Strict Scrutiny

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

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: WANTLeahCozy Earth Bubble Cuddle BlanketJones Road Just Enough Tinted MoisturizerKateAventura electric scooterGrüns Superfood Greens GummiesMelissaTrue Botanicalse.l.f. Camo Liquid BlushJordanTea Tree Leave-In ConditionerPink Oil Moisturizer NEEDLeahPeloton stretching classesFarmhoundsBadlands RanchKatebobbleheadsaction figuresLilly Allen’s tourStrict Scrutiny’s upcoming West Coast tourMelissaCaddis readersBlackwing Matte pencilsAs Ever RoséJordanEvanescenceKornheadphones WEARLeahForme Power BraArgentTheRealRealKateStrict Scrutiny onesiesCozy Earth Studio Wide Leg PantMelissaQuince yak wool sweatersUniqlo White T-Shirt, Clearly Collective Collegiate ScarvesWaySoft Cashmere BeanieJordanCrooked Con MerchMavi jeans READLeahThe Wedding PeopleJulie Anne LongLisa KleypasThese Summer StormsBury Our Bones in the Midnight SoilThe God of the WoodsBook of the MonthKateThe Power BrokerWho Is Government?Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed TwitterThe Radical FundIsolaHeart the LoverMartyr!The History of SoundMelissaMatriarchBlack in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My PeopleJane Austen's BookshelfAtmosphereThe Book Club for Troublesome WomenThe Loneliness of Sonia and SunnyJordanLawlessThe Sirens' CallBad LawCharles Sumner: Conscience of a NationJust Shine! How to Be a Better YouEllenVeronica Speedwell MysteriesEveryone in My Family Has Killed SomeoneThe Black WolfShakespeare: The Man Who Pays the RentThis Is HappinessElizabeth StroutAmor Towles Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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.

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: At will? Whose will?Trump’s Very Weird Night at the Kennedy Center HonorsA Flower Traveled in My BloodHow a Manosphere Star Accused of Rape and Trafficking Was Freed Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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.

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: This wild depositionDisappeared to a Foreign PrisonOlivia DeanSabrina Carpenter’s White House slapdownthis nonsensical op-edRepublican Anger Erupts at Johnson as Party Frets About FutureHands Off ChicagoWaySoft Cashmere BeanieZiwe interviews Eric AdamsPrince Harry on ColbertTroublemaker; The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica MitfordVictoria Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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.

In this emergency episode, Leah, Melissa and Kate break down the Supreme Court’s shadow docket order allowing Texas to use racist and Republican-skewed district maps in next year’s midterms. Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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.

Kate, Leah, and Melissa kick off the show by speaking with New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin about First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Platkin, whose wonky exterior masks an under-the-radar abortion case. Then they preview the rest of December’s oral arguments, which include cases about the future of the administrative state as we know it, campaign finance, and judicial review of asylum cases. Finally, some legal news, including the dismissal of the James Comey and Letitia James indictments. Favorite Things: A Battle with My BloodDeath by LightningStudio Museum in HarlemGood Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2026! 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! 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.

Leah, Melissa, and Kate dive into the raging legal battles over redistricting ahead of next year’s midterms, Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan’s massive oopsies in her prosecution of James Comey, developments with L’Affaire Epstein, and other assorted legal quagmires and outrages from the Trump administration. Then, Kate chats with University of Minnesota Law Professor Jill Hasday about her book We the Men: How Forgetting Women's Struggles for Equality Perpetuates Inequality. Check out Leah’s review of Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s book, Listening to the Law, for the Los Angeles Review of Books here. Favorite things: LuxThe Unraveling of the Justice DepartmentWild Dark ShoreThe Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990MatureThe Pop-Tarts BowlCupcakin’ Bake ShopKettering Democracy PrizeMeghan’s MomentMeet the Veteran Who Chases ICE on a Scooter Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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.

Kate and Leah run through the latest legal news, including updates on the SNAP benefits case, the email dump that revealed Jeffrey Epstein's deep ties to the establishment, and the political persecution of Representative LaMonica McIver. Then they catch up on the past couple weeks of oral arguments at the Supreme Court, which featured bad signs for a prisoner seeking damages after a flagrant violation of his religious rights, some relaxing detours into civil procedure, and Brett Kavanaugh’s deeply felt sense of injustice over…lawsuits against military contractors. Favorite Things: LeahBroken CountryWild Dark ShoreFirst Lie WinsDopamineXIn Matt Gaetz Scandal, Circumstances Left Teen Vulnerable to ExploitationKateThe Preventionist Everybody ScreamThe Long Christmas DinnerA Year On From Trump’s Victory, Resistance Is Everywhere Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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.

Live from Crooked Con in Washington, Leah, Kate, and Melissa unpack the surprisingly not-awful oral arguments for Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, which put the president's tariffs in the hot seat. Then the hosts are joined by Representative LaMonica McIver of New Jersey to discuss the bogus charges against her for “assaulting” federal agents while conducting an oversight visit of an ICE detention center. Finally, friend of the pod Steve Vladeck joins Leah to break down the 3D chess behind Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Friday night order granting an administrative stay in a case about the funding of SNAP benefits. Read Steve’s excellent piece on the subject here, and enter Leah’s Lawless giveaway here. Favorite Things: KateChicagoHow to Be a Good Citizen When Your Country Does Bad ThingsThe 25 Young(ish) New Democrats to WatchLeahZohran Mamdani’s Victory SpeechMelissaThe Can’t Win Victory Fund Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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.

Kate, Leah, and Melissa dive into the legal pushback over ICE and the National Guard in Chicago and Portland, anti-marriage equality goblin Kim Davis’s unwelcome return to the courts, the administration’s lawless strikes on boats in the waters around South America, and the specter of Trump 3.0. Then, they preview November’s SCOTUS cases, including Learning Resources v. Trump, which challenges Trump’s authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Favorite things: LeahTaskWest End GirlThe Kavanaugh Stop - 50 days laterThe Supreme Court’s Self-Defeating SupremacyGod’s Chief JusticeLawyers March for DemocracyKateThe EmergencyExpert Backgrounder on War Powers Resolution 60-Day Clock for Boat Strikes Expiring MondayMelissaImpermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for DemocracyHurricane relief for JamaicaThe WalkGood Jamaica Relief FundThe American Friends of JamaicaGlobal Empowerment MissionMercy CorpsFood for the Poor Jamaica Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! Learn more: http://crooked.com/events Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com 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.

Kate and Leah dig into a very busy week of legal news as Trump wields his SCOTUS-enabled executive power in increasingly unhinged ways. They also discuss continuing challenges to the president’s deployment of the National Guard in blue cities, ProPublica’s reporting on “Kavanaugh stops,” and, for dessert, the bonkers text exchange between Trump lackey–turned–U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan and Lawfare’s Anna Bower. Then they speak with author Irin Carmon about her new book, Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America. Favorite things: Resistance Is Cringe—But It’s Also EffectiveThe Democrats' Main Problem Isn’t Their MessageThe Peril of a White House That Flaunts Its Indifference to the LawEverybody/Elizabeth Taylor MashupFive Tuesdays in WinterI’m Still Here Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! Learn more: http://crooked.com/events Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com 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.

Leah, Kate, and Melissa break down last week’s agonizing two-and-a-half-hour oral argument in Louisiana v. Callais, a case that could see the already weakened Voting Rights Act gutted even further. They highlight the themes that emerged and dig into the case’s broader context with Sam Spital, Associate Director-Counsel at the Legal Defense Fund, then recap the week’s other arguments and the latest legal news. Finally, Leah talks with Joyce Vance about her new book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy. Favorite things: LeahBow Street RunnersFlirting LessonsKateWhat Are We Living Through?Originalist ‘Bombshell’ Complicates Case on Trump’s Power to Fire OfficialsMelissaThe Lawyer, the Witch, and the Witness: Proving Witchcraft in the English CourtsOne Battle After Another Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com 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.

Leah, Melissa, and Kate are back in business, breaking down this term’s first week of arguments at SCOTUS, including a challenge to Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors. Also covered: the indictment of New York’s Attorney General Letitia James, the continuing legal fights against Trump’s efforts to send the National Guard into Portland and Chicago, and Attorney General Pamela Jo Bondi’s pugnacious testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Then, Kate and Leah speak with Yale Law Professor John Fabian Witt about his book The Radical Fund: How a Band of Visionaries and a Million Dollars Upended America, which chronicles how philanthropist Charles Garland bankrolled progressive causes through his American Fund for Public Service. BuckBell Chileslisten to our deep diveFavorite things: Leah: Protest videos from Portland and Chicago; The Sentimental Garbage podcast on The Life of a Showgirl Kate: Writers & Lovers by Lily King, Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner; Red Clover Ranch in Wisconsin; wine and cider from Las Mujeres Melissa: Vision & Justice; Miss Toy Poodle on Instagram Leah will be in conversation with UCLA Law Professor Rick Hasen at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM. Details here. Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com 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.

Kate, Leah, and Melissa preview what fresh hell SCOTUS has in store for us this term, including challenges to the Fourteenth Amendment and the Court’s continued obsession with fighting the culture wars. Then, after breaking down the latest legal news, the hosts welcome Lieutenant Governor of Illinois–and Senate candidate–Juliana Stratton to discuss Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, how state and local governments can push back against this administration, and what gives her hope in this fight. Finally, a game to commemorate Chief Justice Roberts’ 20 long years on the Court. This episode was recorded live at the Athenaeum Center in Chicago. Favorite things: LeahBone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of FloridaWithout Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our RightsOne Battle After AnotherThe Life of a ShowgirlKateWBEZ ChicagoBlock Club ChicagoChicago ReaderThe Chicago Sun-Times on BroadviewHeart the LoverMelissaTa-Nehisi Coates and Ezra Klein Hash Out Their Charlie Kirk DisagreementBreaking BreadMexodus Meghan Markle in Balenciaga 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 Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com 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.

Leah and Kate dive into the week’s legal news, explaining how SCOTUS continues to carry water for the Trump administration. They also cover an epic slapdown of the Roberts Court out of Hawaii, Sam Alito’s Italian sojourn, and the DOJ’s refusal to investigate the wads of cash lining border czar Tom Homan’s pockets. Then all three hosts are joined by special guests Sherrilyn Ifill, founding director of the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy at Howard University, and New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie to discuss the Supreme Court in the years after the Civil War and Reconstruction and why that era, known as the Redemption Court, resonates with today’s legal landscape. Favorite Things: Trump’s Dream of Infinite Presidential PowerJimmy Kimmel’s comeback monologueChris Hayes’ WITHpod episode with Bill McKibbenHow Comedy was Destroyed by By an Anti-Reality Doomsday CultCharles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation King of the North: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life of Struggle Outside the South Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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 Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com 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.

Leah is joined by guest co-host Skye Perryman, president & CEO of Democracy Forward, to discuss the week’s news, including the continued pushback on the shadow docket from the lower courts and Trump’s boundless abuse of Article II. Then Kate, Melissa, and Leah — along with special guest Sherrilyn Ifill — take a look at the impact of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, three years into her time on the Supreme Court. Favorite things: SkyeSierra FerrellLeahThe Summer I Turned PrettyCharlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost CauseMiolin BakeryL’Appartement 4FKateVote Save America Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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 Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com 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.

Our fearless hosts continue to slog through this sh*tty shadow docket summer, covering an order from the Court okaying racial profiling by ICE officers, some ominous administrative stays, Amy Coney Barrett’s ongoing press tour through right wing media, and the lower courts’ continuing frustrations with this Supreme Court. Then, Leah and Kate speak with special guest Symone Sanders Townsend, co-host of MSNBC’s The Weeknight, about how the Supreme Court is carrying out key parts of Project 2025, and enabling and facilitating other parts of the government to do the same. Hosts’ favorite things: The Guatemalan Children’s Case and the Judicial Learning CurveWhat Should a Lower Federal Court Judge Do When SCOTUS Plays Calvinball?Bonus 177: A Closer Look at Justice Kavanaugh's ICE Raids OpinionZohran Mamdani’s ‘Stop Sending Us Money” TikTokTrump’s Treasury Secretary Threatens to Punch Housing Official in the Face Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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 Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Kate, Leah, and Melissa break down how the lower courts are challenging the Trump administration and expressing their frustration with SCOTUS. Then, they check in with two members of the supermajority: Brett Kavanaugh, who’s touting a shiny new shadow docket rebrand, and Amy Coney Barrett as she commences her cursèd book tour. Finally, the hosts speak with Yale Law professor Justin Driver about his book, The Fall of Affirmative Action: Race, the Supreme Court, and the Future of Higher Education. Hosts’ and guests’ favorite things: KateApologies: You Have Reached the End of Your Free-Trial Period of America!Bonus 176: Law, Lawlessness, and DoomerismHow a Top Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission Into North Korea Fell ApartLeahThe DC Circuit’s Realpolitik Orders in the Foreign Aid Funding Case174. Justice Gorsuch's Attack on Lower CourtsBonus 174: Playing the Justices for FoolsThe Supreme Court Is Backing Trump’s Power GrabMelissahearingHijacking the KennedysNancy Mace: Everything You Didn't Know About Her Sh*tty Past These Summer StormsThe BiographyJustinThe Creative Act: A Way of BeingMartin Luther King's Constitution: A Legal History of the Montgomery Bus Boycott Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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 Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

The gang is back together as Melissa, Kate, and Leah break down this week’s mountain of legal news, including the Court’s greenlighting of Trump’s anti-DEI National Institutes of Health cuts, the president’s war on mail-in ballots, and a batshit missive from Solicitor General John Sauer. Then, Leah speaks with candidate for Michigan attorney general Eli Savit about the latest threat to marriage equality. Finally, Kate chats with Penn Law professor Serena Mayeri about her book, Marital Privilege: Marriage, Inequality, and the Transformation of American Law. Hosts’ and guests’ favorite things: LeahOne FirstThe Pennyroyal Green SeriesWhy the Supreme Court Is Not to Be TrustedKateWould You Trust This Man With Your Elections?Chautauqua lectureMelissaAtmosphereCommonwealthThe Gilded AgeEliJealous Type Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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 Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Kate and Leah recap the week's legal news, including argument calendars for the next SCOTUS term and President Trump's attempted federal takeover of Washington, DC. Then, it's our third annual State of The Uterus episode. Melissa and Leah talk with Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Lisa Beattie Frelinghuysen, founder of ClutchKit, about the current status of reproductive freedom three years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Finally, Leah talks about the authors of After Dobbs: How the Supreme Court Ended Roe, But Not Abortion. Favorite Things: Leah: Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancies in America, by Irin Carmon; track list and cover art for Taylor Swift's forthcoming The Life of a Showgirl; Ben Platt's cover of Diet Pepsi; Melissa's appearance on Nicole Wallace's podcast, The Best People; "Redistricting Texas Now is Illegal and the U.S. Department of Justice is the Reason Why," by Ellen Katz; and Laura Loomer's weird deposition in a case against Bill Maher Kate: Vera, or Faith, by Gary Shteyngart; Parable of the Talents, by Octavia Butler; Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab; The Retrievals; "The Chadha Presidency," by Josh Chafetz; and "Trump, John Roberts and the Unsettling of American Politics," by David Dailey Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 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 Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky