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Lawless
How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes
Table of Contents
About The Book
With the gravitas of Joan Biskupic and the irreverence of Elie Mystal, Leah Litman brings her signature wit to the question of what’s gone wrong at One First Street. In Lawless, she argues that the Supreme Court is no longer practicing law; it’s running on vibes. By “vibes,” Litman means legal-ish claims that repackage the politics of conservative grievance and dress them up in robes. Major decisions adopt the language and posture of the law, while in fact displaying a commitment to protecting a single minority: the religious conservatives and Republican officials whose views are no longer shared by a majority of the country.
Dahlia Lithwick’s Lady Justice meets Rebecca Traister’s Good and Mad as Litman employs pop culture references and the latest decisions to deliver a funny, zeitgeisty, pulls-no-punches cri de coeur undergirded by impeccable scholarship. She gives us the tools we need to understand the law, the dynamics of courts, and the stakes of this current moment—even as she makes us chuckle on every page and emerge empowered to fight for a better future.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria/One Signal Publishers (May 13, 2025)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668054635
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Raves and Reviews
“The Supreme Court is radical, unaccountable, and very annoying. In Lawless, Litman draws on a legal canon that runs from Alexander Hamilton to Elle Woods to make this enraging story compelling, accessible, and really funny. She explains why you should trust your gut when it tells you that the Court isn't ruling based on legal principle, but on the hurt feelings of a bunch of angry rightwing weirdos. And in cutting these weirdos down to size, she makes the scale of our challenges feel more surmountable.”
—Jon Lovett, bestselling co-author of Democracy or Else
"This impressive book tells the story of the ethical and intellectual collapse of the Supreme Court. But just as right-wing politics has wrecked the possibility of real justice on the Court, democratic politics can give us a chance to remake the Court and restore what has been lost."
—U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin, Democratic leader on the House Judiciary Committee and bestselling author of Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy
“A refreshingly accessible and outrageously funny indictment of robed partisans drunk on power. Leah Litman is the ideal guide for this tour of the Supreme Court's assault on democracy and civil rights: She's wise, witty, and totally fearless in reading the justices for filth. Lawless is an essential book for anyone seeking to understand how our judiciary became the most dangerous branch—and how we can fight back.”
—Mark Stern, senior writer and Supreme Court correspondent, Slate
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