# A Modern Reader's Guide to a Besieged Constitution

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/talking-feds-813740/a-modern-reader-s-guide-to-a-besieged-constitution
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/talking-feds-813740/a-modern-reader-s-guide-to-a-besieged-constitution.md
Podcast: [Talking Feds](https://stenobird.com/podcast/talking-feds-813740)
Published: 2026-05-07T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/claritaspod.com/measure/prfx.byspotify.com/e/mgln.ai/e/796/traffic.megaphone.fm/GEMINIMEDIA4973284969.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/claritaspod.com/measure/prfx.byspotify.com/e/mgln.ai/e/796/traffic.megaphone.fm/GEMINIMEDIA4973284969.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/talking-feds-813740/episodes/a-modern-reader-s-guide-to-a-besieged-constitution
Duration seconds: 3174

## Resource

Leading SCOTUS scholar Melissa Murray joins Harry to discuss her new book on the constitution and her concerns about the Justices now tasked with interpreting it. Melissa guides Harry through key points from her book—"The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader"—from the fears of slave rebellion that shaped the 2nd amendment to the expansive promise of liberty that has been gradually erased from the 14th. The two close with a closer look at the Justices, including why Melissa sees John Roberts as the "Victor Frankenstein of American government."Mentioned in this episode: Melissa’s new book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-U-S-Constitution/Melissa-Murray/9781668221938New York Times reporting on the origins of the shadow docket: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/us/politics/supreme-court-shadow-docket.htmlNoah Feldman’s book “Scorpions”: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/books/review/ACohen-t.htmlCarol Anderon’s book “The Second”: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/books/review/the-second-carol-anderson.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/talking-feds-813740/episodes/a-modern-reader-s-guide-to-a-besieged-constitution/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/talking-feds-813740/a-modern-reader-s-guide-to-a-besieged-constitution.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.