West End Girl with a sex toy launch
• Melissa: Happy Anniversary Mr. Melissa Murry! | The Diplomat

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The nation is on a fast-paced slide toward full-on fascism, but what else is new? Leah, Kate, and Melissa recap Matt Gaetz’s sex trafficking civil suit, Katie Zacharia’s first—and last—week as White House Press Secretary, and the disturbing raid on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s home. Then, they dive into this week’s blockbuster Supreme Court arguments, including Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, Beaird v. United States, and Salazar v. Paramount Global. They break down the fight over climate accountability, the role of federal sentencing guidelines, and whether a decades-old privacy law can keep up with modern streaming services. Plus, they discover just how out of touch some of the justices are when conversation keeps circling back to Blockbuster. Finally, Leah talks with journalist and author Alice Ollstein about her new book, Side Effects: How Abortion Bans Impact Everyone’s Health.

Favorite Things:

• Leah: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth | Book Lovers by Emily Henry | Kate Manne on Call Her Daddy | Side Effects by Alice Ollstein | The Duke by Anna Cowan | The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath
• Kate: Blockers by Michael Lewis
• Melissa: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans | The 14th | The Diplomat 

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The first week of the new term has come and gone, and things are heating up… literally. Kirti Datla, director of Earthjustice’s Strategic Legal Advocacy Program, joins Melissa and Leah to discuss the term’s biggest climate case: Suncor v. Commissioners of Boulder County. They break down whether Boulder County’s lawsuit against oil and gas companies can move forward, or if the Court will shut it down based on federal law. Then, they dive into Samuel Alito’s big, bad book press tour and his reflections on Dobbs—including the friendships he says he lost along the way. Plus they cover Kash Patel’s engagement, Kimberly Guilfoyle’s corruption controversies, and Pete Hegseth’s announcement of a public execution. Finally, Melissa talks with Professor Bernadette Atuahene about her new book: Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America.

Favorite Things: 

• Leah: So Unexplained: Justice Alito’s Non-Responsive Emergency Docket Defense | Steve Vladeck’s Substack: One First | Jon Ossoff V. Mike Collins Debate | Marquette Poll 
• Melissa: Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell  

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This Monday officially kicks off a new Supreme Court term, and the cases and controversies are already heating up. Leah, Kate, and Melissa dig into the Court’s decision to allow the administration to resume “third-country removals,” as well as its decision to take up a new case challenging the administration’s policy of indefinitely detaining immigrants who cross the border illegally. Then, it’s time for the first argument previews of the term! Cases this week include one that could have significant implications for holding oil and gas companies accountable for climate change, and a challenge involving the constitutionality of federal laws affecting veterans’ benefits. Finally, Kate and Leah talk with Kelly Lytle Hernández, professor of history at UCLA, about her new book, Racist by Design: Two Centuries of U.S. Immigration Control.
Favorite Things: 

• Leah: The Love Hypothesis | The Public Shaming of John Roberts 
• Kate: Should I Stay or Should I Go? 

• Melissa: ‘A Different World’ Renewed for Season 2 | Swan Song by Earl Spencer 

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In the fifth and final installment of our Hot Supreme Court Reform series, Kate speaks with Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court. What would a meaningful and enforceable set of ethics rules look like for the Supreme Court justices? Why isn’t there an Inspector General for the judiciary? How are there no real rules around recusals? Roth makes the case for these nonpartisan reforms and more.

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It’s been a long summer, but Leah, Kate and Melissa are back together to break down the biggest cases and legal battles coming to the Supreme Court this term. Starting in October, the justices will hear challenges involving AR-15s and semi-automatic rifles, religious exemptions for schools receiving government funding, and the latest redistricting fights in Missouri and the 8th Circuit. Plus, Trump’s big arch updates and allegations that a government contractor illegally funneled nearly $200,000 to a Susan Collins super PAC. Then, Melissa sits down with National Association of Black Journalists President and Crooked’s Long Play cohost Errin Haines to discuss news outlets suing the President over press access. After, Leah talks to Columbia graduate and author Mahmoud Khalil about his new book, No Land to Stand On, the administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech, and the treatment of people in ICE custody. 

Favorite Things: 

• Leah: ProPublica | Gil Duran, Nerd Reich; Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor End Times Fascism | Alyssa Edwards’ response to Ken Paxton 
• Kate: Daniel Immerwahr’s How to Hide an Empire | Ari Berman and Pema Levy in Mother Jones on Callais and the New New Jim Crow | Nikole Hannah-Jones’s NYT Piece 

• Melissa: Propublica’s piece on Susan Collins |  Charles Spencer, Swan Song | Raphael Warnock, The Crooked Parts Made Straight | Zak Cheney-Rice, No One Can Fix School Segregation Alone | Stacey Abrams at LCCR Gala 

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In the fourth installment of our Hot Supreme Court Reform September series, Leah sits down with former FTC Chair Lina Khan and Lev Menand, both of Columbia Law School, to talk through ways to limit how much SCOTUS can mess with federal agencies. Lev makes the case for stripping SCOTUS of its jurisdiction over administrative law and sending those cases to a specialized court, and Lina discusses venue and standing issues—reforming who gets to sue and where.

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Melissa and Leah cover this week’s legal horrors out of the Trump administration, including the President’s ban on certain media outlets from the White House, as well as his attacks on the Kennedy Center and the Presidential Records Act. Also covered: Kash Patel on bestiality, ammosexual wins of the week, a proposed ballot measure in Idaho to protect reproductive freedom, and Donald Trump Jr.’s Russian oligarch sugar daddy. Then, Melissa sits down with Crooked’s very own Alex Wagner to talk about her new book The Steal: Four Right-Wing Hard-Liners, One Republican Presidency, and the Raid on America's Courts. Check out Alex’s show, Runaway Country, wherever you pod.

Favorite things:

• Leah:Alex Wagner’s The Steal; PONIES (Peacock); The Women of Yesteryear, Kate Manne (More to Hate); The Retirement Plan, Sue Hincenbergs
• Melissa: The Steal; Kash Patel getting roasted on social media

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For a transcript of an episode of Strict Scrutiny please email [email protected]