"Strict Scrutiny" co-host Leah Litman has the profile of a person who, in previous eras, would seem like a defender of the Supreme Court. She's a law professor at the University of Michigan and once worked as a law clerk for former Justice Anthony Kennedy. In recent years, she's become one of the most outspoken critics of how the current iteration of the nation's highest court has abandoned good faith readings of the law, basic legal reasoning, and even facts in pursuit of a far-right agenda. In her new book, "Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes," Litman chronicles the decline of this once-venerated institution. She spoke with Salon about her book and how recent cases suggest the court is getting even more unhinged in this second Donald Trump administration.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
