Strict Scrutiny

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...

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50 episodes

Not checked · Nov 11, 2026 · 1:06:47
The Blueprint for a Better Supreme Court
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…
Not checked · Nov 9, 2026 · 1:41:39
Will the Blue Wave Come for SCOTUS?
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…
Not checked · Nov 2, 2026 · 1:21:15
The DOJ’s Failed Attempts To Meddle In The Midterms
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…
Not checked · Oct 26, 2026 · 1:42:34
The DOJ is a Corrupt Clown Show
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…
Not checked · Oct 19, 2026 · 1:33:47
Sex Trafficking Lawsuits, Privacy Rights, and a Court That Can’t Keep Up
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…
Not checked · Oct 12, 2026 · 1:34:17
Will SCOTUS Let Big Oil Off the Hook?
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…
Not checked · Oct 5, 2026 · 1:25:18
The Supreme Court Allows Third-Country Deportations to Continue
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…
Not checked · Oct 1, 2026 · 46:40
We Need to Talk About Ethics Reform
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…
Not checked · Sep 28, 2026 · 1:38:59
A New Term of Supreme Chaos
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…
Not checked · Sep 24, 2026 · 46:20
We Need To Talk About Jurisdiction Stripping
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…
Not checked · Sep 21, 2026 · 1:24:16
Trump’s Assault on the Free Press
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…
Not checked · Sep 17, 2026 · 51:21
We Need To Talk About Judicial Review
In the third installment of our Hot Supreme Court Reform September series, Leah sits down with Daphna Renan and Nikolas Bowie to discuss how judicial supremacy became the default operating system of the federal government, and how limiting the Supreme Court’s power to decline to…
Checked · Sep 15, 2026 · 32:30
BREAKING: SCOTUS Blocks Trump's Mail-In Ballot BS
Kate, Leah and Melissa hop on to break down the Supreme Court’s decision to block the Trump administration’s Postal Service regulation announcing it would not deliver mail-in ballots unless states adopted a bunch of last-minute, unnecessary, burdensome, and impossible policies…
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Not checked · Sep 14, 2026 · 1:34:58
How Trump is Using the IRS to Resegregate America
Melissa is joined by guest co-host Rashad Robinson, political strategist, media advocate, and former president of Color Of Change, to run through last week’s legal news, which involves SCOTUS’s latest shadow docket shenanigans, campaign finance fights, and Missouri Republican…
Not checked · Sep 11, 2026 · 22:56
Still Counting: Trump vs. The BLUE WAVE: A Midterm Extravaganza
Nate Silver, Clare Malone, and Galen Druke discuss the most competitive Senate races heading into the midterms in this excerpt from their new podcast, Still Counting. To hear the rest, head over to Still Counting and subscribe! New episodes drop every Wednesday evening. You can…
Not checked · Sep 10, 2026 · 36:52
We Need to Talk About Term Limits
In part two of our Hot Supreme Court Reform September series, Kate and the Brennan Center’s Alicia Bannon make the case for term limits for the Court. The idea has bipartisan support, but what would they look like in practice? And, crucially, does Congress have the power to…
Not checked · Sep 3, 2026 · 44:34
We Need To Talk About Court Expansion
How do you solve a problem like SCOTUS? Kate kicks off our Hot Supreme Court Reform September series with the New York Times’ Jamelle Bouie. They dig into the ins and outs of expanding the Court: what the process could look like, the argument for making the entire federal…
Not checked · Sep 1, 2026 · 34:24
SCOTUS Greenlights Trump's Ballroom
In this bonus episode, Leah and Melissa break down the Supreme Court’s decision to let Trump move forward with plans for a White House ballroom, despite lower courts finding that the project cannot proceed without congressional authorization and appropriated funds. They also…
Not checked · Aug 31, 2026 · 1:29:43
Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms?
Kate and Leah break down last week's atrocious shadow docket order on the President's wildly illegal executive order concerning elections and absentee ballots, which furthers the administration's effort to, as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warns, "foment chaos ahead of the…
Not checked · Aug 27, 2026 · 37:16
Know Your Rights: Do You Have to Talk to Cops?
In the second episode of our Know Your Rights series, Leah and Melissa sit down with NYU Law’s Daniel Harawa to break down what you do—and don't—have to say when law enforcement stops you. They cover the difference between being seized and a consensual encounter, and the crucial…

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The Blueprint for a Better Supreme Court

Will the Blue Wave Come for SCOTUS?

The DOJ’s Failed Attempts To Meddle In The Midterms

The DOJ is a Corrupt Clown Show

Sex Trafficking Lawsuits, Privacy Rights, and a Court That Can’t Keep Up

Will SCOTUS Let Big Oil Off the Hook?

The Supreme Court Allows Third-Country Deportations to Continue

We Need to Talk About Ethics Reform

A New Term of Supreme Chaos

We Need To Talk About Jurisdiction Stripping

Trump’s Assault on the Free Press

We Need To Talk About Judicial Review

BREAKING: SCOTUS Blocks Trump's Mail-In Ballot BS

How Trump is Using the IRS to Resegregate America

Still Counting: Trump vs. The BLUE WAVE: A Midterm Extravaganza

We Need to Talk About Term Limits

We Need To Talk About Court Expansion

SCOTUS Greenlights Trump's Ballroom

Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms?

Know Your Rights: Do You Have to Talk to Cops?

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