Strict Scrutiny

<div><p>Kate and Leah cover this week’s three Supreme Court opinions—one featuring a killer Ketanji Brown Jackson dissent—before turning to legal news, where bad behavior is everywhere. We’ve got a <a href="https://www.idahostatejournal.com/judge-ryan-d-nelson-confrontation-video/video_3bda1d0b-c645-467d-8d5a-faa1f0047483.html">violent judge who can’t park </a>in Idaho, politically motivated prosecutors in Chicago, and Trump’s generationally incompetent personal lawyers failing to do basic lawyering. Finally, Leah speaks with Mary Moriarty, Hennepin County (MN) Attorney, about the charges her office has filed against ICE agents, the breakdown in cooperation between local authorities and the feds, and <a href="https://www.federaloverreach.org/">FAFO</a>, the new coalition of prosecutors fighting back against federal overreach. The paperback edition of Leah’s book, <em>Lawless</em>, featuring brand-new material is out on Tuesday, June 16. Buy it <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/lawless-how-the-supreme-court-runs-on-conservative-grievance-fringe-theories-and-bad-vibes-leah-litman/5b562d6fcb316d6e?ean=9781668054642&amp;next=t">here</a>!<strong><br><br></strong>Favorite things:</p></div><ul> <li>Leah: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/10/opinion/constitution-supreme-court-popular-sovereignty.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pFA.hJTG.4bW__Yr8adIa&amp;smid=url-share">The Supreme Court Doesn’t Own the Constitution</a>, Jamelle Bouie (NYT);<a href="https://www.lawdork.com/p/scotus-alabama-nitrogen-gas-execution"> Supreme Court rejects Alabama's request to let it kill Jeffery Lee with nitrogen gas this week</a>, Chris Geidner (Law Dork)</li> <li><p>Kate: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-hill-harriet-clark/22519302">The Hill</a>, Harriet Clark</p></li> </ul><div><p>Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2026! </p></div><ul><li><p>6/20/26 – New York City</p></li></ul><div>Learn more:<a href="http://crooked.com/events"> http://crooked.com/events<br><br></a>Buy Melissa’s bestselling book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-constitution-annotated-for-the-contemporary-reader-melissa-murray/8e7f0dfa472fc3ca?ean=9781668221938&amp;next=t&amp;">The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader<br><br></a>Follow us on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/strictscrutinypodcast/?hl=en"> Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.threads.net/@strictscrutinypodcast"> Threads</a>, and<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strictscrutiny.bsky.social"> Bluesky<br></a><br></div>

<div> <p>Leah and Melissa break down what may be a new low for the Court: granting Alabama’s request to reinstate racially discriminatory voting maps. Then, they turn to the big questions: how dead is Trump’s slush fund for insurrectionists? Just how awful are Acting AG Todd Blanche and Acting DNI Bill Pulte? Will Michigan’s Democratic senators stand up to Trump’s appalling nominee for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan? They also cover three SCOTUS opinions from last week before Melissa speaks with Yale Law Professor Judith Resnik about her recent book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/impermissible-punishments-how-prison-became-a-problem-for-democracy-judith-resnik/ebfd7d951aca43e4?ean=9780226754741&amp;next=t">Impermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for Democracy</a>.</p><p>Favorite things:</p></div><ul> <li>Leah: <a href="https://vimeo.com/1197505290">Maria Collett’s speech to the PA Senate on LA v. Callais</a>; <a href="https://www.uclalawreview.org/autocratic-judging/">Autocratic Judging</a>, Rebecca L. Brown and Lee Epstein (UCLA Law Review); <a href="https://www.liberalcurrents.com/aoc-for-president/">AOC for President</a>, Megan Wachspress (Liberal Currents); <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/05/opinion/voting-rights-act-black-voters-south.html">A Shocking Betrayal of Black Americans</a>, Mara Gay (NYT)</li> <li>Melissa: <a href="https://www.kreegermuseum.org/exhibitions/event/The-Collaborative-Pyramid-Atlantic-2026-04-17">Imar Lyman at the Kreeger Museum in DC</a> </li> </ul><div><p>Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2026! </p></div><ul><li>6/20/26 – New York City<br>Learn more:<a href="http://crooked.com/events"> http://crooked.com/events<br></a><br></li></ul><div> <p><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/lawless-how-the-supreme-court-runs-on-conservative-grievance-fringe-theories-and-bad-vibes-leah-litman/5b562d6fcb316d6e?ean=9781668054642&amp;next=t">Preorder Lawless in paperback</a> (out June 16)</p><p>Buy Melissa’s bestselling book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-constitution-annotated-for-the-contemporary-reader-melissa-murray/8e7f0dfa472fc3ca?ean=9781668221938&amp;next=t&amp;">The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader<br><br></a>Follow us on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/strictscrutinypodcast/?hl=en"> Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.threads.net/@strictscrutinypodcast"> Threads</a>, and<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strictscrutiny.bsky.social"> Bluesky</a></p></div>

<div><p>Leah, Kate, and Melissa recap another busy week in legal news, covering the continued fallout from the Voting Rights Act case, <em>Louisiana v. Callais</em>, the ongoing saga of the DOJ’s insurrectionist slush fund, wild twists with the Broadview Six, more ballroom drama, the curious case of the Georgia judge who had loud sex in her chambers and then lied about it, and more. They also cover SCOTUS opinions involving compassionate release for prisoners and compelled arbitration before Leah speaks with University of Michigan law professor Barbara McQuade about her book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-fix-saving-america-from-the-corruption-of-a-mob-style-government-barbara-mcquade/417f9634203854df">The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government</a>.<strong><br><br></strong>Favorite things:</p></div><ul> <li>Kate: <a href="https://lucid.substack.com/p/trumps-illegal-250-bill-a-micro-history">Trump's Illegal $250 Bill: A Micro-History of Autocracy</a>, Ruth Ben-Ghiat (Lucid); <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/05/how-callais-broke-the-voting-rights-act-and-weaponized-the-equal-protection-clause-part-1/">How Callais broke the Voting Rights Act and weaponized the equal protection clause</a>, Issa Kohler-Hausmann &amp; Kevin Z. Yang (SCOTUSblog); <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtZdhSfa62w">Beg For Me (JADE Remix)</a>, Lilly Allen; <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/harmeet-dhillon-doj-civil-rights/686758/">Harmeet Dhillon Is Not Wasting Any Time</a>, Quinta Jurecic (The Atlantic); Brown’s <a href="https://sites.brown.edu/aimlab/">Advancing Impact on Maternal and Reproductive Health Lab</a> </li> <li>Leah: Ronny Chieng’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DY4sD21xsCK/">Harvard speech</a>; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFCTQ68gxoY&amp;list=RDjFCTQ68gxoY&amp;start_radio=1">Hit the Wall</a>, Gracie Abrams; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWnVy0laiILbKPnYlSG8-LA4h83W7kizo">Midnight Sun</a>, Zara Larsson</li> <li><p>Melissa: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/strangers-a-memoir-of-marriage-belle-burden/9576dba8b9d3ce7d?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&amp;utm_content=%7Badgroupname%7D&amp;utm_term=dsa-19959388920&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=12440232635&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACfld42dVonKdjU0QPdRFLR16mH7u&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw8uTQBhAdEiwAVvtJyup0q1bP8l2PO6cI_l6oPf0woTXHEoWoe2_II6jhcKM0QfgoU-SHUhoC1B8QAvD_BwE">Strangers</a>, Belle Burden; her <a href="https://politics-prose.com/melissa-murray-060326?srsltid=AfmBOoq9DCh6nh-eyLqB6hYEUqDtY4ZX725Ie2UrCqtZymW1yVJ5t6H7">event at Politics and Prose at The Wharf</a> on 6/3/26; <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/liar-s-kingdom-how-to-stop-trump-s-deceit-and-save-america-andrew-weissmann/e79cc4410e81f719?ean=9780316601306&amp;next=t">Liar's Kingdom: How to Stop Trump's Deceit and Save America</a>, Andrew Weissmann</p></li> </ul><div><p>Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2026! </p></div><ul><li><p>6/20/26 – New York City</p></li></ul><div> <p>Learn more:<a href="http://crooked.com/events"> http://crooked.com/events<br><br></a>Buy Melissa’s bestselling book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-constitution-annotated-for-the-contemporary-reader-melissa-murray/8e7f0dfa472fc3ca?ean=9781668221938&amp;next=t&amp;">The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader<br><br></a>Preorder a signed paperback of Leah’s book, Lawless, <a href="https://literatibookstore.com/book/signedlawless">here</a>.</p><p>Follow us on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/strictscrutinypodcast/?hl=en"> Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.threads.net/@strictscrutinypodcast"> Threads</a>, and<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strictscrutiny.bsky.social"> Bluesky</a></p></div>

<div> <p>Kate, Melissa, and Leah try to wrap their heads around Trump’s nearly $2 billion DOJ slush fund, which they agree may be—despite <em>extremely</em> stiff competition—the biggest act of trolling and self-dealing of his second term. The professors count the ways this is so, so illegal, and speculate on how it can be challenged (looking at you, Congress).<strong> </strong>They also cover other legal news and some SCOTUS opinions before speaking with Dorothy Roberts about her book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-mixed-marriage-project-a-memoir-of-love-race-and-family-dorothy-roberts/d5922a6c45c20de3?ean=9781668068380&amp;next=t">The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family</a>. Enter Leah’s merch giveaway for the paperback edition of Lawless <a href="https://forms.gle/VRqxPXiPuZpC3Un47">here</a>!</p><p>Favorite things:</p></div><ul> <li>Kate: Nikolas Bowie’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hgo63HsgLo">testimony</a> before the House Judiciary Committee</li> <li>Leah: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/0bzP9iV2QbM6174JLfGxcc">It’s Not That Deep</a>, Demi Lovato</li> <li><p>Melissa: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/kin-oprah-s-book-club-a-novel-tayari-jones/b39cfc2eee0fdadf?ean=9780525659181&amp;next=t">Kin</a>, Tayari Jones</p></li> </ul><div><p>Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2026! </p></div><ul><li><p>6/20/26 – New York City</p></li></ul><div> <p>Learn more:<a href="http://crooked.com/events"> http://crooked.com/events<br><br></a>Buy Melissa’s bestselling book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-constitution-annotated-for-the-contemporary-reader-melissa-murray/8e7f0dfa472fc3ca?ean=9781668221938&amp;next=t&amp;">The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader<br><br></a>Preorder a signed paperback of Leah’s book, Lawless, <a href="https://literatibookstore.com/book/signedlawless">here</a>.</p><p>Follow us on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/strictscrutinypodcast/?hl=en"> Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.threads.net/@strictscrutinypodcast"> Threads</a>, and<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strictscrutiny.bsky.social"> Bluesky</a></p></div>

<div> <p>Kate and Leah break down the Supreme Court’s extension of a stay allowing for continued mail-order access to mifepristone, from the Court’s unconscionable failure to meet its own arbitrary deadline to the unhinged dissents from Justices Thomas and Alito. They also cover last week’s other legal news before speaking with Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones, about the devastating fallout from the Court’s ruling in the Voting Rights Act case, <em>Louisiana v. Callais</em>. Finally, Melissa speaks with Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow about their book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-equality-wins-a-new-vision-for-an-inclusive-america-david-glasgow/b7972d2b17556cb6?ean=9781668216750&amp;next=t&amp;next=t&amp;affiliate=1688">How Equality Wins: A New Vision for an Inclusive America</a>.</p><p>Favorite things:</p></div><ul> <li> <strong>Kate</strong>: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N68NjL9cMA">Kavanaugh Hegseth Patel Bar Cold Open</a> (SNL); <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKeq4CEZtm8">The Shadow Docket</a> (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver); <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/opinion/callais-voting-rights-roberts-court.html">This Is Getting Dangerous</a>, Jamelle Bouie (NYT); <a href="https://knightcolumbia.org/content/lawyering-without-law">Lawyering Without Law</a> (The Knight First Amendment Institute); <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/give-us-the-ballot-the-modern-struggle-for-voting-rights-in-america-ari-berman/432e04adf5fde5b9?ean=9781250094728&amp;next=t">Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America</a>, Ari Berman</li> <li> <strong>Leah</strong>: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox1Eemj8FDo">Rock Music</a> (Charli xcx); Sam Alito’s typos</li> <li><p><strong>Ari</strong>: <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/05/john-roberts-voting-rights-act-destruction-legacy-history-video/">Blame John Roberts for Destroying the Voting Rights Act</a> (Mother Jones); <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/race-and-reunion-the-civil-war-in-american-memory-university-david-w-blight-ph-d/0b2d2f89fbe1c23a?ean=9780674008199&amp;next=t">Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/frederick-douglass-prophet-of-freedom-david-w-blight/a1e514195638fc78?ean=9781416590323&amp;next=t">Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom</a>, David Blight; <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/reconstruction-updated-edition-america-s-unfinished-revolution-1863-1877-eric-foner/b2395d850c158be9?ean=9780062354518&amp;next=t">Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877</a>, Eric Foner</p></li> </ul><div><p><br>Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2026! </p></div><ul><li><p>6/20/26 – New York City</p></li></ul><div> <p>Learn more:<a href="http://crooked.com/events"> http://crooked.com/events<br><br></a>Buy Melissa’s bestselling book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-constitution-annotated-for-the-contemporary-reader-melissa-murray/8e7f0dfa472fc3ca?ean=9781668221938&amp;next=t&amp;">The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader<br><br></a>Preorder a signed paperback of Leah’s book, Lawless, <a href="https://literatibookstore.com/book/signedlawless">here</a>.</p><p>Follow us on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/strictscrutinypodcast/?hl=en"> Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.threads.net/@strictscrutinypodcast"> Threads</a>, and<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strictscrutiny.bsky.social"> Bluesky</a></p></div>