This is Amicus, Slate's podcast about the courts and the law and the Supreme Court.

I'm Dahlia Ludwig.

It won't interfere with the current building. It'll be near it, but not touching it.

And pays total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of.

It's my favorite.

In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.

When it comes to phase one of this project, the tearing down of the current East Wing structure, a submission is not required legally for that.

And it's being paid for 100% by me and some friends of mine donors.

At this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the president's main priority.

Amid the deluge of dehumanizing imagery that flashes before our eyes each day,

the demolition of the East Wing of the White House still managed to provoke shock.

The iconic historic buildings guts on display, a bulldozer's claw reaching to tear down more to make way for the president's $300 million ballroom. The destruction to enable construction plowed on

despite the government shutdown and without any of the approvals required by law. It was as if the largely invisible, wanton destruction of fired federal workers, bulldozed

norms and gutted institutions had at last been made manifest.

Metaphor rendered into reality.

I wanted to set that image against some others that maybe also broke through since we last spoke.

Photos and video of more than 7 million people pouring into the streets last weekend for no King's marches.

Protesting lawfully, even joyfully, against authoritarianism and unchecked executive

and military power.

The costumes, the signs.

This was the Federalist Papers in corporeal form.

Holding these pictures side by side could be the very embodiment of my guest's new book.

...