Sep 16, 2026 · 52 min
Courts confront new threats to voting access
SCOTUS to POTUS: Knock It Off
The episode connects disputes over mail ballots, redistricting, voter databases, and federal investigations to the administration of elections and the rule of law.
- 1The Supreme Court declined to revive a Postal Service rule that could have disrupted mail-ballot access before the midterms.
- 2Missouri’s redistricting referendum has produced a clash between state and federal courts over which congressional map governs.
- 3The SAVE database raises privacy and accuracy concerns when government records are used to determine voter eligibility.
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The hosts explain why relying on imperfect government records for voter-eligibility decisions could wrongly threaten voting rights.
The brief
Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord open with a legal agenda spanning election administration, the John Brennan investigation, and a dispute over the Kennedy Center.
The Supreme Court refuses to revive a Postal Service rule affecting mail ballots, while the hosts argue that its timing could have created predictable disenfranchisement before the midterms.
Missouri’s redistricting referendum triggers a conflict between the state Supreme Court and a federal district court over which congressional map should govern the election.
McCord explains how changes to the SAVE database brought Social Security information into citizenship checks, raising concerns about privacy, inaccurate records, and voting rights.
The episode then turns to John Brennan’s effort to preserve investigative evidence and briefly considers whether the Kennedy Center’s proposed shutdown is coercive.
Books & mentions
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