Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts

A Series of Lawsuits That We Call an Election

Feb 24, 2024

Legal expert Dahlia Lithwick and professor Rick Hasen discuss the Supreme Court's handling of Trump's immunity claim, the fight for voting rights, and overlooked social media cases. Plus, the implications of Alabama's embryo personhood ruling and Alito's dissent on marriage equality.

55:24

Episode guests

Rick Hasen

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Legal battles over voting rights highlight the need for constitutional amendments.

Social media laws challenge content moderation and free speech on online platforms.

Decentralized election systems require federal standards to ensure fairness and integrity in elections.

Deep dives

Overview of Podcast Episode

The episode discusses various important topics related to democracy, voting rights, Supreme Court cases, and social media regulations. It highlights the potential impact of laws restricting social media moderation, the importance of safeguarding voting rights, and the challenges faced in decentralized election systems. The host and guest, Professor Richard Hasen, delve into the significance of constitutional amendments, current legal battles, and the need for public vigilance to protect democracy.

Introduction

4min

Trump's Legal Battles and Supreme Court Complexities

11min

Enforcing Laws and AI in HR Recruitment

5min

Challenges and Solutions for Ensuring Voting Rights

22min

Implications of Proposed Social Media Content Moderation Laws in Texas and Florida

4min

Debating the Role of Social Media Platforms in Content Moderation Laws

3min

Safeguarding Democracy: The Call to Action

8min

Dahlia Lithwick is drinking from the firehose of legal news again and this week is joined by election law professor Rick Hasen to figure out why we’re all still hanging on for the Supreme Court to make a call in former President Donald J Trump’s sweeping claim to immunity from prosecution over the events of January 6th, how Americans could actually achieve a real right to vote, and why no-one’s paying attention to a pair of incredibly consequential social media cases being argued at SCOTUS next week.

In our Slate Plus segment, Dahlia and Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern discuss the bonkers but very very real implications of the Alabama Supreme Court decision to bestow personhood on embryos being used in fertility treatment, creating an impossible legal landscape for clinics and those struggling to become pregnant. Next, they sift through Justice Samuel Alito’s grievance debris in a recent dissent to find the deeply worrying signposts toward overturning equal marriage rights. Finally, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court pleads with SCOTUS to clear up the mess it made of gun laws with its decision in Bruen.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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