Episode

2/8 Next Supreme Court Justice & The Atrocities In Yemen w/ Mark Joseph Stern & Dr. Annelle Sheline

February 8, 2022

Sam and Emma host Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer at Slate, to discuss the potential nominees for Biden’s SCOTUS pick. Then, Sam and Emma are joined by Annelle Sheline, Middle East research fellow at the Quincy Institute, to discuss the ongoing situation in Yemen. Mark Joseph Stern begins by situating Breyer’s brief moment as the leader of the Liberal block as a failure to lead his collective in the midst of a serious shift to the right, looking at how his position since Ginsberg’s passing has overseen a Conservative majority that is completely rewriting the rules of the Court. They dive into the contrast we see between Breyer and more activist justices like Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, and how his role reflects the attitude of the Courts at the turn of the century, rather than the one he actually sits on, before looking at the impact this can have on the next couple decades of the legal system, particularly around paving a road for young lawyers looking to find a way to have a genuine impact on Constitutional Law. This, of course, leads them to the role of the Federalist Society in ensuring that Conservatives have a collective of dedicated legal scholars that sign on to an agenda from their entrance into the world of lawyering, which Stern contrasts effectively with the collection of judges supposedly up to fill Breyer’s seat, including Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger, and Michelle Childs, looking to how the favorite of the Democratic corporatists, Childs, dedicated her legal career to anti-union litigation, whereas KBJ has shown a clear dedication to fighting for elements that are genuinely in the future of Democratic activism. They wrap up the interview by touching on the horrific SCOTUS decision that came forward on the Shadow Docket last night, in which Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett pushed through overturning a conservative court’s decision to block Alabama’s obviously racist redistricting, effectively undermining the only remaining element of the VRA. Next, Dr. Annelle Sheline joins as she, Sam, and Emma take on the recent developments with the US’s involvement with Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, and why Biden suddenly sees increased support of obviously-destructive intervention as good and viable, just a couple of years after Democrats successfully invoked a war powers resolution for Trump’s very similar actions. Sam and Emma also touch on Matt Walsh’s wildly disgusting and exploitative transphobic honeypot endeavor, and updates on Staten Island’s Amazon unionization attempt.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma take on continuing censorship of anti–Israeli beliefs and support, particularly among teachers, and how totally crazy it is that the Bari Weiss’s of the world haven’t touched on it. MR fav Jenna then calls in to give some updates on the incredible euphoria and gender-affirmation she has found post-surgery, and the difficulties of the journey, Fred from the UK takes on his government’s inflation talking points, and Sam from Minnesota lays the road to “stroads”. Sam and Emma also touch on Team Youngkin going ad hominem on a High Schooler, Brian Kilmeade sends out his Fox beams to DT, and Worcester and Memphis see some union-busting reversions, plus, your calls and IMs!

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