Chief Justice John Roberts scolded House managers and the President's counsel early Wednesday for using language beneath the dignity of the world's "greatest deliberative body."

This, after Senator Susan Collins complained about "unsettling comments" she felt went against Senate rules of decorum.

Speaking of decorum, senators played with fidget spinners and did crossword puzzles while House managers made their case for impeachment. Enough of this pettifoggery!

This week, Slate's Dahlia Lithwick says we're in a scary race to the bottom in our political conduct; law professor Lara Bazelon implores House managers to appeal directly to voters (senators in "total coordination" with the White House won't listen); and Washington Post correspondent Philip Bump brings us the "Impeachment Polka."

Also this hour: the fourth edition of Factoids with Chion Wolf.

Please note: The podcast version of this week's episode is fully 66 seconds longer than the radio version, and every one of those 66 seconds is filled with more of The Jay Sekulow Band (which, you'll find, is a real thing). You are welcome.

GUESTS:

• Bruce Ackerman - The Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale and the author of nineteen books
• Lara Bazelon - Professor of law at the University of San Francisco School of Law, contributor to Slate and Politico Magazine, and the author of Rectify: The Power of Restorative Justice After Wrongful Conviction
• Philip Bump - A correspondent for The Washington Post
• Rebecca Castellani - A music writer for the Red Hook Star Revue
• Dahlia Lithwick - Writes about the courts and the law for Slate; host of the podcast Amicus
• Chion Wolf - A producer, photographer, and announcer at Connecticut Public Radio

Email us your questions at [email protected].

Pardon Me is a production of The Colin McEnroe Show on Connecticut Public Radio.

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