Strict Scrutiny

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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.

Recent Episodes
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Recent Reviews
  • kai strander
    Best Court Information
    If you wondering what the heck is going on with the courts in the US, this is the place to be. These scholars are top notch and explain things in a way that lay people can understand.
  • Jenserai
    The best
    This is hands down the best podcast covering SCOTUS right now.
  • rawbits
    Excellent ! But include time marks to locate content
    This is super well done but a little frustrating if one wants to locate a particular topic quickly.
  • this show used to be good
    What I expected
    Liberals who don’t live in the real world discussing how superior they are to all the average Americans. Can’t wait till they get what’s coming.
  • MD Pug
    Get ‘em girls
    I love this show. These ladies are great at explaining the court processes, argument consistency and hypocrisy. Plus I’m a liberal so I like the sassy commentary.
  • Suelearns
    Keep informed
    If you want to understand the impact of the decisions of the Supreme Court, this is the podcast to listen to.
  • tivenner1
    Political hyperventilating
    Nearly ZERO analysis or information about Supreme Court decisions, all about the commentators political opinions
  • brownieebatter
    Please take about this!!!
    Please talk about the impact of USA v. Heriberto Carbajal Flores, Range v. Garland, & Atkinson v. Garland. Seeing a lot of disinformation about this! Love your show.
  • WebWraith
    Death Penalty
    I am not for any death penalty. But, the simplest, safest, no pain, quickest option is a projectile to the brain. It is an on/off, awake/unconscious, alive/dead option. Which no governing body in the USA would consider. So, no death penalty. What are/have we been doing with hanging, firing squads, gas chambers, drugs…
  • awryly
    This explains everything
    These brilliant and entertaining hosts and their guests help me understand all of the nuances of the most important cases. The best part is when they help me see where I can take action and where I can find glimmers of hope.
  • Red-8
    Needed
    Smart. Funny. Informative. Depressing.
  • lynnedoodles
    Educational
    Very informative podcast that helps me understand what is happening with the Supreme Court.
  • That nickname’s taken
    Excellent — for lawyers
    …but I, a non-lawyer, had a hard time following much of it because they talk so fast.
  • sooooooooo dissapointed
    Unlistenable 4 me
    Listening to the Trump v Anderson episode, it is long on conclusion and short on argument. The decision is bad, very bad, very very bad. Why is it bad? I heard no argument. Listening to the misinformation episode, the host is a terrible interviewer. I swear, the interviewer talked 5 times longer than the interviewee.
  • Wild Onion Woman
    Great show!
    Thank you for informing your listeners (myself included) about the current events in court decisions affecting our country. I learn so much!
  • KateNevins
    Top
    My favorite podcast, I share every episode with at least one person each week!
  • Laurakkd
    Slow down…
    You guys have some amazing points to contribute as well as key explanations of many legal issues. But you talk too fast. I know there’s a lot to cover but, and I say this as a lawyer, speaking a little more slowly will help your listeners get what you’re saying and understand these complex legal statements—given that most are likely not lawyers!
  • EsaraF
    Love this show!
    I learn so much every week listening to Strict Scrutiny. Thank you!
  • Deljes
    Love listening to this
    I love all three hosts of this podcast, they do a great job of deciphering the actions of the supreme court for a non-legal listener. As the current supreme court takes more and more power upon itself, i find this podcast mandatory and enjoyable listening, including the snark and expletives that inevitably arise. Thank you!
  • ThinkingPositive
    Reasonable Commentary Lacking
    I was hoping the hosts would stick closely to really thoughtful, logical, and reason-based commentary from the progressive left to help frame how someone from that political spectrum might think about SCOTUS decisions. Unfortunately, the episodes quickly devolve into shaming various individuals and groups based on immutable characteristics. This is not intellectual commentary. It’s banter.
  • Meb112862
    Talks way too fast
    This would be a great show if the main speaker would slow down and use an even tone.
  • Vab530
    Listen!!
    Leah, Melissa, and Kate are who you dream you would sound like when talking politics, current events, and social issues at a party. Always informed and ALWAYS entertaining!
  • ratherthan
    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    Subscribed after learning a host is a VPR fan! Excited to hear some female perspectives on the Supreme Court.
  • Lee0418
    Do yourself a favor.
    Truly brilliant. It’s so hard to fully understand what’s going out there in our judicial branch. These ladies do an excellent job of spelling it out, covering cases before, during, and after. Really such a highlight to my week when a new episode drops. Thank you so much!
  • funguyfromyuggoth
    Informative and educated but not unbiased
    One has to read to the last sentence of this podcast description to unearth the implicit bias of these highly educated, erudite, and people. They are not, however, smarter than SCOTUS justices. I wish they were more upfront with their preconceptions.
  • Dlove1285
    Intelligent & funny!
    Thank you for saving my sanity! Listening to you helps me know I am not alone. Your intellect and wit shines through during each episode.
  • Hopppa
    Fantastic
    Such a great analysis of what’s happening in the Supreme Court. They break down the cases in a way that’s easy to digest, funny and thought-provoking. Obsessed with these ladies!
  • Tata425
    Love this podcast!
    I just found you ladies and I love the podcast. You’ve gif a new fan.
  • A_Elyse
    Best Supreme Court Podcast!!! !
    Fantastico! Hands down the best Supreme Court Podcast available! They do a great comprehensive break down of each case in a clear and effective way while simultaneously commenting about pop culture to make it more entertaining. I always recommend this podcast to people that want to be informed but don’t want to be bored by basic legal jargon. 10/10 recommend!!! !
  • marguerite64
    Unbalanced
    Thought this was going to be a balanced analysis but was disappointed
  • Jriz94
    Crooked Media
    The name explains it all 😆
  • MargueriteMouse
    Love it!!!
    You two are great 👍🏻
  • ThreePart
    Informative, entertaining, and funny
    I couldn’t ask for more in a podcast about this odious Supreme Court. Kate, Leah, and Melissa are fantastic hosts who can effortlessly pivot from a critique on textualism to a making a Beyoncé or Swift pun. Their guests are always fascinating and experts at their fields. I love this pod.
  • ted in providence
    What a tool!
    No better way to understand our least transparent branch of government. Podcast is essential to health democracy!
  • emma and
    unavoidable Taylor Swift commentary
    i want to love this podcast but i’m really over the constant references to Taylor Swift—sometimes multiple times an episode for minutes—so much so that this is the only podcast review i’ve ever written.
  • pblade
    The best
    I love this podcast
  • historyty7
    The best there is
    This podcast is consistently entertaining, informative and timely. The hosts are dripping with court savvy and amazing insight. I make it a point to listen every week, and look forward to the frequent special edition podcasts. (Don’t tell anyone, but I also think I have a crush on Melissa Murray 😍) Can’t stop, won’t stop!
  • t-com Jeff
    Outstanding legal insight and analysis, zero balance.
    I’m a right leaning independent who loves to listen to all sides of an issue. This podcast provides the best legal analysis available from the progressive perspective.
  • *K2099
    Love it, but too much TS
    I genuinely love this podcast. I thoroughly enjoy their breakdowns of oral arguments and the way they draw attention to judges that you won’t hear about in your news feed and hearing some clearly educated people talking smack about the morons who’ve invaded our legal system is very cathartic. That being said, Taylor Swift is quite possibly the most famous person on the planet, and I’d really prefer it if the hosts would just go a couple months without singing her praises for extended chunks of their episodes.
  • MAYOSF
    Their experience shows
    Intelligent, funny, amazing women that break it down! Thank you ladies for the time and effort you’ve put into educating yourselves and your audience. Your experience shows. Love listening to you, even when the days ahead seem dark. You bring comfort with understanding the processes. Highly recommend
  • Andrew (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇸)
    Incredible
    You have no idea how much I look forward to this show every Monday. I have learned so much, and for that I am truly grateful.
  • All things science
    One of my very favorite podcasts
    Ladies, I apologize for not writing a review sooner. I started listening a couple years ago. I love your sharp, dry wit and enjoy the opportunity to laugh instead of crying at the ridiculous acts of SCOTUS. I like learning from you while being entertained too. (BTW I tend to rate 4-star podcasts promptly because I think I can sometimes help them improve with my feedback, I’m sure combined with similar feedback from other listeners. So really a compliment that it took so long to give you the 5-star rating you deserve. 😀)
  • Bellepip
    Learning so much!
    This trio of brilliant, relatable, compassionate women bring the court to life. Explaining how all this works case by case! I really enjoy listening and learning and wish I could hang out with them IRL! I will continue to enjoy hanging out with them via Pod Cast. Thank you for fighting the good fight!!
  • StarMD04
    Best E Jean and Robbie Interview!
    Great questions that other interviewers did not cover. I always learn something.
  • julienewengland
    Best interview ever
    Loving, absolutely loving, this interview with e jean carroll. Funny. Fascinating. Informative. Every woman, everyone, needs to hear this episode.
  • StaceyLianne
    THE BEST
    I LOVE listening to these highly intelligent and funny women breaking down the Supreme Court, their cases, and their rulings. I never miss an episode and they are always A+++. I made my husband listen to an episode and now he never misses an episode either.
  • Wellnesslife
    Scotus Mean Girls
    It’s gone downhill somewhat with too much sarcasm and attempts at wit. It’s become less informative over time as they attempt catchy slogans. The mean spiritedness has become off putting. Update: still boring and unbalanced. The sarcasm is cringier than ever. Very sarcastic all the time about everything. Insightful commentary when they leave out the mean spiritedness. They do a disservice to their listeners by not even attempting to present any alternative to their strong opinions. The hostility is palpable. Update: still always hysterical sarcastic and painful to listen to. More nuance can be found at Advisory Opinions. The vocal fry is just unbearable. 1/30/24- the podcast has continue to be a toxic cesspool of these women. If you want actual insight, listen to Advisory Opinions.
  • Greg from 59
    Legal analysis by amateurs
    I tried listening to this show based on the title. I was a lawyer and an Administrative Law Judge 33 years. During that time I saw the practice of law go down in quality rather significantly. This show epitomizes the decline in the legal profession. The women who just it are (allegedly) law professors and if so, their hirings should convince you that diversity was the goal over intelligence. Their legal “expertise” is probably on a par with the Kardashians. If you want to be part of the dumbing down of civilization, listen to these women and their guests.
  • EmilyMaynard_thx
    IANAL
    I love pretending to be a lawyer after listening to this show!
  • EstebanPublius
    Low Class
    Context: I am a conservative male with a degree in Political Science, and I am waiting to hear back from law schools. I regularly listen to the podcast Advisory Opinions, and strongly prefer it to this. TLDR: -Hosts argue in bad faith -No opposing arguments -Mostly ad hominem attacks -Annoying hosts I started listening to this podcast because I love learning about the law. I listen to several political podcasts. Along with Advisory Opinions (AO), I chose Strict Scrutiny to give me legal commentary. I want to have a good understanding of both sides of the arguments, and since I lean conservative, I want to hear from leftist ideas. I have been listening to this podcast consistently for about a year now. The hosts generally give decent explanations of the facts of cases. It supplements what I read in the news and what I hear from other legal analysts. That is about as much good as I can say for this podcast. The typical format of segments of this podcast are as follows: 1) Decent introduction to the facts 2) Leftists’ desired outcome of the case 3) Praise for J. Sotomayor 4) Ad hominem attacks of JJ. Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh intermingled with sarcastic comments about the right 5) Conclusion that anyone associated with anything other than the most extreme leftist opinion hates women and minorities. Notice the lack of giving the arguments for the right’s side and the lack of evidence for legal conclusions. Unfortunately, Leah, Kate, and Melissa tend to avoid making real arguments for cases and take leftist dogma as universally accepted truth. Their cavalier and dismissive treatment of hotly contested ideas is evidence of the intellectual damage left wing echo chambers do to professors and students in law schools. The hosts seem to assume their opposition argues in bad faith, and therefore justify spending no time engaging with the other side. While they frequently point to the power of the Federalist Society in order to portray right-wingers as greedy, misogynistic oppressors, they seem to miss the fact that Fed Soc members constitute a minority of the legal profession. The Fed Soc is a reaction to left-wing dominated law schools. The left does not have a Leftist Society because the corollary to the Fed Soc on the left are the law schools themselves! In my experience, most Fed Soc members spend significant amounts of their time attending events led by left-wing thinkers and entertaining left-wing thought. I would be surprised, however, if the hosts have ever spent more than a couple of minutes at a Fed Soc event. They certainly seem to have time to mock the concept on their show. Rather than engage with Fed Soc arguments, the show hosts merely repeat left-wing advocates’ political talking points. The show would benefit immensely from some serious steel-manning of other arguments. Now that I have made some substantive points about the quality of their legal analysis, allow me to indulge in some ad hominem attacks of my own. I note that in a review of a podcast, a review of the character and personality of the hosts is relevant. I can choose who I listen to and who I spend my time with based on personal characteristics. That is different from dismissing arguments based on the traits of the person making the arguments. The voices of the hosts are incredibly annoying. They put Ben Shapiro to shame. They all have what one might imagine to be rich, high-school girl voices, where they drag out the last vowel of random words and emphasize random words in a sentence. It is easy to hear the hosts in my head say “Hi, my name is Karen, and I just can’t even…” It is quite snotty. This podcast is cringe. The hosts have decided their brand is sarcasm, and it comes across as immature. The sarcasm gets old, and is not as funny as they think it is, especially when they can never seem to find anything amusing about any actions taken by democrat-appointed judges/justices. The hosts typically use sarcastic comments about justices’ personal lives, personalities, and political beliefs as red herrings to distract from the substance of their legal arguments. The hosts swear profusely. The explicit rating is well-deserved. I would be careful listening to this podcast within earshot of my grandmother or my children. I know that each host would mock me for being prude in saying this, but it really is excessive. There is something to the idea of curse words as indicators of lower level engagement with the subject matter. Maybe that is elitism, but that is my opinion. I would expect more out of law professors podcasting about legal disputes. The hosts carry the flag of modern feminism. While I am a big fan of gender equality, the hosts seem to think they are scoring points for women by turning themselves into a caricature of everything Donald Trump would mock about modern feminists: Karens who argue with the logic of a fourth-grader, the vulgar language of a mechanic shop, the sarcasm of a teenage boy talking back to his parents, and the voices and attitudes of a freshman girl. That caricature engaged in legal arguments really comes across as low class. The hosts seem to think they will be the next Supreme Court justices as soon as Democrats get another court appointment, but they have a lot to learn and a long ways to go before reaching the level of people as truly brilliant as Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, or Ketanji Brown Jackson. (And I say that sincerely. Despite our disagreements, I think each one of those Justices is incredibly intelligent.) All-in-all, you would do well to give this podcast a listen, but spend the bulk of your time with higher-level, higher-class, and higher engagement podcasts like Advisory Opinions.
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