From WNYC Studios. I'm Brian Lehrer. This is my daily politics podcast. It's Friday, October 17th.

So the courts are increasingly the battleground for many of the unprecedented things that President Trump is trying

to do to exert executive power in what is widely seen as a hyper-partisan and politicizing way,

sending federal troops to domestic cities, leveling tariffs on other countries for reasons

other than trade, deporting people without due process, military attacks

now on alleged drug smuggling boats under the premise that were at war with Venezuela,

also firing federal workers, not just furloughing them during the government shutdown and I could

go on.

One big one is pushing Republican-led states to redistrict to box out Democrats,

which often means reducing the voting impact of largely black communities. The Supreme Court

heard a related case this week and a fundamental challenge to the Voting Rights Act. We will talk about

that and more now with Emily Bazelon, who writes about the Supreme Court

and other legal affairs for the New York Times Magazine.

She also teaches at Yale Law School and as co-host of this late political gab fest.

She is author of the books charged about the criminal justice system and sticks and stones

about bullying in America.

Her recent Times Magazine article is called

Bow to the Emperor. We asked 50 legal experts about the Trump presidency. Emily, always good of you

to come on. Welcome back to WNYC. Thank you so much for having me, Brian. And where do we even start?

In all your years covering legal affairs, have you ever seen this kind of revolutionary

fervor? I think we could call it at the top and as many high stakes battles in the courts at the same

time? No, I have not. It's, um, there's a lot happening. And what is really striking to me,

...