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On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in McCrory v. Harris and Bethune-Hill v. Virginia Board of Elections, two challenges to Republican gerrymandering efforts that resulted in the creation of majority-minority voting districts. At issue is whether lawmakers in Virginia and North Carolina were motivated primarily by racial considerations or only secondarily so. Marc Elias, the lawyer who represented the challengers in both cases, joins us to explain why the distinction is so critical.

We also consider the revolt that’s underway in the Electoral College. A small group of electors calling themselves the Hamilton Electors are seeking to be unbound from state requirements that they vote as their state voted. Legal scholar Carolyn Shapiro explains why she believes the Hamilton Electors should be taken seriously.

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Please let us know what you think of Amicus. Our email is [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook here. Podcast production by Tony Field.

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Katy Waldman is joined by Slate's Gabriel Roth and Jacob Brogan to Michael Chabon's new novel Moonglow.

Join us in January for a conversation about Bob Dylan's The Lyrics 1961-2012.

The Slate Audio Book Club is brought to you by Audible, with an unmatched selection of audiobooks, original audio shows, and more. Get a free audiobook with a 30 day trial by signing up at Audible.com/audiobookclub.

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Today on Slate Money, hosts Felix Salmon of Fusion, Cathy O’Neil, author of, Weapons of Math Destruction, and Slate Moneybox columnist Jordan Weissmann devote the whole episode to aviation and discuss:

United Airlines’ new Basic Economy fareTrump’s plan to personally renegotiate Boeing’s Air Force One bidSilicon Valley’s shift from producing ones and zeros to actual stuff, including drones

Come have a beer with us! Slate Money goes live for a special craft beer episode at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15 at Union Hall in Brooklyn. Tickets are $25. Go to slate.com/live for tickets and more information.

Check out other Panoply podcasts at itunes.com/panoply.

Email: [email protected]: @felixsalmon, @mathbabedotorg, @JHWeissmann

Production by Zachary Dinerstein

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Kyle Kinane doesn’t want your agreement applause. Or your voting boosterism. In fact, Kinane is quite prepared to disappoint you—he’s kind of built a brand on it. On The Gist, Kinane raises a hand in support of jokes about rich people and racists—just let him explain. Kinane’s latest stand-up special is Loose in Chicago, you can see him in the Netflix series Love, and his podcast is called Boogie Monster. 

For the Spiel, Mike goes trawling for another Lobstar.  

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Mike Pesca with two things you needs to know, and one you don't: 1) How a puppy took down the South Korean president; 2) Geert Wilders gets a polite scolding for hate speech; 3) Some light Christmas-themed violence.

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On this episode of Represent, Slate culture writer, Aisha Harris talks to Pamela Adlon about her career and semi-autobiographical FX series, Better Things. And we share our second edition of our “Pre-Woke Watching” segment.

Check out:

-Slate: Pamela Adlon’s new show is like a brasher, more confident, female-driven Louie.

-Slate Represent: Our episode where we introduce our “Pre-Woke Watching” segment and talk to Kathy Griffin.

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Twitter: @SlateRepresent, @craftingmystyle

Production by Veralyn Williams

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Writer Jeff Chang went to Ferguson, Missouri, on the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown. What he saw there helped inspire his latest collection of essays, We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation (a book the Washington Post’s Carlos Lozada has called the year’s smartest). On The Gist, Chang explains why the calls for police accountability are valid even in cases when officers appear to follow protocol. 

For the Spiel, an evaluation of the Trump Cabinet according to age, demographic, and proximity to women in bikinis. 

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John Dickerson, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon attempt to crack the code on Donald Trump's cabinet selections, talk over the real dangers of fake news and discuss what it would take to change the electoral college.

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Show notes at slate.com/gabfest

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Virginia Heffernan talks to Yascha Mounk about the warning signs that signal the end of liberal democracies and how we can protect it.

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Mike Pesca with two things you needs to know, and one you don't: 1) The vanishing giraffe population; 2) Paris tries to slow smog; 3) Brazil's bizarre scheme to compensate wronged tourists.

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