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

Slate Podcasts
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A show about the law and the nine Supreme Court justices who interpret it for the rest of America. Get more Amicus with Slate Plus. Join to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis—plus ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Bonus: BLM Brett is Back

    10h ago ·  Bonus • Slate Plus Only

    Bonus: BLM Brett is Back

    Ahoy, Amicus Pluskateers! On this, the first Opinionpalooza bonus episode of 2026, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern break down a quartet of decisions, including some bad news for criminal justice reform—and a pleasant surprise from Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Later: Looking beyond the walls of One First Street, Dahlia and Mark discuss a court order pausing President Donald Trump’s rollout of his $1.8 billion slush fund. They also unpack some confusing headlines about the Trump DOJ’s on-again, off-again, real or maybe imagined investigation into E. Jean Carroll, who won a pair of cases against Trump for sexual abuse and defamation, with total damages of almost $90 million. This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court. The best way to support our work is by joining Slate Plus. (If you are already a member, consider a donation or merch!) This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

    21 min
  2. The Myth of John Roberts vs. Donald Trump

    1d ago

    The Myth of John Roberts vs. Donald Trump

    Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern, Slate’s dynamic legal duo, preview the final weeks of the Supreme Court term. It’s a “three-ring circus”: the merits docket, the shadow docket, and the justices’ increasingly public intramural snipings and gripes. Dahlia and Mark take a look back at the major decisions the court has issued so far this term on global tariffs, conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors, and of course Callais, which gutted the Voting Rights Act and is supercharging gerrymandering ahead of the midterms. Then, Dahlia and Mark look ahead to the blockbuster decisions expected in the coming weeks: birthright citizenship, immigration cases involving temporary protected status and green card holders, executive power fights over the firing of the Fed’s Lisa Cook and independent agency officials, and election cases that could dramatically change campaign finance laws and the counting of mail-in ballots. Next, they explain the court’s flurry of opaque shadow docket orders—and what it means for immigration enforcement, to impoundment, trans rights, access to abortion medication, and redistricting.  Finally, Dahlia and Mark parse the leaks and personal attacks that have spilled out into public from the usually tight-lipped confines of One First Street, and why this Supreme Court is fueling a newfound appetite for court reform among Americans. This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court. The best way to support our work is by joining Slate Plus. (If you are already a member, consider a donation or merch!) Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen. Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m
  3. Bonus: DOJ's Shocking Grand Jury Misconduct

    May 24 ·  Bonus • Slate Plus Only

    Bonus: DOJ's Shocking Grand Jury Misconduct

    A federal judge in Chicago caught the Justice Department in a staggering web of misconduct and attempted coverup —and she has the receipts to prove it. This week District Judge April Perry admonished the US Attorney prosecuting the Broadview Six for railroading a grand jury into indicting the protestors, and said she was mulling sanctions against the attorneys involved. On this week’s Amicus Plus bonus episode, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discuss the many ways this botched prosecution reveals how dangerous Trump’s DOJ has become. Later: what a strange 5-4 split in a SCOTUS death penalty case signals for the future of a long-standing prohibition on executing the mentally impaired. This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock weekly bonus episodes of Amicus—you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

    25 min

  4. May 23

    Trump’s Slush Fund Is Even Worse Than You Thought

    Donald Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" settlement fund has stunned legal experts—not just because it's corrupt, but because of how skillfully and transparently it is designed to protect the Trump Family and reward loyalists. On this week's Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick brings together two of the sharpest observers of Trump-era lawlessness to map exactly what this is and why it matters. J.P. Cooney, a career federal prosecutor and former top deputy in Jack Smith's special counsel's office, explains how President Trump sued his own IRS as a private party, settled the case through attorneys who have also been his personal lawyers, and then secured an addendum—signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche—immunizing Trump and his family from any IRS audit or tax-enforcement proceeding. Cooney calls it "practiced, skillful corruption".  As Investigative journalist Andrea Bernstein, host of The Law According to Trump, author of American Oligarchs, and a veteran of five Trump trials, points out, this settlement enshrines Trumpian language— such as "unlawful raid at Mar-a-Lago" and "Russia collusion hoax"—in official U.S. government documents. Bernstein says it’s vital to be clear about  who stands to receive payouts: people convicted of seditious conspiracy, assaulting Capitol police officers, and other crimes they admitted to in open court.  Cooney and Bernstein agree this fund doesn't just reward insurrection—it incentivizes future violence, chills legitimate dissent, and systematically erases the historical record of Jan. 6.  Later, Slate executive editor Susan Matthews joins to preview the new season of Slow Burn, Becoming Justice Gorsuch—and explain why the most anonymous justice on the court is so pivotal to understanding the power and the politics of the highest court in the land.  Un-paywalled episodes' description: Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen. Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 12m
  5. Bonus: Doorbuster Deals in the Judge-Shopping World

    May 17 ·  Bonus • Slate Plus Only

    Bonus: Doorbuster Deals in the Judge-Shopping World

    Amicus co-host Mark Joseph Stern welcomes Madiba Dennie, deputy editor of Balls and Strikes and author of The Originalism Trap, to break down two legal stories from the past week. First up: a federal judge in Rhode Island didn't just rule against the Trump DOJ — she torched its credibility, calling its conduct "appalling" and declaring that the presumption of regularity no longer applies. Mark and Madiba discuss the case, which involves transgender minors, a wildly overreaching subpoena for private data, and a rare instance of one judge throwing shade at another. Later: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is arguing that surrogacy violates the 13th Amendment—a theory so sweeping it would also ban sperm donation, egg donation, and quite possibly adoption itself. This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock weekly bonus episodes of Amicus—you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

    17 min

  6. May 16

    Return of the Abortion Pill Wars

    This week on Amicus, hosts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern break down a whirlwind stretch of reproductive rights legal battles, from the Fifth Circuit's sweeping nationwide ban on telehealth medication abortion, to the Supreme Court's emergency order blocking it. Madiba Dennie (Deputy Editor, Balls and Strikes; and author of The Originalism Trap) joins to explain what the furious dissents from Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito reveal about where this is all headed. Then, Dahlia sits down with writer, activist, and former NARAL president Ilyse Hogue for a wide-ranging conversation about why the assault on medication abortion and the assault on voting rights are the same fight — and why progressives keep losing the narrative battle even when public opinion and shared values are on their side. They also discuss an overlooked but hugely significant win for free speech in the Media Matters v. FTC case, and why fighting back against government bullying matters more than ever. Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen. Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 7m

  7. May 9

    The “Civility” Problem for Judges

    Over the last few years, there’s been an undeniable uptick in threats against American judges and their families: they’ve been doxxed, swatted, even killed. Many jurists are not all that comfortable having conversations around these threats. This reluctance to respond publicly is understandable, but it’s also depriving us of a critical perspective from the very people this affects. This week on Amicus, that changes: Two judges sat down with us to talk openly about what often goes unsaid. Host Dahlia Lithwick speaks with sitting U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Washington Judge Robert S. Lasnik, and Judge Jeremy Fogel, a former U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California and current Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute. They acknowledge that there’s a long history of judges being threatened, but point out that it’s usually not coming from the President and his Department of Justice. We’re in uncharted territory, and Judges Lasnik and Fogel are bravely opening up about what this volatility means for an independent judiciary, and what we should do about it.  Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen. Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 2m

  8. May 9 ·  Bonus • Slate Plus Only

    Bonus: The Callais Fallout

    Last week was a devastating week for representative democracy, as evidenced by the decision in Louisiana v Callais. This week, several states accepted the Supreme Court’s offer to gerrymander Black districts out of existence and to do so at great speeds, before the November midterms, and yes, after voting has begun in many jurisdictions. On this week’s Amicus Plus Bonus episode, Dahlia Lithwick checks in with Balls & Strikes’ Madiba Dennie on how to understand a Supreme Court supermajority that is both determined to beat back multiracial democracy and weirdly even more insistent that this has nothing to do with politics. This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock weekly bonus episodes of Amicus—you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

    26 min
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A show about the law and the nine Supreme Court justices who interpret it for the rest of America. Get more Amicus with Slate Plus. Join to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis—plus ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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