Kate Shaw

Justice Alito ruled in favor of conservative parties and against liberal parties. So, like, there are... judges out there who are just rubber stamps for the Republican agenda. And Barrett is not that. Most of the time she's going to reach the same conclusion as Donald Trump's lawyers. Sometimes she does not.

And I think what all of these attacks on Barrett are really about are people in Trump's base trying to, you know, rise up and say, no, we are not doing that Barrett thing again. We are not having independent thinkers. We are having loyalists. And like that is what we expect from the White House this time around.

And I think what all of these attacks on Barrett are really about are people in Trump's base trying to, you know, rise up and say, no, we are not doing that Barrett thing again. We are not having independent thinkers. We are having loyalists. And like that is what we expect from the White House this time around.

And I think what all of these attacks on Barrett are really about are people in Trump's base trying to, you know, rise up and say, no, we are not doing that Barrett thing again. We are not having independent thinkers. We are having loyalists. And like that is what we expect from the White House this time around.

I am not smart. I want to make clear I have never once thrown a punch at Amy Coney Barrett. The only physical contact I think I've ever had with her is I probably shook her hand.

I am not smart. I want to make clear I have never once thrown a punch at Amy Coney Barrett. The only physical contact I think I've ever had with her is I probably shook her hand.

I am not smart. I want to make clear I have never once thrown a punch at Amy Coney Barrett. The only physical contact I think I've ever had with her is I probably shook her hand.

And a contributing writer for New York Times Opinion. Enjoy.

And a contributing writer for New York Times Opinion. Enjoy.

From New York Times Opinion, this is The Ezra Klein Show.

From New York Times Opinion, this is The Ezra Klein Show.

In recent years, the Supreme Court has handed down a string of decisions that have fundamentally changed the federal government. Court decisions have hamstrung the capacity of administrative agencies, and they have shored up the power of both the president and the court itself.

In recent years, the Supreme Court has handed down a string of decisions that have fundamentally changed the federal government. Court decisions have hamstrung the capacity of administrative agencies, and they have shored up the power of both the president and the court itself.

These decisions mean that Donald Trump will be entering office at a time when presidential power has arguably never been stronger or more unchecked. At the same time, Trump has promised to radically transform the federal government. Now, I don't want to make the mistake of ascribing too much coherence to Donald Trump's vision of the federal government or of governance more broadly.

These decisions mean that Donald Trump will be entering office at a time when presidential power has arguably never been stronger or more unchecked. At the same time, Trump has promised to radically transform the federal government. Now, I don't want to make the mistake of ascribing too much coherence to Donald Trump's vision of the federal government or of governance more broadly.

But it is worth taking a hard look at the way the court has reshaped the tools at his disposal and what that could mean for how the federal government might work and what it might be able to do going forward.

But it is worth taking a hard look at the way the court has reshaped the tools at his disposal and what that could mean for how the federal government might work and what it might be able to do going forward.

To talk about all of that, I wanted to bring in Jillian Metzger, a professor of law at Columbia Law School, who's been thinking very deeply for a long time about the presidency, the administrative state, and the Supreme Court's relationship to both. Jillian, welcome to the show. Thanks for having me. Okay, so to begin, I thought we could start with a proposition.

To talk about all of that, I wanted to bring in Jillian Metzger, a professor of law at Columbia Law School, who's been thinking very deeply for a long time about the presidency, the administrative state, and the Supreme Court's relationship to both. Jillian, welcome to the show. Thanks for having me. Okay, so to begin, I thought we could start with a proposition.

President-elect Donald Trump will enter office in January 2025 with more power and with fewer constraints than any other president in modern U.S. history. Agree or disagree?