Sep 1, 2026 · 54 min
Leah Litman makes the case for rebuilding the Supreme Court
We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Court (feat. Leah Litman)
The episode connects immediate controversies over executive power and voting rules to a broader fight over the Supreme Court’s size, jurisdiction, and political constraints.
- 1The Supreme Court’s ballroom ruling highlights how emergency decisions can shape major executive-power disputes.
- 2Leah Litman outlines court reform options including expansion, staggered terms, senior status, and jurisdictional limits.
- 3The episode pairs institutional conflict with reporting on alleged financial misconduct, partisan appointments, and community-led good news.
Don't miss
Leah Litman lays out how Congress could use court expansion, filibuster changes, and jurisdictional authority to reshape the Supreme Court.
The brief
Alison and Dana open with the Supreme Court’s 5–4 ballroom ruling, Pentagon influencer appointments, mail-in voting restrictions, and controversies involving FIFA and Freedom Fuel.
The episode’s central argument arrives with Leah Litman: expanding the Supreme Court is only one reform option alongside staggered terms, senior status, and limits on jurisdiction.
Litman explains why Congress could alter its rules by simple majority and regulate the Court’s jurisdiction, while the hosts weigh the political obstacles to reform.
The episode closes by shifting from institutional conflict to community organizing, charitable work, animal shelters, and NIH-funded research into CTNNB1 syndrome.
Books & mentions
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Lawless, How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories and Bad Vibes
Leah Litman’s book extends the episode’s examination of ideological politics and the Supreme Court.
Strict Scrutiny
The podcast offers further discussion of the Supreme Court and the legal culture surrounding it.