Episode 251: Court Packing

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the debate over “court packing.”

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: 

• The Senate confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett have raised questions about the ethics of “court packing.” Neil recommended this Politico piece about the historical significance of FDR’s court packing. Natalia referenced Jamelle Bouie’s column defending the act, and Niki wrote about the nineteenth century history of the term for CNN. Natalia and Neil also referred back to our Past Present episode about originalism.

 

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia shared Rose Thomas Bannister’s Public Seminar essay, “The Question About Religion Someone Should Have Asked Amy Coney Barrett.”
• Neil recommended Aaron Griffin’s new book, God’s Law and Order: The Politics of Punishment in Evangelical America.
• Niki discussed Season 3 of the NPR podcast, Motive.