Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes
Religion. Guns. Votes. The Supreme Court Is Back. w/ Melissa Murray from Strict Scrutiny
The Supreme Court's new fall term starts Monday. Melissa Murray, NYU law professor, co-host of Strict Scrutiny, and New York Times bestselling author of The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader — is back on the show to break down what's coming and to give her verdict on the Jack Smith hearing. Her verdict on the hearing: "The political equivalent of standing in line for something dumb that you don't want to." It wasn't that Smith got raked over the coals, he handled it with his characteristic steadiness. It was four hours of his life he'll never get back, spent explaining basic facts about how law enforcement works to people who either already know those facts and are performing ignorance, or actually don't know those facts, which is somehow worse. Melissa and Grant go through the poster board moment in full, including her observation that she's not sporty and even she knew the Hawks and the Falcons are two different sports. They talk about John Kennedy's Rhodes Scholar accent that didn't exist 10 years ago, Katie Britt's recovery move, and what it means to have the rule of law on trial in a Senate hearing room. On the Supreme Court fall term: birthright citizenship is back, run rights, religion in schools, climate change, expanding presidential power, and leaving space for the president's coming election challenges regardless of who wins. Plus, could it be the end of the line for Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas? Is it the end for Chief Justice John Roberts? What is going on with Justice Brett Kavanaugh? CHAPTERS: 0:00 — Grant is back after being sick — and the Supreme Court's new term starts Monday 2:26 — Melissa Murray: NYU law professor, Strict Scrutiny, NYT bestselling author of the US Constitution guide 2:56 — "It's a bummer we need a Constitution guide right now — but great that people are dialing in" 3:18 — The Jack Smith hearing: four hours he'll never get back 3:56 — Melissa's verdict: "The political equivalent of standing in line for something dumb" 4:49 — "This isn't Jack Smith. This is law." — the grand jury in plain English 5:28 — Eric Schmitt: "How do you come to work and make Josh Hawley look like an elder statesman?" 6:00 — The poster board: two seconds, bifocal readers, and a smoking gun that wasn't 7:22 — "I'm not sporty and I knew the Hawks and the Falcons are two different sports" 8:15 — The Golden State Warriors enter the picture — then exit just as quickly 9:35 — Caitlin Clark and why Jack Smith was in Maryland watching women's basketball 10:31 — "Did Schmitt's staff not know women's basketball exists?" 11:47 — The slow zoom on Katie Britt: "Are we the baddies?" 12:56 — "There are always women who have to clean up after mediocre men — Katie Britt is just one of them" 13:25 — "Ted Cruz tried." The end. 13:47 — John Kennedy's Oxford Rhodes Scholar accent that didn't exist 10 years ago 15:00 — "I hate elites, do not look too closely at my Wikipedia page" 16:13 — What Kennedy used to be in hearings vs. what the Foghorn Leghorn act has become 28:49 — The shadow docket never ends — and why October and November are unusually light on cases 29:18 — The cases Melissa is watching: light docket by design, December is the banger 29:57 — The free exercise of religion case flying under the radar — Roberts checks off the last conservative agenda item 31:30 — RNC versus Mi Familia Vota: the big citizenship and voting rights case coming this term 32:00 — The Suncor climate case: Alito recuses himself — after the long conference where he learned the votes were fine 33:40 — What is going on with Brett Kavanaugh: OJ energy, "pick me" concurrences, and auditioning for chief justice 35:44 — Kavanaugh's mail ballot concurrence: "The timing appears to be arbitrary and capricious" — and what that means for 2028 37:24 — Is Kavanaugh auditioning for chief justice or does he want off the bench entirely and into the executive? 38:10 — Is this Thomas's last term? What the midterms mean for potential retirements — and who replaces them The Constitution Strict Scrutiny Podcast DHS Says It's Finding Noncitizen Voters. It Won't Say How. Support the show Follow along on social media SaySo: @GrantHermes X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant__Hermes Tiktok: Grant_Hermes
