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

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Stuart Gerson of the conservative legal group Checks and Balances to talk about developments in the border-wall case he helped bring in El Paso, Texas; the view of impeachment from concerned conservatives; and the latest escalation in the Department of Justice’s investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation. Then Cyrus Habib, lieutenant governor of Washington state (and owner of the most impressive résumé of any guest ever on the show) shares a refreshingly optimistic take on the law and politics. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by all-star SCOTUS experts to walk us through this week’s biggest legal and constitutional developments. First, Laurence Tribe answers the questions Amicus listeners have been asking about the next steps in the impeachment process. Next, Pamela Karlan takes us inside the chamber for Tuesday’s oral arguments in a trio of Title VII cases at the high court.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, who explains the biggest cases facing the Supreme Court this term. Then Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, explains why the justices have decided to take up June Medical Services v Gee, the first big abortion case of the Kavanaugh era.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Walter Dellinger to discuss impeachment, and the role of White House lawyers in “Ukraine-gate”.And James Zirin, author of Plaintiff in Chief: A Portrait of Donald Trump in 3,500 Lawsuits , breaks down the President’shistory of weaponizing the law while trampling legal norms.donorschoose.org/AMICUSPodcast production by Sara Burningham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Professor Sonja West of the University of Georgia School of Law and Professor Jamal Greene of Columbia Law School, both former clerks to Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. They discuss his life, legacy, and the lessons they learned from the late justice. donorschoose.org/AMICUSPodcast production by Sara Burningham.Follow Slate’s Amicus on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amicuspodcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Julian Mortenson, Professor of Law at the University of Michigan to discuss his work to re-frame the conversation around “the executive power”. His paper, “Article II Vests Executive Power, Not The Royal Prerogative” traces the constitutional history of the three words that have grown to encompass so much.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Rebecca Sandefur, who turns a sociologist’s eye to civil justice. Civil justice problems can lead to bankruptcy, homelessness, illness, family separation and poverty, but Sandefur says what makes it to the courts is just the “tip of the civil justice iceberg”.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Michele Goodwin, Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine, for a wide reaching conversation about race and gender and the stories America tells itself so it can sleep at night. Starting with Trump’s tweets about Baltimore, Professor Goodwin offers an expert survey of centuries of racist and sexist narratives in the legal system and the country at large. This week’s show also features excerpts from a live discussion Dahlia moderated at the 92 St Y with Heidi Shreck (What the Constitution Means to Me) and Professor Laurence Tribe (Harvard Law School). Podcast production by Sara BurninghamSlate’s Amicus on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amicuspodcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a week marked by rising rancor, when racist rhetoric ricocheted out of the president’s twitter feed and into a chanting crowd at his reelection rally, the end of an era almost slid under the radar. Dahlia Lithwick reflects on the passing of Justice John Paul Stevens, and the more than symbolic shift from his jurisprudence, his character,  to our current state of affairs at the high court and beyond. You can read more here. And Dahlia is joined by Professor Mary Anne Franks of the University of Miami Law School to talk about her book, “The Cult of the Constitution”, how growing up among christian fundamentalists helped her write a book about constitutional extremists, and why there’s still hope for America’s faulty founding document. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Frank Bowman, author of the upcoming book High Crimes and Misdemeanors, A History of Impeachment for the Age of Trump about the big question: Impeachment, its historical precedent, constitutional roots, and present day predicaments.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices