Stacking the Courts with Dahlia Lithwick

The future of our courts will be decided in the 2020 election. While the Trump administration grabs headlines with scandal after scandal, gaffe after gaffe, behind the scenes they are quietly chipping away at their central agenda of reshaping the courts. It’s a transformation happening at an historic rate, where one in four circuit judges is now a Trump appointee. They’ve already flipped the balance of the Supreme Court to a 5-4 conservative majority. If given another four years, Donald Trump would lock down the federal judiciary for decades to come. Senior legal correspondent for Slate Dahlia Lithwick has reported on all of this. From the President’s affinity for using the courts as a weapon to the changed dynamic of the Supreme Court in the wake Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, Lithwick documents what the rule of law looks like in the Trump years. Listen as we discuss exactly what’s at stake this November. RELATED: Why I Haven’t Gone Back to SCOTUS Since Kavanaugh by Dahlia Lithwick Trump’s Lawyers’ Impeachment Defense Will Reshape the Office of the President by Dahlia Lithwick Why Trump's Lawyers Should Talk Like Lawyers by Kate Shaw SPEECH, INTENT, AND THE PRESIDENT by Kate Shaw Plaintiff in Chief: A Portrait of Donald Trump in 3,500 Lawsuits by James Zirin YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE The Meaning of Impeachment with Kate Shaw (Jan 6) Trans Rights with Chase Strangio (Sept 23, 2019) The Rule Of Law in the Era of Trump with Kate Shaw (May 22, 2018) Separating Immigrant Families with Lee Gelernt (June 5, 2018)

Om Podcasten

Every week Chris Hayes asks the big questions that keep him up at night. How do we make sense of this unprecedented moment in world history? Why is this (all) happening? This podcast starts to answer these questions. Writers, experts, and thinkers who are also trying to get to the bottom of them join Chris to break it all down and help him get a better night’s rest. “Why is this Happening?” is presented by MSNBC and NBCNews Think.