A Court of Drugs and Guns

Strict Scrutiny

News, Philosophy, Society & Culture, Government

4.6 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 9 March 2026

⏱️ 90 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kate, Leah, and Melissa break down the oral arguments in United States v. Hemani, a Second Amendment case which challenges a law prohibiting “unlawful users” of controlled substances from possessing a firearm. Then, they cover two truly heinous shadow docket rulings–a case out of New York where SCOTUS’s conservatives seem to have found an impermissible racial gerrymander they believe in, and another on the outing of transgender children–before speaking with California Attorney General Rob Bonta about standing up to the Trump administration on issues like tariffs, federal law enforcement overreach, and antitrust. They also pour one out for Krispy Gnome’s (née Kristi Noem) generationally awful tenure at the Department of Homeland Security. This episode was recorded live at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

Favorite things:

Kate: This judicial order in Urquilla-Ramos v. Trump
Leah: Upcoming Sarah J. Maas books; Melissa’s upcoming book (link below)
Melissa: [REDACTED]

Preorder Melissa’s book, The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader

Buy Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Strict scrutiny is brought to you by Americans United for separation of church and state.
0:04.5	Since the nation's founding, the values of religious liberty and pluralism have been central
0:08.4	to the American identity. These values are now under accelerated attack. The government has no
0:13.5	authority to pick and choose which religious beliefs to promote and which to marginalize.
0:18.3	Religious freedom for only some is religious freedom for none.
0:21.6	The Trump-Fantz administration's Religious Liberty Commission is pursuing a culture of Christian nationalism
0:26.6	that seeks to divide and isolate people across our nation.
0:29.6	The fatally flawed way this commission was assembled makes clear that the predetermined outcome isn't just un-American, it's against the law.
0:36.6	The Trump-Fance
0:37.7	administration has failed to uphold our country's proud religious freedom tradition, and we will
0:42.0	hold them accountable. Be part of the movement that's pushing back and standing up for freedom.
0:46.3	Register to attend today at thesrf.org.
0:51.7	Indeed presents. Hires, you can't afford to get wrong
0:54.9	Like payroll manager
0:56.2	Hi, I was just checking my pay slip
0:58.2	And it's all in Japanese yen
0:59.6	Yes, you're welcome
1:00.7	Sorry
1:01.2	Given the exchange rate between the pound and the yen
1:03.2	You're technically a millionaire now
1:04.9	Don't spend it all in one place
1:06.3	I can't really spend it anywhere
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Strict Scrutiny, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Strict Scrutiny and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.