If Roberts gets to uphold the rule of law and embarrass Trump a little bit in the process, that might just be a win-win for him.

Hi, and happy New Year, and welcome back to Amicus Slate's podcast about the law and the courts and the Supreme Court and the rule of law and, you know, justice and impeachment.

Or as I've come to think of all that stuff, Chief Justice John Roberts' toiletry kit.

I'm Dolly Lithwick. I Justice John Roberts' toiletry kit. I'm Dahlia Luthwick. I cover John Roberts' toiletry kit as my job for Slate, and I'm actually not exaggerating at all

when I tell you that nobody is as shocked as I that a graying attorney from Long Beach, Indiana,

is now somehow the most interesting and important constitutional

player in America. Check that. I think John Roberts is a little bit more surprised than I am

to learn that this is the case. So this week's show is going to focus on the Chief Justice

as we try to make sense of an impeachment chess game that's somehow about equal parts three-dimensional

chess, but also one part, hungry, hungry hippo. Before we get to institutional chess, hippos,

I want to thank those of you who wrote in following our last show when we spoke to a bunch of

lawyers who are volunteering their time and skills to support

people applying for asylum at the southern border. Liz in Seattle wrote in to let us know about

the organizations she's connected with to help put her attorney's license to use in service of

people who are facing the daunting task of navigating the current unforgiving system. So I wanted to share the name

of one of the organizations that she mentioned with you. That's kids in need of defense or kind,

support kind.org. And they put the training in support of pro bono attorneys at the very center

of their work. Douglas in Illinois wrote in to recommend immigrants rising. Douglas

writes, they have written a careful legal guide for educational institutions to provide financial

support for the many undocumented young people now in this country. In particular, they helped

us generate fellowships for three students involved in summer science, technology, engineering, math, and research program targeted at underrepresented high school students in our community in Champaign, Urbana.

Thank you to both Douglas and Liz for just reminding us that everyday people who listen to this show can do extraordinary work.

...