1 00:00:15,356 --> 00:00:21,596 Speaker 1: Pushkin Hi Noah Feldman. Here in the Deep Bench mini series, 2 00:00:21,636 --> 00:00:24,996 Speaker 1: my producers and I explored how the Federalist Society became 3 00:00:24,996 --> 00:00:28,516 Speaker 1: the most powerful legal organization in the country. Six of 4 00:00:28,556 --> 00:00:33,076 Speaker 1: the nine Supreme Court justices are current or former Fedstock members. 5 00:00:33,756 --> 00:00:36,436 Speaker 1: Now at the height of its power, the Federalist Society 6 00:00:36,436 --> 00:00:40,836 Speaker 1: faces new challenges and internal divisions that threatened to splinter it. 7 00:00:40,836 --> 00:00:43,116 Speaker 1: It was just too important a story not to do. 8 00:00:43,196 --> 00:00:46,796 Speaker 1: More so we expanded our initial reporting into an audiobook, 9 00:00:47,596 --> 00:00:51,156 Speaker 1: Takeover How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court 10 00:00:51,436 --> 00:00:56,156 Speaker 1: includes additional interviews and a new preface and afterward. Takeover 11 00:00:56,276 --> 00:01:01,316 Speaker 1: is available wherever audiobooks are sold, including Pushkin dot fm. 12 00:01:01,356 --> 00:01:03,956 Speaker 1: When you buy direct from Pushkin dot fm, you get 13 00:01:03,996 --> 00:01:06,196 Speaker 1: the book for four ninety nine and also get the 14 00:01:06,276 --> 00:01:09,716 Speaker 1: closest experience to listening to the podcast. I urge you 15 00:01:09,756 --> 00:01:13,236 Speaker 1: to give it a try. Thanks, as always for your support. 16 00:01:22,916 --> 00:01:28,316 Speaker 1: Pushkin Industries presents Takeover How a Conservative Student Club Captured 17 00:01:28,316 --> 00:01:32,196 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court, Written by Noah Feldman with Lydia Jane 18 00:01:32,276 --> 00:01:39,476 Speaker 1: Cott and read by Noah Feldman. Now a time for 19 00:01:39,676 --> 00:01:43,516 Speaker 1: mourning for a remarkable career and life wellly US Supreme 20 00:01:43,516 --> 00:01:47,596 Speaker 1: Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at the age 21 00:01:47,636 --> 00:01:51,196 Speaker 1: of eighty seven. I stand before you today to fulfill 22 00:01:51,316 --> 00:01:54,996 Speaker 1: one of my highest and most important duties under the 23 00:01:55,116 --> 00:02:04,436 Speaker 1: United States Constitution, the nomination of a Supreme Court justice. 24 00:02:05,396 --> 00:02:09,436 Speaker 1: When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in September twenty twenty, 25 00:02:09,876 --> 00:02:13,396 Speaker 1: I knew one thing for sure, the person that Donald 26 00:02:13,396 --> 00:02:16,636 Speaker 1: Trump would nominate to replace her would be affiliated with 27 00:02:16,716 --> 00:02:22,676 Speaker 1: a powerful organization called the Federalist Society. As a constitutional 28 00:02:22,756 --> 00:02:25,916 Speaker 1: law professor at Harvard University, I spend a lot of 29 00:02:25,956 --> 00:02:29,196 Speaker 1: my time watching the Supreme Court. It's a big part 30 00:02:29,236 --> 00:02:32,596 Speaker 1: of my job. But this prediction did not take much 31 00:02:32,636 --> 00:02:36,076 Speaker 1: in the way of higher level expertise. The two other 32 00:02:36,116 --> 00:02:39,796 Speaker 1: Supreme Court justices the Trump had already appointed, Neil Gorsuch 33 00:02:39,876 --> 00:02:43,316 Speaker 1: and Brett Kavanaugh, are both affiliated with the Federalist Society, 34 00:02:43,996 --> 00:02:47,916 Speaker 1: so are eighty percent of the judges that Trump had 35 00:02:47,916 --> 00:02:52,836 Speaker 1: already appointed to the Courts of Appeals. The Federalist Society 36 00:02:53,196 --> 00:02:57,316 Speaker 1: is a club for conservative and libertarian lawyers. It's focused 37 00:02:57,316 --> 00:03:01,596 Speaker 1: on promoting conservative legal thought and on filling the American 38 00:03:01,676 --> 00:03:06,396 Speaker 1: judiciary with like minded allies. It was founded about forty 39 00:03:06,476 --> 00:03:09,876 Speaker 1: years ago by a bunch of law students nerds really, 40 00:03:10,156 --> 00:03:13,436 Speaker 1: who felt ostracized on their law school campuses because of 41 00:03:13,476 --> 00:03:18,036 Speaker 1: their conservative views. Since then, it's grown to become the 42 00:03:18,076 --> 00:03:24,116 Speaker 1: most influential legal organization in the United States ever, capable 43 00:03:24,236 --> 00:03:30,316 Speaker 1: of dramatically redefining American jurisprudence for decades to come. And 44 00:03:30,676 --> 00:03:35,116 Speaker 1: sure enough, Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is 45 00:03:35,596 --> 00:03:40,956 Speaker 1: closely affiliated with the Federalist Society. I'm honored and humbled 46 00:03:41,116 --> 00:03:44,356 Speaker 1: to appear before you today as a nominee for Associate 47 00:03:44,436 --> 00:03:48,676 Speaker 1: Justice of the Supreme Court. With Amy Coney Barrett now 48 00:03:48,756 --> 00:03:52,876 Speaker 1: on the Supreme Court, six of the nine justices are 49 00:03:52,916 --> 00:03:59,036 Speaker 1: current or former Federalist Society members. This book, adapted from 50 00:03:59,036 --> 00:04:03,316 Speaker 1: a series on my podcast, Deep Background, is the story 51 00:04:03,596 --> 00:04:06,956 Speaker 1: of what the Federalist Society stands for, how it took 52 00:04:06,996 --> 00:04:09,996 Speaker 1: over the Supreme Court, and why, now that it has 53 00:04:10,036 --> 00:04:16,036 Speaker 1: achieved extraordinary success, it may actually be about to fall apart.