Was it Worth it, Pam?

Was it Worth it, Pam?

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

April 4, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discuss the recent changes in the Trump administration's Department of Justice and the implications of a Supreme Court decision on LGBTQ rights.

It was a rough week for two of the top lawyers in the Trump administration, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer pair ... Ever since Donald Trump’s return to office and the installation of his (second choice) Attorney General, we’ve been tracking the toxic combination of incompetence and cruelty at the Department of Justice. Pam Bondi, Trump’s hand-picked attack dog for Attorney General, finally reached the point of no return. She’s out, and Todd Blanche is in … for now. Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discuss AG Bondi’s legacy, and why she may still be dragged before congress to answer for the DOJ’s mishandling of the Epstein Files. Meanwhile, over at One, First Street, Mr. Trump became the first sitting president to show up live and in person to oral arguments, in a woefully misguided possible attempt to intimidate “his” justices into buying his nonsensical theory about birthright citizenship. John Sauer, his Solicitor General, flopped and flailed, and revealed a fundamental flaw at the heart of the second Trump presidency: if loyalty is the only test, you might fail a bunch of other, more significant, tests. Finally, Dahlia and Mark unpack the thorny and confusing 8-1…

People in this episode

Host: Dahlia Lithwick

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern

Topics covered

  • Trump administration
  • Department of Justice
  • Pam Bondi
  • Supreme Court
  • LGBTQ rights
  • birthright citizenship

Keywords

  • Pam Bondi
  • Donald Trump
  • Department of Justice
  • Chiles v. Salazar
  • LGBTQ youth
  • birthright citizenship
  • oral arguments

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Department of Justice, Slate Plus

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