Leah Litman is a law professor and cohost of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny. This book goes deep on five different areas where the Supreme Court is doing major, potentially irreversible, damage: abortion, voting rights, LGBTQIA discrimination, campaign finance, and the government agencies tasked with dealing with the practical issues of running a country (the EPA, OSHA, SEC, CDC, etc.).

This book is extremely readable and breaks down everything the Supreme Court has fucked up recently in mostly comprehensible pieces. Litman does a good job blending case descriptions with what's going on outside the courts to give the reader a really full picture, and what emerges is a powerful picture of how we've gotten to the point we are now. She defines terms that are likely unfamiliar to a non-lawyer, and she doesn't get so into the weeds that you can't follow it.

There were definitely parts of this book that felt a little too yassified to me - the constant Game of Thrones references in one section were just annoying, and the Barbie/Ken jokes got old quickly. I get that Litman wanted to make this book more palatable and accessible to people who are not lawyers and who are not familiar with the court, and I don't think legal issues need to be discussed with the reverence or elevated language that some people insist on. But the tone felt pretty inconsistent: sometimes dire, sometimes weirdly lighthearted, sometimes cynical, etc. On the one hand, that makes sense because you can't feel horrible about everything all the time and the Supreme Court sparks dozens of emotions in me, but for some reason, it didn't work for me. Litman has a similar tone and approach on Strict Scrutiny, but it feels more natural there and less like she's desperately trying to appeal to Gen-Z. I still think this is a very useful book that really packs a lot of information, so I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am a listener of StrictScrutiny and couldn't wait to read this book by Leah, one of the podcast hosts. It was incredibly informative and so depressing to realize how far we've fallen in our democracy by having Supreme Court judges with such obvious conservative bias. If you aren't paying attention, it helps you understand that our rights are not always taken away in one big event, but chipped away at little by little, so it is not as noticeable. Much like the frog in the pot of boiling water, we are now seeing the results of decisions made with "bad vibes".

I found it incredibly helpful to have the history of each ruling, but could sometimes get lost in the pop culture references (being a Gen-Xer). This book may be better suited for a younger audience with a little law knowledge under their belt to follow along with the complexities of the cases.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this book! I have been following more court cases lately and learning about jurisprudential theories. This book kind of felt like having a girlfriend come explain it to me in plain language, which I really needed. I would read a significantly more detailed version of this book!!!! Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I read this along with the audiobook and it was so good! Leah Litman is so funny and it was just like listening to her podcast!

I give the book 4.25 stars. I like political and non-fiction books. I am more interested in books It about politics now. I hadn't heard of the author or book. I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book was chocked full of so much information. It is a book to be read more than once. Some of the political information I knew and some I didn't. The book did educate me on the courts and political system.

I finished the book fairly fast. The book is fairly easy to read. It is a very interesting book.

I liked that the ending was hopefully. Some of the book is very gloomy and doom. Yet, the book is accurate and very current.

I think this is a good book for anyone who thinks that everything changed over night, in terms of politics. It really is helpful to learn how the courts became how they are

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I feel it is a book I will reread in the future.

I went into this with the understanding that a podcast host was writing a book on current events. It is actually a very intellectual, information-packed and well researched tome written by a law professor. I appreciate that she tries to make this complex information more palatable with movie and pop culture references, and at times that does help illuminate the meaning behind a law or a political strategy. This took me longer to read because so many of the quotes, laws, and explanations were so complex. However, it is well worth it and the author's conclusion was inspiring. The message is that we can make change if we play the long game and vote for leaders who will make a difference.

I highly recommend this book for law students, college libraries, and anyone who is interested in the evolution of the supreme court.

Lawless is a scathing and grim overview of our current Supreme Court, the history of how we got here, and what future jurisprudence may look like in our dystopian theocratic reality. While Leah Litman, co-host of the popular Strict Scrutiny podcast, matches her primary topics with a cute pop culture twist to reach a broader audience (the SCOTUS justices as the Kens (and Amy) made me laugh), the main subjects of abortion, LGBTQ rights, the demise of voting rights, the rise of corporate/special interests, and the focus on deregulation and dismantling our government from the inside out, are heavy and not to be taken lightly. The chapter on the slow chipping away at the Voting Rights Act and the rise of fringe theories like the Independent State Legislature Theory (ISLT) are particularly disturbing. Anyone paying attention should be worried, and reading this book is a good start.

Pub Date: 5/13/25
Review Published: 5/12/25
eARC provided at no cost by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Lawless provides a scathing and thorough look at the Supreme Court, unpacking how this institution has operated in some unhinged (and lawless) ways in the past and present. Filled with stories from history, quotes from the Court’s decisions, and pop cultural references, this book is an entertaining read. While the subject matter is upsetting and infuriating, Leah Litman’s strong voice and storytelling make you want to keep reading. 

If you want to better understand the Supreme Court, some of its decisions, and how it continues to shape our world today, you should check out this book. It’s also a great read even for non-lawyers! If you’re at all curious about the Supreme Court, check this book out.

The Supreme Court is meant to be impartial. That’s what I was taught growing up - right up there with “don’t touch the stove” and “you need eight hours of sleep”. (Both of which, I routinely ignore). So naturally, it’s a bit of gut punch to realize that this whole “impartial justice” thing is more an idealistic bedtime story than a functioning reality. Disappointing? Yes. Surprising? Not in the slightest.

Full disclosure: I am a crooked media devotee. We’re talking daily listener, hourly scroller, borderline unpaid intern - consuming their content is a full time job and I have never called in sick. In Lawless, Leah takes Supreme Court cases and decodes them through pop culture - Barbie Land & women’s rights, mean girls and the LGBTQ+ community, a little game of thrones doom sprinkled in with “Winter is coming… for your rights.” And it’s brilliant.

Now, I’ve seen a few people sniff that these references “undermine the seriousness” of the topics. To which I say: lighten up, Counselor. I loved the pop culture parallels. Frankly, I wish there were more of them. They make legal concepts feel accessible - and if you’ve ever tried to read a Supreme Court opinion, you know that’s nothing short of a public service.

Yes, some parts are dry. That’s law baby! But the heart of the matter- the message, the stakes, the call to stay informed is solid. These decisions impact real people: you, your friends, your family, even your awkward coworker with the plant collection. So if Barbie, Regina George and game of thrones flair gets people to pay attention, then I’m all for it.

Huge thank you from the bottom of my heart to NetGalley & Atria Books for the ARC.

Much as she tried to leave us on a hopeful, go get 'em note, this is ultimately so, so depressing. If you've been paying attend for the last two decades, most of the cases Litman references should be familiar to you, what they mean, and how many of them are being torn down. It's like I knew the Court was in a rough place, but I had no idea just how rough until I read this.

It's insightful, easy to engage with, snarky as hell, and strikes the exact tone you'd want from a college professor trying to make you angry so that you can turn that anger into activism. It also gives easier examples to share with others about why so many of these decisions being made at this high of a level matter.

I will share her final message because I think it needs to be said all the time: vote. Vote vote vote.

But also read this because it will help you be extremely well-informed and be able to talk about what matters in a way that's accurate and understandable.

I am not a Strict Scrutiny listener (I read the news and am depressed enough about it as it is) but I am a casual Pod Save listener who happens to be a lawyer, so I wanted to read this one. I got frustrated with this because I don't really know who this is for. It's written in a wannabe-Gen Z way that drove me (a millennial) nuts, and honestly removes credibility from Litman's argument. She's using facts to make an argument -- one I absolutely agree with -- but it's so full of pop culture references that it was annoying to read as someone who wants to take this argument seriously. On the flipside, it's dense and full of information that I think it would be difficult to read if I didn't already have a solid background in this area. I am guessing this is a similar vibe to her podcast, which means her audience would like it, but I got frustrated by it.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The subtitle of LAWLESS, "How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes," truly sums up the content presented. Ms. Litman has written a book directed (almost) specifically at a Gen X/Gen Z audience using pop culture references that Boomers like me need to research to understand how they pertain to the Supreme Court, its member Justices, and their decisions. She is brutally frank in her assessment of the Dobbs decision, the various voting rights cases and their decisions, and the decision on the Citizens United case. Anyone who follows the news knows these decisions are a BFG (don't know that acronym — Google is your friend). If you don’t keep up with the news or even glance at the headlines, this book is essential reading. A Supreme Court that rules based on 'feelings' and 'vibes' is not a court that is a good arbiter of law.

LAWLESS is divided into five chapters, each with several sub-chapters. The chapter titles alone hint at Litman’s biting critique and humor.

Chapter One: The Ken-Surrection of the Courts
• The Feelings, Politics, and Law of the Kens
• Supreme Court Ken — and Amy (Barrett)
• The Supreme Court Declares the Constitution a Ken-stitution
• The Future of the Mojo Dojo Casa House
Chapter Two: You Can't Sit with Us!
• Social Conservatives' Burn Book
• Get in, Loser: We're Going Shopping for a Case to Undo Civil Rights Protections for the LGBT Community
• The Supreme Court Is Not Sweet! They Ruined My Life
Chapter Three: Winter Is Coming (for Voting Rights)
• "Tell Them the South Remembers"
• Winter Is Coming (for Voting Rights)
• The Long Night Is Coming and the Dead Come with It
• Winter Is Here
• A Red Wedding for Democracy
• A Ladder of Chaos
Chapter Four: There's Always Money in America
• There's Always Money in… Politics
• "I've Made a Huge Mistake"
• "I Don't Understand the Question and Won't Respond to It"
• "Unlimited Political Spending? This Party Is Going to Be Off the Hook"
• "They're Not Tricks, They're Illusions"
• Again "If That's a Veiled Criticism of Me…"
• "I May Have Committed Some Light Treason"
The American Psychos of the Supreme Court
• Let's See [The Administrative State's] Card"
• There Is an Idea of Patrick Bateman (And of Law)
• The Murder and Execution of the Administrative State
• "Did You Know I'm Utterly Insane?"

No matter how you slice it, the law is a difficult and convoluted subject. Adding a political element to the law often turns it into an ouroboros. An example of this is X sues Y for discrimination in Federal Court. X doesn't like the Federal Court's finding and escalates the case to the appropriate Circuit Court. The Circuit Court's ruling also doesn't satisfy, so X escalates to the Supreme Court who decides to hear the case. SCOTUS renders its opinion that Y is the entity against whom the discrimination has occurred. Case closed. That's how 'feelings,' 'vibes,' and political pressures work. Are you confused? You should be.

Perhaps my favorite quotable bits from the book are "these guys (and Amy)" and "Federalist Society fraternity brothers (and Amy)" used to refer to the conservative justices. Additionally, I have one conservative Republican friend who has said to me "the country is a republic, not a democracy." He's a lawyer and goes on to explain the whys and wherefores of this. Litman counters this Republican talking point with an explanation of how it is used to support minority rule. Perhaps one reason to read LAWLESS is to be able to counter that uncle who rants against anything Democratic (or democratic).

LAWLESS will be available May 13, 2025

This is a great summary of some key issues where the Supreme Court has shaped policy (for the worse). Litman style is accessible and funny, though if you’ve followed the news closely over the years and/or have any legal/political/policy background, there isn’t much new here. Perhaps just the nature of the subject matter that what is public is public and there isn’t much process/behind the scenes reporting to work with. Would recommend this to anyone wanting a primer on the Supreme Court and how we got here.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

This book was so interesting to me. Really delved into topics I am interested and passionate about. Unfortunately, it is all so raw for me right now that I struggled to get through the book. I look forward to revisiting this book.

(4.5 stars)

Thank you to Atria Books for the free ARC via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

While I often read to escape or check out of real life and current events for a bit, there is a time and place for non-fiction (and fiction!) that helps me understand the current moment. That's where books like Lawless by Leah Litman come in.

Leah (Professor Litman) is a law professor at the University of Michigan Law School, a co-host of the Strict Scrutiny Podcast, and a dedicated Swiftie. In other words, you're in good hands with her. In this book she lays out the patterns and history that got us to the modern U.S. Supreme Court - the one that overturned Roe v. Wade, gave the President almost total immunity, and so many more harmful decisions over the last few years. Through the lens of 5 topics she explains how the conservative majority relies on grievances about conservative views becoming more and more fringe to protect those views above all else. And the same justices that frequently emphasize adherence to the text of the laws above all else don't have a problem relying on vibes - theories they pulled out of nowhere - when it feels right to them.

Back when I was in law school and took constitutional law, I came out of the class more cynical about the Court. My feeling at the end of the day was that these were people smart enough to write some words that sounded good to get to the result they wanted. And that was 10+ years ago - as Leah demonstrates in this book it's only gotten worse since then.

I really appreciated learning about these trends in context. The book also filled in several gaps in my own knowledge, both in terms of recent court decisions and the historical context for them. This book is not just for lawyers though - Leah avoids complex legalese to explain these issues to anyone who cares to learn about them.

I highly recommend reading this book if you want to know more about why the Supreme Court has gone off the rails with a side of sarcasm, wit, and plenty of pop culture references. I don't recommend reading this book if you disagree with the characterization that the Court has gone off the rails.

Lawless is out May 13. Thank you so much to Leah for writing it - it certainly informed my understanding of where we are, how we got here, and why it's important to keep fighting back.

Leah Litman's voice is so present in her writing. As a regular listener of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, I could hear her in my head as I was reading.

I had a few issues with this book. First, I'm not sure where the line is between accessible to the average reader and over-informing. Or how many pop culture references is too many. What works on a podcast doesn't always translate perfectly to a physical book.

That being said, I had an enjoyable time reading this. Or as enjoyable as a time can be while reading about this court and this country. Litman's writing made me laugh (and cry). Lawless is incredibly informative without being dry. Litman provides historical context for the modern day bullshit we're dealing with in a way that is easy to follow. Her writing definitely leans pretty one-sided, but I wasn't bothered by it.

I think I'll probably grab this as an audiobook when it comes out. Thank you to Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this early.

As a massive Strict Scrutiny fan, I was excited to see Leah Litman had written a book. Her ability to merge insightful analysis with sarcasm and pop culture references is a highlight of her approach to co-hosting the podcast. While the book draws on her insightful analysis, I’m not sure the sarcasm and pop culture references translate to the written word as well.

The good: Litman provides an in-depth analysis of the various court decisions that have led us to the current moment of a SCOTUS that produces decision after decision that undermines equity and chips away at democracy. She also provides much needed historical context that led to these court cases. As I listen to her podcast weekly, I knew much of the cases already, but the added historical context and discussion of how the cases built on each other provided much greater context and understanding.

The not so good: Unfortunately, I’m not sure Litman’s trademark sarcasm translates well to the written word. (I suspect this might be better via the audiobook but not everyone will listen to that.) Sarcasm is hard to make clear in writing and, at times, distracted from the point being made. The pop culture references also felt forced in many instances, rather than the natural flow they have on the podcast, and I worry many are already losing their relevance. In the end, what I wanted from Litman was *more* of her trademark insight and deep analysis.

All of that said, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a better understanding of how SCOTUS has played a major role in where we currently stand as a country.

In “Lawless,” podcaster and legal expert Leah Litman presents her case that the Supreme Court is not making decisions based on law, they are making decisions based on advancing a political agenda. Her argument is broken into five chapters, each with an overarching pop culture theme. The first chapter, for example, deals with sex discrimination and abortion rights by using references from the movie “Barbie” (portraying the men of the Court having a “Ken-surrection”), and a subsequent chapter is titled “Winter is Coming (for Voting Rights)”.

Litman really knows her stuff, and her analysis gives the reader valuable history and context to the current state of the Court. It’s hard to find fault with her facts (which are backed up with citations that encompass nearly a third of the book), but I know much of her commentary will probably be bothersome to many conservatives. But after all, Mitch McConnell did delay a nominatIon to replace Antonin Scalia until after Barack Obama left office. The Federalist Society did create a list of potential nominees from which Donald Trump chose three nominees.

Although I found Lithwick’s commentary compelling, I also found it very dense. It was hard to keep the many court cases and behind the scenes players straight (which probably illustrates why I am not a lawyer). For me, the attempts to insert pop culture into the proceedings didn’t make it any less dense, and at times they seemed to be shoehorned into the narrative to try and make the material relevant to a broader audience. I enjoy a good Lucille Bluth quote as much as the next person, but ultimately it didn’t help me understand or contextualize the material better.

Many thanks to Altria Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I went into this one without having listened to Leah Litman's podcast, Strict Scrutiny. I can see from the style of writing (very conversational) how this information would be great in bite sized pieces and how the book may allow for more deep diving into the information. For me, I was just getting so upset that I ended up DNF, but this is a good read for liberals who want some facts to back your thinking. Supported by great data, anyone outside of the choir might find the quips and asides to be too left wing for your tastes.

The is the absolute PERFECT book to understand our current political climate and why our system of checks and balances is not preventing these gross abuses of power.