As the Supreme Court opens a new term this week, we take a step back to ask: What did the last term tell us about this Court? About its values, its power, and its vision for American democracy?

Because make no mistake: Every decision, every ruling, every case the Court chooses to hear—or not to hear—signals something about who we are becoming as a nation.

In this Ms. Studios special, we bring you our 2024-2025 Supreme Court Review: a conversation recorded at Georgetown Law this summer, moderated by myself and featuring some of the sharpest legal minds in the country: Erwin Chemerinsky, Sherrilyn Ifill, Jamelle Bouie, Moira Donegan, Chris Geidner, and Mark Joseph Stern.

Together, we reflect on the major rulings, the missed opportunities, and the throughlines that defined the Court in 2024 and 2025—from the reshaping of executive power to the quiet dismantling of long-standing civil rights protections.

This episode is a recording of a panel that took place at Georgetown Law School on July 2, 2025.

Joining us to discuss these issues are our very important guests:

• Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law
• Professor Sherrilyn A. Ifill, 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy Founding Director and Vernon Jordan Distinguished Professor in Civil Rights, Howard University School of Law
• Jamelle Antoine Bouie, Opinion Columnist, The New York Times
• Moira Donegan, Opinion Columnist, The Guardian US
• Chris Geidner, Former Legal Editor, Buzzfeed, Publisher; Editor Law Dork
• Mark Joseph Stern, Senior Writer, Slate Magazine

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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This last Supreme Court term was harrowing—from momentous merits decisions about the First Amendment, parental rights, trans rights and more, to the stream of shocking “shadow docket” decisions and its enabling of many of the Trump administration’s executive actions. What does the 2025-2026 term have in store for our nation? What do we think will advance through the Court? What do we think will come up, when it comes to the shadow docket? And perhaps most importantly, how will the Court choose to mediate the Trump administration’s continued onslaught of executive actions?

Helping us to sort out these questions and set the record straight is our very special guest,

Steve Vladeck: Steve Vladeck is a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center, and a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts; the Supreme Court; national security law; and military justice. Vladeck is CNN’s Supreme Court analyst and editor and author of “One First,” a popular weekly newsletter about the Supreme Court. He is author of the New York Times-bestselling book, The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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In this episode, at a time where unprecedented news stories break every day, we’re re-elevating the Jeffrey Epstein files. As victims continue to come forward, and new evidence continues to emerge, the questions and demands for justice grow louder. What can we learn from the information that has been released? What will it take for the full files to be released? And how will Trump respond?

Joining us to discuss these issues is a very special guest:

George Conway: George Conway is the President of The Society for the Rule of Law, an organization of conservative and libertarian lawyers devoted to the protection of constitutional government in the United States. He is also the co-host of The Bulwark's popular podcast, George Conway Explain It All, with Sarah Longwell.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

Support the show