

Strict Scrutiny
Strict Scrutiny
Strict Scrutiny is 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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 11, 2020 • 1h 15min
Flushgate
In this jam-packed episode, Jaime and Melissa recap the Supreme Court’s first-ever telephonic arguments, delve into how three men advocated for or against contraceptive coverage for women, preview next week’s high-profile arguments, and recap some recent opinions. Whoa, it’s exhausting even just typing that. Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

May 5, 2020 • 1min
Happy Hour!
We'll be hosting a happy hour to thank our glow subscribers! Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

May 4, 2020 • 1h 3min
Stay Frustrated
Kate and Melissa are joined by special guest Emily Bazelon to talk about her New York Times Magazine article, “How Will Trump’s Supreme Court Remake America?” Plus, we've got opinions that offer some hints to what future cases might me on the justices' minds. Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Apr 30, 2020 • 45min
Pit of Piranhas
In this episode, Melissa talks shop with Jess Bravin, who covers the Court for the Wall Street Journal. Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Apr 27, 2020 • 1h 2min
Workplace Misconduct And The Federal Courts
Leah and Jaime are joined by Deeva Shah (from Law Clerks for Workplace Accountability) and Sejal Singh and Emma Janger (from People’s Parity Project) for a discussion about workplace misconduct and the federal courts. Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Apr 24, 2020 • 1min
Podapalooza Live Event
We'll be hosting a live Q&A event as part of podapalooza this Sunday (April 26) at 1 PM ET! Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Apr 22, 2020 • 1min
Podapalooza Teaser
This is just a reminder to sign up for podapalooza -- happening this weekend! You can sign up at plza.org Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Apr 20, 2020 • 52min
Stop Trying To Make Democracy Happen
On this special episode, prepared for PODAPALOOZA, Leah, Melissa, Jaime, and Kate discuss some COVID-related Court issues. That includes the Court’s upcoming telephonic arguments; its order in the Wisconsin election case; and some other COVID-related cases that might make their way to the Court soon. Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Apr 13, 2020 • 52min
BONUS: Supreme Inequality with Adam Cohen
Back in February, when crowds were still a thing, Melissa interviewed Adam Cohen about his new book, Supreme Inequality: The Supreme Court's Fifty-Year Battle for a More Unjust America.Adam examines the conservative tilt of the Supreme Court since the Nixon administration and forward through the last 50 years. The Supreme Court after Justice Earl Warren no longer protected the rights of the poor, the disadvantaged, equally and instead moved forward to deprioritize such issues as school desegregation, voting rights and the protection of workers and instead, prioritize decisions that favored wealthy and corporate interests.Thanks to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law for letting us share this riveting conversation with Strict Scrutiny listeners. Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Apr 6, 2020 • 1h 6min
Build A Bridge
A special opinions episode! The Supreme Court has issued a lot of opinions recently, and we wanted to get you caught up on some of them. Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
3/6/26 – San Francisco
3/7/26 – Los Angeles
Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky


