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Strict Scrutiny ·Sep 15, 2026 ·33 min

BREAKING: SCOTUS Blocks Trump's Mail-In Ballot BS

Evaluation and Summary

4.8/10

Strict Scrutiny's hosts Kate, Leah, and Melissa discuss a Supreme Court decision blocking a Trump administration regulation that would have imposed new restrictions on mail-in ballot delivery through the Postal Service. The regulation would have required states to adopt last-minute, burdensome, and allegedly impossible policies governing mail-in ballots. The hosts analyze the Court's reasoning and cover Trump's reaction to the decision. The episode also examines Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence, which the hosts characterize as displaying "pick-me energy," and Justice Samuel Alito's dissent, which they critique for employing "false equivalencies." The episode is 33 minutes long and appears to be a timely breakdown of a significant voting rights decision with the hosts offering their legal and political analysis of the ruling and the justices' positions.

Verdict: A timely legal breakdown for Strict Scrutiny's audience, but the show notes reveal heavy partisan framing and lack of sourcing or balanced presentation of competing arguments.

Government rubric

  • Accuracy and sourcing n/a

    Show notes describe the decision and positions taken but provide no citations, quotes, or documentation of the ruling itself or the justices' reasoning

  • Balance and context 2/5 25%

    Framing heavily favors one side (Trump's regulation as 'BS,' Kavanaugh as 'pathetic,' Alito's reasoning as 'false equivalencies') with no indication of presenting the administration's or dissenters' arguments fairly

  • Clarity on what it means 3/5 19%

    The real-world impact is implied—blocking restrictions on mail-in ballots affects voting access—but show notes don't explain the practical consequences or why the regulation mattered

  • Substance 3/5 19%

    Covers a substantive legal decision but show notes suggest commentary-heavy analysis rather than deep exploration of the Court's reasoning or the policy stakes

  • Delivers on its title 4/5 19%

    Title promises a breakdown of the Supreme Court's decision blocking Trump's mail-in ballot regulation, which the episode appears to deliver based on the description

  • Value for time 3/5 19%

    33 minutes is reasonable for a timely legal analysis, though show notes don't indicate whether pacing is tight or if there's padding

How we score Government

Worth it if you follow Supreme Court voting rights cases closely and want the hosts' sharp legal commentary, but not if you're seeking balanced analysis of the decision's merits.

Based on the episode description. AI-generated; it can be wrong.

Show notes

Kate, Leah and Melissa hop on to break down the Supreme Court’s decision to block the Trump administration’s Postal Service regulation announcing it would not deliver mail-in ballots unless states adopted a bunch of last-minute, unnecessary, burdensome, and impossible policies governing mail in ballots. They cover Trump’s tantrum over the decision, Brett Kavanaugh’s endlessly pathetic pick-me energy, and Sam Alito’s God tier false equivalencies. Take the Strict Scrutiny survey . New Strict merch available here . You can now listen to Strict Scrutiny for CLE credits in California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington, and Oregon! More info at crooked.com/strict_cle Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE on November 6th in Washington, DC: Crookedcon.com Buy Melissa’s book, The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader Buy Leah’s book, Lawless , now out in paperback Follow us on Instagram , Threads , and Bluesky For a transcript of an episode of Strict Scrutiny please email transcripts@crooked.com

Episode page

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