Was it Worth it, Pam?

In this episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick and co-host Mark Joseph Stern dissect the fallout from the Supreme Court's oral arguments in the landmark birthright citizenship case, where President Trump made history by attending in person—only to be met with apparent disdain from the justices. The episode critiques the Trump administration's legal overreach, focusing on the ousting of Attorney General Pamela Jo Bondi, whom they describe as one of the most destructive AGs in U.S. history due to her erosion of DOJ independence, abusive enforcement of political vendettas, and contempt for judicial authority. Stern and Lithwick contrast Bondi’s failure to deliver on Trump’s demand to imprison his enemies with the structural limits of the rule of law, arguing that even the most loyal enforcers cannot override constitutional protections like due process and jury trials. They also analyze the Supreme Court’s recent decision in *Childs v. Salazar*, which struck down state laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth by elevating religiously motivated speech over professional standards and child welfare, with even liberal justices joining a decision that undermines medical regulation. The episode ends on a note of sobering realism: while Trump’s political power may be waning, the Supreme Court remains a powerful, unyielding institution that continues to inflict harm through inconsistent and ideologically driven rulings.