5-4

5-4

5-4 is a podcast about how much the Supreme Court sucks. Hosted by Peter Shamshiri, Rhiannon Hamam, and Michael Liroff, it's a progressive and occasionally profane take on the ideological battles at the heart of the Court's most important landmark cases and an irreverent tour of all the ways in which the law is shaped by politics. Subscribe to our premium episodes & much more at fivefourpod.com/support 5-4 is a production of Prologue Projects.

Episodes

October 14, 2025 38 mins

Feels like we should be able to collectively wrestle with the problems of a system by which 14 million people will die in the next five years because one man can decide to withhold a bunch of money that Congress said needed to be spent, but unfortunately, because of the law, and what the law says, no one can sue about it. Good luck with figuring this one out.


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Do you ever feel…like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again? That’s understandable because battles over free speech and the First Amendment are raging right now, whether on the internet, on TV, in the workplace, or in the streets. But baby, you’re a firework. And the Trump administration can’t take that from you.


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September 23, 2025 59 mins

You are getting very sleepy…you are getting very sleepy…HEY! Wake up. It may look like the slate of cases for this Supreme Court term doesn't have many fundamental constitutional rights hanging in the balance, but don’t be lulled into thinking any of this is low stakes. Voting rights, trans people in sports, the death penalty—they’re still on that legal fascism grind, down to every little gear and lever.


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September 16, 2025 57 mins

Papers, please. The hallmark of fascist states of eras past and your favorite movie about authoritarianism is now also the official policy of the United States, with the Supreme Court’s blessing. But don’t worry, you (probably) won’t be stopped, unless you kinda look Hispanic or shop at Home Depot! I feel safer already.


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September 9, 2025 70 mins

Kudos to everyone who is starting law school in this economy and during an authoritarian regime. In this annual episode, Peter, Rhiannon, and Michael share their wisdom on how to survive law school. 


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September 2, 2025 4 mins

It's okay to be scared. It's hard not to succumb to the nihilism of the second Trump administration. But that is precisely what he and his administration want you to do. Please don't fall for it. Instead, own your power, make them fear you, and for God's sake, STEP YOUR PUSSY UP! 


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Federal law says that Medicaid recipients have the right to choose their healthcare provider. One problem, though–what if a Medicaid recipient chooses to go to Planned Parenthood to get healthcare? In that case, federal law doesn’t really say what it means. Federal law is silly like that sometimes!


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August 12, 2025 51 mins

Don't be sad, little Johnny, Trump just took the Department of Education to live on a big farm with so much space to run around and play in, and all the treats the Department of Education could ever dream of. The Department of Education will miss you, too, Johnny, but we promise she's so much happier now. 


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August 8, 2025 57 mins

California has become a testing ground for Trump's police state ambitions. In Los Angeles and across the country, he’s merging the military and the police into one entity, with its guns aimed inward.


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July 29, 2025 55 mins

Please have your driver's license, social security card, or any other highly personal private information ready to share if you wish to rub one out to online porn.  


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July 22, 2025 62 mins

Because the conservatives on the Supreme Court are lowkey homophobic, they have made it easier for parents of kids in public schools to opt out of topics that make them uncomfortable. LGBTQ books, no thank you— evolution, not for my kids.


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These “boys” and in some cases “gals” keep proving us right! The 2024-2025 Supreme Court term was a beautiful illustration of this podcast’s entire thesis: this is an institution untethered by law, beholden only to right-wing ideology, and led by a real dipshit Chief Justice.


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July 8, 2025 63 mins

CTRL+F for “birthright citizenship” in this majority opinion, and you only get two hits. That’s because Amy Coney Barrett spends thousands of words telling you that the President's evisceration of birthright citizenship from the Constitution isn’t really about birthright citizenship, it’s about nationwide injunctions. 


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July 1, 2025 69 mins

The Supreme Court has made life more difficult for trans children, who are already among the most marginalized groups in the country.


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June 17, 2025 54 mins

The Supreme Court allowed the 20-somethings at DOGE to access your Social Security information. What's the worst that could happen?


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June 10, 2025 41 mins

The Supreme Court just made it easier for Trump to fire heads of independent federal agencies. Unitary executive theory, anyone?


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Crime rates are at historic lows, yet year after year, people say that they feel unsafe and believe crime is rising. You can thank the news media with help from corporations and law enforcement narratives. We speak with civil rights lawyer Alec Karakatsanis about his new book, Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News.


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If the Supreme Court can take away constitutional rights from one minority group, it can do it to any of us. Yes, even podcasters. 


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Since taking office, Trump has moved quickly to implement his authoritarian agenda. Now, he is asking the Supreme Court to limit the judicial branch by preventing individual judges from blocking his orders.


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The Supreme Court has been stripping away students' free speech rights for decades. They don't want you to think for yourself or speak your mind. You might end up making podcasts like this.


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