This week, we're joined by People for the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker to talk about where we are in the gut-wrenching confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick who faces charges of sexual assault and lying to Congress. 

Then we go back to the archive to put all of this into a larger context with an earlier interview with Johns Hopkins political scientist Steven Teles, author of The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement: The Battle for Control of the Law, a seminal book on the conservative movement's long, well funded campaign to push the center of gravity in American courts to the right. 

Playlist:
Salt-n-Pepa: "Here We Come"
Queen Latifa: "U.N.I.T.Y"
Rocky Rivera: "Pussy Kills"

Brett Kavanaugh and the Right’s Long Judicial Coup

We have a really great lineup this week. 

First up is Dahlia Lithwick, a senior editor at Slate, who talks to us about the future of the Court now that Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed, and what a dramatic loss of institutional legitimacy might mean going forward. 

Then we're joined by Ari Berman from Mother Jones. Berman, author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, tells us what he fears the most in the voting rights arena as we approach the 2018 midterms, and also highlights some things that give him hope. 

Finally, we speak with Tufts political scientist Brian Schaffner, whose recent study found that expressions of hostile sexism have become a partisan issue. Schaffner explains how Trump's victory appears to have made his supporters more likely to say the quiet parts out loud. 

Playlist:
Junior Martin: "Police and Thieves"
King Crimson: "Man With an Open Heart"

Dahlia Lithwick on Kavanaugh | Ari Berman With a Voting Rights Roundup | How Sexism Became Partisan

This week, we speak with The Washington Post's Greg Sargent about his new book, An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy in an Age of Trumpian Disinformation and Thunderdome Politics. (Our interview was so fascinating that we've invited Greg back on the show next week to continue the discussion.) 

Then we're joined by Elizabeth Rogers, a former judge and current host of the Humorless Rants podcast, to talk about the need for, and the potential shape of reforms of a Supreme Court facing a legitimacy crisis. 

Finally, we're joined by attorney and veteran civil rights activist Hanna Dershowitz, who tells us about her testimony this week in favor of legalizing cannabis before the New York State Assembly -- and where the debate over prohibition is likely to go.

Playlist: 
Alabama Shakes: "Hang Loose"
Los Enanitos Verdes: "Pasaré Por Ti"
Portugal: The Man: "So Young"
Beth Hart: "Bang Bang Boom Boom"

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