Strict Scrutiny

The Supreme Court struck down bans on interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia, the landmark ACLU case decided in 1967. But the government‘s regulation of marriage and sex didn’t start with anti-miscegenation laws or end with Loving. Melissa Murray — an expert in family law, constitutional law, and reproductive rights and justice at the New York University School of Law — discusses why the institution looms so large in America's past and present...

On this episode, Kate and Melissa talk breaking SCOTUS news; preview three cases from the upcoming November sitting -- DACA, Hernandez v. Mesa, and Comcast; and go deep on amicus invitations and (lack of) diversity in the Supreme Court bar.

Leah and Jaime recap some of the Supreme Court’s October cases, including Ramos v. Louisiana, Mathena v. Malvo, and Aurelius Investment v. Puerto Rico. Then they pretend the Supreme Court had no additional cert grants before leaving listeners with a deep thought … slash question.

On this special Title VII episode, Leah, Jaime, and Kate are joined by a special guest – Jay Austin, Senior Associate Dean of Enrollment and Financial Aid at Rutgers Law School. Together they recap the Title VII arguments (which means a lot of bathroom talk).

On this episode, Melissa and Kate break down the Harvard affirmative action case just decided by a Massachusetts district court; go deep on some of our favorite classic and recent books on the Supreme Court; preview the first two weeks of the Supreme Court’s 2019 Term; and dish about clerking. (This last is a conversation to be continued -- we got tons of questions we didn't have time to discuss, so stay tuned for more on clerkships down the road!)

After a fun game of “how I spent my summer--Supreme Court edition,” Leah, Melissa, Jaime, and Kate preview some of the cases they are watching for the upcoming term. They also discuss other issues that might make their way to the Court soon, including significant executive power disputes that might allow the Chief Justice to make some fashion waves.

In our final summer episode, it’s a reproductive rights and justice block party (or wake, depending on your perspective). Leah, Melissa, and Kate discuss the reproductive rights and justice cases that made their way to the Supreme Court, the cases that almost made their way to the Court, and the cases that might make their way to the Court soon...

In the second summer episode, Leah, Melissa and Jaime keep things light with a discussion of the Court's death penalty docket, the Armed Career Criminal Act cases from this past term, and Justice Kavanaugh's opinion in Flowers v. Mississippi. Kate also joins them to reflect on her time clerking for Justice John Paul Stevens. Last episode was our testing pancake, and this one is B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

In the inaugural episode of Strict Scrutiny, Leah, Melissa, Jaime, and Kate recap two of this term's biggest opinions--partisan gerrymandering and the census. They also walk through a theme of this term (stare decisis) before talking about the podcast's role in Supreme Court legal culture. It's Strict Scrutiny's test pancake, so enjoy the show!

Strict Scrutiny is hosted by three women, Leah Litman, Kate Shaw and Melissa Murray, who are three law professors, but they’re also swimmers, mothers (of humans and dogs), and celebrity gossip enthusiasts. They’re women who’ve practiced before and write about the Court in their professional lives. They have a different voice–- one that celebrates the contributions and opinions of women and people of color...