Fordham Law School students and faculty had a rare front-row seat at a live recording of Crooked Media’s Strict Scrutiny podcast exploring the controversy over the prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Elon Musk’s contentious actions upending Washington, and other hot-button legal and political news.
While the podcast typically focuses on the Supreme Court, the hosts dove into the week’s political headlines. “Because the Trump administration 2.0 is in full can’t-stop-won’t-stop mode with an onslaught of executive orders and other actions that seem designed to break the constitutional order, and maybe even the world order, we are not going to be actually talking about the court today,” said co-host Melissa Murray, the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and faculty director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at New York University School of Law.
The live episode, held at the Lincoln Center Campus in early February, explored the political news of the week, including the resignation of U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon and other prosecutors after refusing orders to drop the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The hosts also covered the multitude of lawsuits filed against the Trump administration and the administration’s decision to freeze the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which enforces anti-corruption laws.
“We are in the midst of a genuine constitutional crisis,” said Murray. “Do not lose sight of that. Do not let them gaslight you into believing it is not true. One day we’ll ask ourselves, what did we do in this moment? And that’s serious. These are tough times. Hang in there.”
With thousands of regular listeners and a huge fan base, Strict Scrutiny is one of the nation’s leading podcasts. The show won a 2023 Ambies Podcast Academy Award for Best Politics or Opinion Podcast and a 2023 Anthem Award for its coverage of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Podcast hosts Murray, Leah M. Litman, professor of law at University of Michigan Law School, and Kate Shaw, professor of law at Penn Carey Law, were invited to record at Fordham Law School for an unorthodox edition of the Robert L. Levine Distinguished Lecture Series.
(L to R) New York University Law Professor Melissa Murray, Fordham Law Professor Kimani Paul-Emile, Fordham Law Dean Joseph Landau, University of Michigan Law Professor Leah M. Litman, and Penn Carey Law Professor Kate Shaw.
The son of immigrants, Robert L. Levine ’26 was an accomplished lawyer and created lasting impact across several industries. The lecture series honors Levine’s legacy and gives the Fordham community access to some of the best minds in the country for fresh perspectives on the latest legal issues. Since its inception in 1992, the series has attracted distinguished speakers from the legal community, including jurists, prominent scholars, and eminent public intellectuals.
Kimani Paul-Emile, a Fordham Law Professor and the Robert L. Levine Distinguished Research Scholar, moderates the lecture series. She said, “As our legal landscape changes at an almost unprecedented pace, the Strict Scrutiny trio has offered rigorous and incisive analysis and commentary on the most pressing legal issues or our time. Without question, the Strict Scrutiny podcast is more necessary now than ever, and I’m delighted by how much excitement it brought to Fordham.”
Listen to the full podcast episode recording.
