Absentee Ballots, Asylum, and Too Many A**holes to Count

Absentee Ballots, Asylum, and Too Many A**holes to Count

From Strict Scrutiny by Strict Scrutiny

March 23, 2026 · 1h 19m · Season 7 · Episode 24

About this episode

Leah, Kate, and Melissa discuss upcoming Supreme Court arguments and various legal news topics.

Leah, Kate, and Melissa preview this week’s arguments at the Court, including Watson v. Republican National Committee , a challenge over when election offices must receive absentee ballots in order for them to be counted. They also cover a flood of legal news, including the quagmire that is the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office, rulings from lower courts both encouraging (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) and grim (the wrong-like-clockwork Fifth Circuit), and the showdown between Senator Rand Paul and Trump’s pick for DHS head, Markwayne “NOSPACES” Mullin. Favorite things: Kate : How to stop a dictator , Zack Beauchamp (Vox); The Case of Kristie Metcalfe (NYT’s The Daily); Project Hail Mary , Andy Weir Leah : The Epic transcript from NJ ; luck…or something , Hilary Duff (producer Melody’s pick: Future Tripping ; producer Michael’s pick: Adult Size Medium ); Her giveaway to celebrate Melissa’s new book (enter here ); Melissa : Love Story Official Playlist (Spotify); Paradise (Hulu); Risk and Resistance: How Feminists Transformed the Law and Science of AIDS , Aziza Ahmed. Preorder Melissa’s book, The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the…

People in this episode

Hosts: Leah, Kate, Melissa

Topics covered

  • absentee ballots
  • asylum
  • legal news
  • Supreme Court
  • politics
  • election law

Keywords

  • absentee ballots
  • Supreme Court
  • legal news
  • Rand Paul
  • Markwayne Mullin
  • election law
  • Fifth Circuit

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Republican National Committee, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Fifth Circuit

Books & works: How to stop a dictator, The Case of Kristie Metcalfe, Project Hail Mary, The Epic transcript from NJ, Love Story Official Playlist, Paradise, Risk and Resistance: How Feminists Transformed the Law and Science of AIDS, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

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