SCOTUS Again Takes on the 2nd Amendment—What Could Go Wrong?
Strict Scrutiny
Strict Scrutiny
4.6 • 5.7K Ratings
🗓️ 23 February 2026
⏱️ 89 minutes
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Summary
Kate is joined by Friend of the Pod Steve Vladeck (One First) to break down last week’s legal news, including developments around noncompliance in the lower courts and SCOTUS ethics. Then, Leah and Melissa join to preview upcoming arguments before the Court where the Justices will consider important asylum and Second Amendment cases, among others. Finally, Kate speaks with Elliot Williams about his new book, Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive '80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Strict scrutiny is brought to you by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. |
| 0:04.2 | We are all legal nerds here, and we know that precedent set in any area of the law ripples out |
| 0:09.0 | across our lives in so many ways. Our right to religious freedom is just one of the most |
| 0:14.1 | sacred areas of law, protecting almost every aspect of our daily lives, rights that we all |
| 0:18.9 | hold dear, like LGBTQ plus rights, freedom to choose the |
| 0:22.6 | type of health gear you need, and ensuring a well-funded and inclusive public school system. |
| 0:27.6 | Protecting the separation of church and state is in fact protecting the very foundation |
| 0:31.7 | of our democracy. If you're looking for ways to more deeply understand the connection |
| 0:36.3 | of and from religion to so many of the civil justice issues we see today, |
| 0:40.9 | you should check out the Summit for Religious Freedom, or Surf, an annual conference held in D.C. and virtually April 25th through 27th this year. |
| 0:51.2 | At Surf, advocates, organizers, faith leaders, atheists, and everyone in between |
| 0:55.3 | will come together to take on the growing threats of Christian nationalism and the effort to |
| 1:00.4 | impose one narrow religious belief on all of us. This is a movement for big change and |
| 1:06.0 | collaboration across the entire spectrum of religious belief and non-belief that strengthens our democracy, |
| 1:11.8 | protects our public schools, reproductive rights, LGBTQ plus rights, and so much more. |
| 1:16.9 | So be part of the movement that's pushing back and standing up for freedom. |
| 1:20.2 | You can register today at the SRF.org. |
| 1:24.4 | That's T-H-E-S-R-F.org. |
| 1:29.4 | Mr. Chief Justice, may it please support. |
| 1:33.6 | It's an old joke. |
| 1:35.4 | When I argue, men, I argues against two beautiful ladies like this, they're going to have |
| 1:39.6 | the last word. |
... |
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