The Only Loser is the Public

<p>Ellen Weintraub, commissioner of the Federal Election Commission since 2002, joins Kate and Leah to break down the Supreme Court's opinion in <i>FEC</i> v. <i>Ted Cruz</i>, an important campaign finance case [2:07]. (Commissioner Weintraub also joined us to preview the case before oral arguments-- <a href="https://strict-scrutiny.simplecast.com/episodes/mensch-on-the-bench">go back and listen to that episode</a> if you haven't!) Kate and Leah also debrief the opinion <i>Patel </i>v.<i> Garland</i>, a major immigration case with a pretty devastating result [32:45]. They also flag a grant of a habeas-related case the Court will hear next term, <i>Jones</i> v. <i>Hendrix </i>[47:23], and then try to bring their blood pressure down by catching up on various statements and speeches Justices Thomas and Alito have given recently [52:01].</p><p></p><p>Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! </p><ul>

<li>3/6/26 – San Francisco</li>

<li>3/7/26 – Los Angeles</li>

</ul><p></p><p>Learn more: <a href="http://crooked.com/events">http://crooked.com/events</a></p><p>Order your copy of Leah's book, <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Lawless/Leah-Litman/9781668054628">Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes</a></p><p>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/strictscrutinypodcast/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@strictscrutinypodcast">Threads</a>, and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strictscrutiny.bsky.social">Bluesky</a></p>