Trump Asked SCOTUS To Let Him RIG the Midterms
Portside moderator: This episode aired on August 3, 2026, some content is now out of date, some still highly relevant. Try it yourself for more recent podcasts.
Kate and Leah have good news and bad news. The good: The Paramount/Warner Brothers merger is on hold, the Tate brothers are facing extradition, and Todd Blanche’s nomination for AG has hit a roadblock. The bad: …Everything else. They also cover the ongoing prosecution of Jim Comey for seashell art, and speak with UCLA Law’s Rick Hasen about Trump’s effort to assert presidential control over federal elections. Then, Kate checks in with Farah Diaz-Tello, senior counsel and legal director for If/When/How, on what she and her colleagues are seeing when it comes to the use of the criminal law to target both abortion and people who experience pregnancy loss after Dobbs.
00:00 - Legal News
18:59 - Ad Break
22:01 - Legal News
31:18 - Ad Break
35:10 - Interview With Rick Hasen
56:00 - Favorite Things
59:36 - Ad Break
1:03:07 - Interview With Farah Diaz-Tello
Katherine Ann Shaw is a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, a Supreme Court contributor for ABC News, and co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny. (Wikipedia)
Leah Litman is a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School. Litman is a co-host of Strict Scrutiny, a podcast about the Supreme Court of the United States, alongside Melissa Murray and Kate A. Shaw. Wikipedia
Melissa Erica Murray is an academic and legal scholar who is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and the faculty director of the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center at New York University School of Law, where she has been a member of the faculty since July 1, 2018. Murray was previously the interim dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law. Wikipedia
Strict Scrutiny: 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 episodes out every Monday… plus bonuses whenever SCOTUS takes away another one of our rights.