SCOTUS Rewrites the Rules for One Special Boy

SCOTUS Rewrites the Rules for One Special Boy

From Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts by Slate Podcasts

September 5, 2026 · 1h 9m

About this episode

Dahlia Lithwick and Erwin Chemerinsky discuss how the Supreme Court is aiding Donald Trump in evading accountability and reflect on Gloria Steinem's legacy.

It’s past time to say it. This Supreme Court is helping President Donald J. Trump evade accountability. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the Berkeley School of Law, joins Dahlia Lithwick to break down the conservative majority's procedural toolkit—standing, ripeness, the Purcell principle, and inscrutable rulings on the shadow docket —and how these doctrinal headfakes are being used to ensure Trump always wins in court, even when he loses. They dig into the White House ballroom case and Trump’s attempt to disrupt mail-in voting and the midterms, they explore what's different from Trump's first term, and ask which of the justices are worried about the court's legitimacy. Plus, we remember Gloria Steinem, who died at 92 this week. From co-founding Ms. magazine to her lifelong allyship with the civil rights movement, Steinem's legacy of building coalitions, lifting up others, and never letting anyone steal her joy carries urgent lessons for a moment in which so much of what she fought for is being erased. Dahlia talks with legal scholar and Ms. Studios executive producer Professor Michele Goodwin. Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal…

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Host: Dahlia Lithwick

Guest: Erwin Chemerinsky

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Organizations: Berkeley School of Law, Ms. magazine, Ms. Studios

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