The filibuster is a tool that benefits the conservative side of the ideological spectrum

far more than the progressive side.

So on net, it is something that it overwhelmingly benefits progressive to get rid of.

It is a tool that makes it harder to pass things.

Anything that the Democrats want, anything that liberals want, anything that voting rights

activists want will be frustrated by the Republican courts.

Hello and welcome to Amicus.

This is Slates Podcast about the Courts, the Law and the Rule of Law.

I'm Dahlia Lithwick.

I cover that stuff for Slate.

And this week is the inaugural summer show for us here on Amicus.

Through July and August, we like to step out of the courtroom, put down the briefs, take

a look around at some of the big books and the films and the themes that might better

inform our thinking about the courts and the law.

And this week is a big theme that is a fixing democracy.

Back in May, I hosted a session at the Crosscut Festival with Adam Gentelson and Ellie

Mistal as my esteemed guests.

Adam is former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid.

And he's the author of Kill Switch, the rise of the modern Senate.

He is a familiar face and voice to Amicus listeners and he is the justice correspondent

for the nation.

As I mentioned, this discussion was taped in May and in the intervening weeks, it seems

...