Legal Studies Podcasts

Strict Scrutiny

Crooked Media

Strict Scrutiny is your essential guide to navigating the increasingly complex and often alarming landscape of the United States Supreme Court. Hosted by legal experts Leah Litman, Melissa Murray, and Kate Shaw, this podcast moves well beyond the surface-level headlines to dissect the real-world consequences of the Court’s most pivotal decisions. Whether they are unpacking the erosion of the Voting Rights Act, analyzing the aggressive expansion of executive power, or scrutinizing the judiciary’s inconsistent use of historical precedent, the hosts provide a sharp, intellectually rigorous, and unflinchingly critical look at a bench that is fundamentally reshaping American democracy. What sets Strict Scrutiny apart is the hosts’ ability to synthesize dense legal theories into accessible, high-stakes conversations. You will hear them tackle everything from the precarious status of birthright citizenship to the institutional failures and ideological shifts occurring behind the courtroom doors. The show blends substantive, technical legal analysis with a necessary sense of urgency, often featuring emergency episodes that capture the raw intensity of a breaking news cycle. By consistently calling out judicial inconsistency and the systemic threats to constitutional norms, the team behind Strict Scrutiny provides listeners with the context needed to understand a Court that is, in their view, aggressively pushing toward a different, more exclusionary vision of the American order. It is an indispensable resource for anyone looking to stay informed about the judiciary's impact on our daily lives.