#1812 Democracy or This Supreme Court, But Not Both

Air Date: 8/1/2026 Today we investigate how the argument moved from what the Supreme Court decides to whether the Court should be rebuilt. Only about one in five Americans has strong confidence in the Court, and the proposals on the table would end lifetime seats, set fixed terms, and add judges across the federal bench. We're arguing that these reforms are necessary for a functioning democracy. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: 'Unhinged and Racist': Hayes EVISCERATES Trump's Birthright Argument - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 6-30-26 KP 2: "We Continue to Fight": Chase Strangio on the Supreme Court's Ban on Trans Girls & Women in Sports - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-1-26 KP 3: Supreme Court Guts Voting Rights Act in "Devastating Blow" to Democracy & Civil Rights: Maya Wiley - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-30-26 KP 4: The Term the Court Stopped Pretending Part 1 - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 7-7-26 KP 5: "The Most Destructive Chief Justice in My Lifetime": Dissecting John Roberts with Lisa Graves Part 1 - 5-4 - Air Date 6-23-26 KP 6: Did the Birthright Citizenship Ruling Prove It's Time for SCOTUS Reform? Part 1 - Stateside with Kai and Carter - Air Date 7-1-26 (00:48:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Court Reform Has to Start With Filibuster Reform My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:02:17) SECTION A: THE RULINGS A1: Supreme Court RUSHES Through SHOCK RULINGS - Legal AF and Lawyers for Good Government - Air Date 7-24-26 A2: In "Devastating" Immigration Ruling, Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin to "Turn Back" Asylum Seekers - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-26-26 A3: What Haitians and Syrians With TPS Need to Know Now - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 6-30-26 (01:26:07) SECTION B: THE CHARACTER OF THE COURT B1: The Term the Court Stopped Pretending Part 2 - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 7-7-26 B2: SCOTUS Doubles Down on Bigotry in Final Decisions of the Term - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-30-26 B3: The Supreme Court Is Corrupt. This Is What We Can Do About It. - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 5-1-26 B4: BREAKING: SCOTUS Just Snuck Radical Law Past the Headlines - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-23-26 B5: Strict Scrutiny X WITHpod SCOTUS Review Crossover - Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast - Air Date 7-7-26 (02:13:52) SECTION C: ORIGINS, HOW WE GOT THIS COURT C1: 250 Years of Bad Decisions: SCOTUS, the Civil War, and the End of Reconstruction - 5-4 - Air Date 6-30-26 C2: "The Most Destructive Chief Justice in My Lifetime": Dissecting John Roberts with Lisa Graves Part 2 - 5-4 - Air Date 6-23-26 (02:33:08) SECTION D: REFORM, WHAT DO WE DO? D1: How to Fix the Supreme Court (with Miriam Rosenbaum and Olatunde Johnson) - Brennan Center for Justice - Air Date 5-6-26 D2: Did the Birthright Citizenship Ruling Prove It's Time for SCOTUS Reform? Part 2 - Stateside with Kai and Carter - Air Date 7-1-26 D3: Broke: Pack the Supreme Court. Woke: Pack ALL of the Courts - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 7-23-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]