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Crooked Media

Strict Scrutiny is a podcast about the United States Supreme Court and the legal culture that surrounds it.

Hosted by three badass constitutional law professors-- Leah Litman, Kate Shaw, and Melissa Murray-- Strict Scrutiny provides in-depth, accessible, and irreverent analysis of the Supreme Court and its cases, culture, and personalities. Each week, Leah, Kate, and Melissa break down the latest headlines and biggest legal questions facing our country, emphasizing what it all means for our daily lives.

Whether you’re a lawyer or law student, or you’re just here for the messy legal drama, Strict Scrutiny has you covered. New episodes out every Monday… plus bonuses whenever SCOTUS takes away another one of our rights.

Strict Scrutiny

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 TheaterLeah • : 
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.

Will SCOTUS Keep Trans Kids Out of Sports?

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 DC
 • Kate: 
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 testimony • Melissa: 
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 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.

Debunking Trump’s Bullsh*t Legal Arguments for Invading Venezuela

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.

Can America Pull Back From the Brink of Autocracy?

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.

Introducing Runaway Country: Justice Has Left the Building

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 food
Kate • : 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 Shattuck
Melissa • : 
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 Desai
Jordan • : 
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 Sotomayor
Ellen • : 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 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.

Our Favorite Things, 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.

SCOTUS Is About to Turbocharge Presidential Power

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.

We Need To Talk About Trump’s Maritime Murders

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! 

 • 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.

SCOTUS Greenlights Racial Gerrymandering in Texas

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:

 • Leah: 
A Battle with My Blood • , Tatiana Schlossberg (The New Yorker)
 • Kate: 
Death by Lightning • (Netflix)
 • Melissa: 
Studio Museum in Harlem • ; 
Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook • , Samin Nosrat

 • 

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.

December Preview: SCOTUS Doubles Down on Its BS

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:

 • Kate: 
Lux • , Rosalía; 
The Unraveling of the Justice Department • , Emily Bazelon and Rachel Poser (NYT); 
Wild Dark Shore • , Charlotte McConaghy; 
The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990 • , Jonathan Mahler
 • Leah: 
Mature • , Hilary Duff; 
The Pop-Tarts Bowl • ; 
Cupcakin’ Bake Shop • in Berkeley
 • Melissa: Judith Browne Dianis & Alexei Navalny win the inaugural 
Kettering Democracy Prize • ; 
Meghan’s Moment • , Kaitlyn Greenidge (Harper's Bazaar); 
Meet the Veteran Who Chases ICE on a Scooter • , Isabela Dias (Mother Jones)

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.

Boy Math, Boy Law, Man Problems

While the Supreme Court gets all the focus, lower federal courts are just as much in need of reform. Unfortunately, rigging the courts is a game the GOP knows how to play. In this episode, Leah talks with Rakim Brooks of Alliance for Justice, and Brandon Hasbrouck* of Washington & Lee Law School, about how federal judges get picked, how Mitch McConnell has played the long game, and how the Democrats need to move forward in the judicial selection process.

*Brandon also wrote an article called "Movement Judges," which just came out in the NYU Law Review. Check it out for more on this subject!

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.

How Mitch Rigged the Courts

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