Supreme Court rulings, rogue legal actors, and a pushback against federal overreach
This preview, based only on the episode notes, points to a packed legal roundup: three Supreme Court opinions, a notable Ketanji Brown Jackson dissent, and a string of stories about misconduct and legal dysfunction. It also features an interview with Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on charges against ICE agents and tensions between local and federal authorities.
This episode looks like a broad legal-news tour with a mix of Supreme Court analysis, lower-level chaos, and a featured interview. Based on the show notes, Kate and Leah first dig into three Supreme Court opinions from the week, including one that contains what the notes describe as a standout dissent from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. From there, the focus shifts to a series of legal and political stories framed around bad behavior and poor lawyering. The notes flag an incident involving a judge in Idaho, allegations of politically motivated prosecutors in Chicago, and a segment on Trump’s personal lawyers that promises a critique of basic legal incompetence. The back half may be the biggest draw if you’re interested in federal-local conflict. Leah interviews Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County Attorney in Minnesota, about charges her office has filed against ICE agents, the collapse of cooperation between local authorities and federal officials, and FAFO, described here as a coalition of prosecutors pushing back on federal overreach. If you listen for sharp legal commentary tied closely to current events, this seems like a strong pick. If you’re mainly looking for a deep dive on one Supreme Court case, note that the episode appears structured more as a fast-moving roundup plus interview than a single-topic explainer.
About this episode
<div><p>Kate and Leah cover this week’s three Supreme Court opinions—one featuring a killer Ketanji Brown Jackson dissent—before turning to legal news, where bad behavior is everywhere. We’ve got a <a href="https://www.idahostatejournal.com/judge-ryan-d-nelson-confrontation-video/video_3bda1d0b-c645-467d-8d5a-faa1f0047483.html">violent judge who can’t park </a>in Idaho, politically motivated prosecutors in Chicago, and Trump’s generationally incompetent personal lawyers failing to do basic lawyering. Finally, Leah speaks with Mary Moriarty, Hennepin County (MN) Attorney, about the charges her office has filed against ICE agents, the breakdown in cooperation between local authorities and the feds, and <a href="https://www.federaloverreach.org/">FAFO</a>, the new coalition of prosecutors fighting back against federal overreach. The paperback edition of Leah’s book, <em>Lawless</em>, featuring brand-new material is out on Tuesday, June 16. Buy it <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/lawless-how-the-supreme-court-runs-on-conservative-grievance-fringe-theories-and-bad-vibes-leah-litman/5b562d6fcb316d6e?ean=9781668054642&next=t">here</a>!<strong><br><br></strong>Favorite things:</p></div><ul> <li>Leah: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/10/opinion/constitution-supreme-court-popular-sovereignty.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pFA.hJTG.4bW__Yr8adIa&smid=url-share">The Supreme Court Doesn’t Own the Constitution</a>, Jamelle Bouie (NYT);<a href="https://www.lawdork.com/p/scotus-alabama-nitrogen-gas-execution"> Supreme Court rejects Alabama's request to let it kill Jeffery Lee with nitrogen gas this week</a>, Chris Geidner (Law Dork)</li> <li><p>Kate: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-hill-harriet-clark/22519302">The Hill</a>, Harriet Clark</p></li> </ul><div><p>Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2026! </p></div><ul><li><p>6/20/26 – New York City</p></li></ul><div>Learn more:<a href="http://crooked.com/events"> http://crooked.com/events<br><br></a>Buy Melissa’s bestselling book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-constitution-annotated-for-the-contemporary-reader-melissa-murray/8e7f0dfa472fc3ca?ean=9781668221938&next=t&">The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader<br><br></a>Follow us on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/strictscrutinypodcast/?hl=en"> Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.threads.net/@strictscrutinypodcast"> Threads</a>, and<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strictscrutiny.bsky.social"> Bluesky<br></a><br></div>