Everything you know about the U.S. Supreme Court is wrong

April 16, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Sarah Isger, a former Republican National Committee staffer turned attorney and podcaster, has a bone to pick with how the media and the public understand the Supreme Court. In her new book, Last Branch Standing, she argues that the court is not a partisan battlefield of nine political operatives in robes, but rather a deeply misunderstood institution whose current crisis is a direct result of Congress abandoning its legislative duties. The common wisdom, she says, is wrong, and the stakes of getting it right are nothing less than the survival of an independent judiciary.

The Real Source of the Court's Crisis

The Supreme Court’s approval rating has cratered from around 70% in 2020 to the low 40s today. But Isger argues the cause is not simply partisan backlash to specific rulings like Dobbs. Instead, the real culprit is a hollowed-out Congress. When the legislative branch stopped passing budgets, crafting major bipartisan legislation, and functioning as the most powerful branch of government, every major political and cultural fight got punted to the judiciary.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Introduction: The Supreme Court's Crisis of Credibility** - Host McKay Coppins introduces the episode's central anxiety about the Supreme Court and guest Sarah Isger.
2 (03:28) **Why This Book? Two Buckets of Motivation** - Isger explains the personal and professional reasons she wrote *Last Branch Standing*.
3 (06:53) **Why the Court's Approval Rating Cratered** - Isger diagnoses the causes of the court's declining trust among both Democrats and Republicans.
4 (09:09) **Congress's Dysfunction and the Progressive Era Roots** - Coppins and Isger trace the historical path of Congress's decline and its impact on the court.
5 (13:21) **Concrete Examples of Congressional Abdication** - Isger cites recent cases where the court simply said Congress should act, but Congress won't.
6 (15:42) **The Court's Counter-Majoritarian Purpose** - Isger explains why the Supreme Court was never designed to be popular or democratic.
7 (18:53) **The John Marshall Harlan Ideal** - Isger uses the Plessy v. Ferguson dissent to illustrate the court's highest aspiration.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

On this episode of "Deseret Voices," host McKay Coppins joins guest Sarah Isgur to explore her new book, “Last Branch Standing,” which serves as an intelligent person’s guide to the Supreme Court. Isgur argues that much of the common wisdom and media narrative surrounding the court is incorrect, often because reporters treat the institution like "Congress-lite" or a reality TV show rather than a legal body.

The conversation delves into why the court has recently suffered a crisis of authority and how congressional paralysis has forced the judiciary into the role of an unlikely "culture war referee." Isgur also provides a fascinating look at the internal "high school lunch table" dynamics of the nine justices, categorizing them into three distinct camps: "The Deciders," the "Conservative Honey Badgers" and the "Lonely Liberals." From internal bargaining over opinion language to the growing reclusiveness of justices due to security threats, this episode dispels popular myths and reveals how the court actually functions.

“Deseret Voices” is hosted by award-winning journalists McKay Coppins and Jane Clayson Johnson, who go beyond the headlines to explore the stories, people, and ideas shaping our world today. Through thoughtful, in-depth conversations, the “Deseret Voices” podcast brings clarity and common ground to the complex issues defining our time.

“Deseret Voices” is a Deseret News podcast, produced by Keira Farrimond, Creative Director - Video & Podcasts.

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