Two Balls, One Court

Rodericka Applewhite, former Director of Black Media at the Biden White House, joins the podcast fresh off advising a congressional campaign in Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District — a district that may soon be defunct after the Supreme Court’s latest voting rights ruling.

On this episode: what does political organizing look like for Democrats in the South as states scramble to redraw district maps, delay elections, and navigate the fallout from a Supreme Court decision that will likely reshape Black political representation for decades.

Following a challenge to Louisiana's congressional maps, the Supreme Court has made it "near-impossible" to overturn district lines on the grounds that they're racially discriminatory against African Americans.

Now, southern states like Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama are racing to redraw their maps before the midterms. By 2028, more than half the Democrats in the solid south could be redistricted out of power.

Over the weekend, The New York Times revealed shocking new memos between Supreme Court justices showing how Chief Justice Roberts steamrolled his colleagues to use the emergency docket to overturn the Obama climate plan. This comes as the Roberts court has used the emergency docket to give President Trump dozens of victories just during his second term.

Plus:

• Trump tries to push out Alito before Democrats take Senate control
• Justice Sotomayor issues a rare apology for comments she made towards Justice Kavanaugh
• The Supreme Court has begun issuing $166 billion in tariff refunds (Though Trump is pressuring companies to not even apply for refunds they won in court)
• And Justice Thomas gets a little loose in remarks at UT Austin.

The day the Supreme Court released its tariff ruling, Trump told reporters he “could care less” about whether Supreme Court Justices attended his State of the Union. Well, on Tuesday, that did not appear to be the case. 

This episode, we dive into highlights from the Court’s 170-page ruling, weigh whether Justice Kavanaugh is trying to suck up to Trump for that Chief Justice seat, and get to the bottom of Kash Patel partying with the U.S. men’s hockey team. 

Also, Flavor Flav, if you’re looking for a podcaster duo to cover the celebration you’re throwing in Vegas for the women’s hockey team, let a channel know.

In one of the biggest cases this term, the Trump legal team argues it is within the President's right to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, even though laws establishing that agency were designed to make it extremely difficult for a president to fire someone willy nilly. Cook was informed she was fired via a Truth Social post for alleged mortgage fraud. But she argues she wasn't even given a chance to defend herself in court. At issue: What would a fair trial for Cook even look like, when the law doesn't specify? And big picture... is the U.S. Supreme Court willing to give Trump much more power to fire whomever he wishes.

Plus, as Minnesota reels from the loss of a second Minneapolis resident at the hands of federal immigration officials, churches have scored a major legal win against ICE and CBP.

In one of the biggest cases this term, the Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of laws passed in Idaho and West Virginia that bar transgender women from playing in girls' and women's school sports -- a move they say is essential for preserving "competitive integrity" for biological women.

But the two transgender athletes argue: because they have taken medication to suppress testosterone, they are being unfairly discriminated against. The Court’s decision could have sweeping implications beyond school athletics for future trans rights cases.

The Supreme Court is set to hear 7 cases over just 5 days next week, and many of them are going to define the 2026 term.

On next week's docket:

• Transgender sports participation bans in West Virginia & Idaho
• Gun restrictions
• Trump's firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
• Whether the Chevron oil company will have to pay fines for damage to Louisiana wetlands

Plus, a quick look at whether ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro's case could make it up to the Supreme Court?

And a special shout-out to Zach Goddard for best photos with 2b1c merch this holiday season!

In one of the biggest cases of the Supreme Court term, the justices are weighing President Trump’s sweeping global tariffs and the future of presidential power in trade policy.

At issue is whether Trump can continue relying on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs without congressional approval. 

The core constitutional question: Are tariffs a “tax,” which fall under Congress’ Article I powers — or, as a key foreign policy tool, are they best left to the President under Article II of the U.S. Constitution? The Court’s answer will determine not only the fate of Trump’s tariff policies but also the boundaries of presidential power for years to come. 

The Supreme Court has given the Trump administration a major victory, curbing nationwide injunctions from district courts that halted Trump's plans to end birthright citizenship.

The court's conservatives argued in a 6-3 ruling that because nationwide injunctions did not exist in the High Court of Chancery in England at the time of the nation’s founding, lower courts had overstepped in blocking Trump’s executive order. Notably, the Court did not rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s move to end birthright citizenship.

In a scathing opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor writes: “The gamesmanship in this request is apparent and the Government makes no attempt to hide it. Yet, shamefully, this Court plays along. Because I will not be complicit in so grave an attack on our system of law, I dissent.”

Also in this episode, the Supreme Court rules in Mahmoud v. Taylor that parents are able to opt their children out of pro-LGBTQ books being read in schools.

June 26 was supposed to be the final day of the 2025 Supreme Court term — but the justices had other plans. In this live episode, we break down a major ruling on South Carolina’s right to block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. And stay tuned for what to expect from tomorrow’s blockbuster opinions.