Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - Was it Worth it, Pam?

In this episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick and co-host Mark Joseph Stern dissect a pivotal week in American legal and political life, focusing on the fallout from President Trump's unprecedented appearance at Supreme Court oral arguments in the birthright citizenship case. They analyze the dramatic ousting of Attorney General Pamela Jo Bondi, whom they characterize as one of the most damaging AGs in history due to her erosion of DOJ independence, attacks on judges, and failure to deliver on Trump’s vendetta-driven agenda. The hosts contrast Bondi’s incompetence with her successor, Todd Blanche, a similarly loyal but even more combative figure, warning that neither will succeed in subverting the rule of law. The episode also examines the Supreme Court’s rebuke of Trump’s legal strategy in the birthright citizenship case, where Solicitor General John Sauer’s arguments were widely seen as incoherent and historically flawed, leading to a likely decisive defeat for the administration. Meanwhile, the Court’s 8-1 decision in *Childs v. Salazar*—which struck down laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth—sparks deep concern, as the majority used the First Amendment to shield religiously motivated speech, even in professional therapy, undermining public health protections. The hosts lament the Court’s consistent weaponization of free speech doctrine to advance conservative religious agendas while ignoring the harms to vulnerable populations.