This year’s Supreme Court term will be a historic one for the future of presidential power and our system of checks and balances.

The Court has steadily chipped away at protections designed to make American democracy fairer, more inclusive, and more representative. In the 2025–26 term, the justices will hear a set of cases that could accelerate that troublesome trend and produce landmark decisions. One case implicates how the Voting Rights Act ensures fair representation in state legislatures. Yet another takes up the controversy over the president’s asserted power to unilaterally impose tariffs. Learn about the major cases on the Court’s docket and what the outcomes could mean for the future of American democracy. Hosted in partnership with the Kohlberg Center on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Speakers:

* Host, Michael Waldman, President and CEO, Brennan Center

* Kareem Crayton, Vice President for Washington, DC, Brennan Center

* Gilda R. Daniels, Professor, University of Baltimore School of Law

* Elizabeth Goitein, Senior Director, Brennan Center Liberty and National Security Program

* Leah Tulin, Senior Counsel and Litigation Manager, Brennan Center Democracy Program

If you enjoy this program, please give us a boost by liking it, subscribing, and sharing it with your friends. If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, please give it a five-star rating.

Recorded on September 30, 2025.

Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing, at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing.

The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brennancenter.substack.com