Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, ju...

A show about the law and the nine Supreme Court justices who interpret it for the rest of America.


Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly member-exclusive episodes from Dahlia. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

News Commentary
Politics
Government
301
General Strike
How state attorneys general are going on the offensive against the most egregious parts of the Trump agenda. And – the Constitution’s limits on the U.S.-Mexico border.
47 min
302
"SEE YOU IN COURT"
A deep dive into the Ninth Circuit’s ruling on President Trump’s immigration ban.
38 min
303
Will You Accept This Robe?
Is Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch really “Scalia 2.0”? And, the constitutional and human costs of Trump’s Muslim ban.
59 min
304
Immunity in High Places
Can government officials be held individually responsible for constitutional violations on their watch? And, why one NFL team is so interested in a trademark challenge brought by a group of Asian-American rockers.
49 min
305
And Then There Were Eight
Trump winnows his shortlist for the Supreme Court’s empty seat. And we preview a big special education case that will be argued next week.
45 min
306
Corruption in the White House
Why the Founders were so adamant about preventing the kind of presidency we’re about to witness. Plus, historians, philosophers, and legal scholars reflect on the climate for free speech on campus.
56 min
307
Where We Draw the Line
The Supreme Court takes up the thorny issue of racial gerrymandering. And, a revolt is underway in the Electoral College.
36 min
308
The Specter of Korematsu
A timely look back at the infamous Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese-Americans.
32 min
309
Trump’s Constitution
If we take the president-elect at his word, how afraid should we be?
23 min
310
Intimidation Nation
Lawyers challenging punitive voting restrictions in Ohio make an 11th hour appeal to the Supreme Court. And – Trump asks his supporters to go to other people’s polls.
40 min
311
And Now a Word from the White House
Merrick Garland has been waiting seven months for a Senate hearing, but the president’s advisers say Obama has no regrets about the nomination. Plus – the difficulty of keeping racism out of the jury room.
41 min
312
2016 Term Preview
Reflections on the thin gruel of a docket crafted in large part to avoid 4-4 ties. Plus – a conversation with the latest judge to be personally insulted by Donald Trump.
41 min
313
Notorious RBG
Ruth Bader Ginsburg biographer Irin Carmon joins Dahlia to reflect on how the diminutive Supreme Court justice came to loom so large in the consciousness of young feminists. Dahlia also speaks with the proud owner of an RBG tattoo.
36 min
314
That's a Wrap
The Supreme Court caps off one of its twistiest-turniest terms ever with a strong defense of abortion rights. Dahlia speaks with the woman behind Whole Woman’s Health v Hellerstedt. And she recaps the term’s highlights with Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern.
57 min
315
Goodbye, General!
On his last day in office, U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli tells Dahlia what it’s been like to argue the government’s most consequential cases at the high court. Also – why Justice Anthony Kennedy cast a clutch vote for affirmative action.
51 min
316
What Would Brandeis Do?
Dahlia sits down with Stanford Law School’s Deborah Rhode to discuss Donald Trump’s attack on the judge in the Trump University fraud lawsuits. And she talks with legal scholar Jeffrey Rosen about the astonishing legal mind of Justice Louis Brandeis.
49 min
317
A Bird with a Broken Wing
Is the eight-member Supreme Court a diminvished body? Dahlia mulls that question with fellow court watchers Garrett Epps and Jonathan Adler. And they consider what we should make of Donald Trump’s recently released Supreme Court nomination shortlist.
41 min
318
Memory Lane
Dahlia and the National Law Journal’s Tony Mauro listen to highlights from the Supreme Court’s 2015 term. And she speaks with Politico’s Josh Gerstein about the recent non-developments in the non-confirmation of SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland.
41 min
319
This is Not Corruption
This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in McDonnell v. U.S., the former Virginia governor’s appeal of his 2014 corruption conviction. On this episode, former federal judge Nancy Gertner tells Dahlia why she believes McDonnell should walk free.
29 min
320
Contra Obama
Dahlia previews United States v. Texas – this week’s big immigration case – with Brianne Gorod of the Constitutional Accountability Center. She also hears from Sen. Al Franken about the latest in the standoff over Obama’s SCOTUS nominee, Merrick Garland.
33 min
321
The Case Against the Case Against Confirmation
More than two weeks into the standoff over Merrick Garland’s nomination to SCOTUS, GOP leaders show no sign of backing down. Legal scholar Geoffrey Stone tells Dahlia that this stonewalling is not only unprecedented, but unjustifiable as well.
34 min
322
The Contraceptive Mandate
This week, SCOTUS heard arguments in Zubik v Burwell, the latest challenge to Obamacare. In it, a group of religious nonprofits are challenging the govt.’s workaround for employers who don’t want anything to do with getting birth control to their workers.
44 min
323
Is the Burden Undue?
It was a big week at SCOTUS, as a newly-balanced Court turned to Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, its first abortion case in nine years. We discuss the case with legal scholar Pamela Karlan and listen to some highlights from oral arguments.
45 min
324
The Contradictions of Antonin Scalia
A week after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, one of his former clerks shares fond memories of a mentor with whom she didn’t always agree politically. And a legal scholar explains why Scalia didn’t always remain true to his originalist principles.
49 min
325
Amicus Extra: Antonin Scalia's Death
The sudden death on Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday has unleashed huge shockwaves in both the presidential race and the legal community.
27 min