Amicus | One Amendment Explains It All

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Slate Podcasts

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.6 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 13 December 2025

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Trump decided this past week that there was no downside to fully embracing the racist “shithole countries” rhetoric he denied seven years ago; but this mask coming fully off is just the latest chapter in a decades-long campaign to gut a very specific part of the constitution: the reconstruction amendments. On this week’s Amicus episode, Dahlia Lithwick talks to civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill about the critical role the 14th Amendment has played in shaping American democracy, and why this full frontal assault on its protections should have everyone on high alert. In a week in which we found ourselves toggling between “the tide is turning!” and “all is lost!” Sherrilyn expertly guides us to an understanding of what winning looks like in this moment, and how the courts can still play a role in renewing America’s commitment to equal justice under the law, even when the Supreme Court is openly hostile to that proposition. Sherrilyn Ifill’s substack newsletter: Is It Too Late? If you want to access that special 50% promotion for Slate Plus membership, go to slate.com/amicusplus and enter promo code AMICUS 50. This offer expires on Dec 31st 2025. Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Vanta.
0:03.0	Security and compliance done wrong is a headache.
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0:08.0	That's Vanta.
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0:20.0	From startups like Cursor to enterprises like Snowflake, top companies choose Vantor.
0:25.1	Do security and compliance right.
0:27.0	Get started today at Vantor.com.
0:34.3	I'm Dahlia Lithwick.
0:35.6	This is Amicus, Slate's podcast about the courts and the law and the U.S. Supreme Court.
0:42.5	The civil rights movement was not like, let's get things for black people.
0:46.1	It is the beginning of true democracy in this country, and the resistance to it was an anti-democracy movement.
0:52.7	Why is it we only take people from shithole countries?
0:55.9	Is there any greater cancellation than, you know, someone trying to take your citizenship from you?
1:00.1	She should get the hell out, throw the hell out.
1:02.0	She does nothing but complain.
1:03.9	She does nothing but complain. We are back. We are reaching back. We are reaching peak saturation with daily legal news.
1:24.6	And you all are completely forgiven if you just want to hit the emergency red stop
1:30.5	button. But if you want to keep on thinking about what the law does when the law is evaporating,
	...

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