{"podcast":{"title":"Book Club with Michael Smerconish","slug":"book-club-with-michael-smerconish-4372437","podcast_index_feed_id":4372437,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/Xjj1yH0V","website_url":"https://www.siriusxm.com","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/8436e3c1-2479-4466-ac48-fa58259960bb/9ed196e7-928b-4e34-8cad-cd044ed64d43/3000x3000/podcast-20on-20dark-6.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"SiriusXM","episode_count":543,"summary":"Reading for Independent Minds. Unlike many author interviews, if Michael didn't actually read the book, you won't hear about it. If he read it, you'll hear it and you'll love it. Insights into a wide range of topics, including many titles you've probably never heard of. The perfect book is just one listen away.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-club-with-michael-smerconish-4372437"},"episode":{"title":"Sarah Isgur: \"Last Branch Standing\"","slug":"sarah-isgur-last-branch-standing","published_at":"2026-04-27T12:08:34+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-club-with-michael-smerconish-4372437/sarah-isgur-last-branch-standing","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-club-with-michael-smerconish-4372437","url":"https://www.siriusxm.com","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/sxm.simplecastaudio.com/e3dd7ada-28ed-4fb2-9a98-2aa2a4696c24/episodes/2feae245-332d-43ad-a2ce-d8e24301ac40/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=e3dd7ada-28ed-4fb2-9a98-2aa2a4696c24&awEpisodeId=2feae245-332d-43ad-a2ce-d8e24301ac40&feed=Xjj1yH0V","summary":"Michael sits down with legal analyst and Advisory Opinions host Sarah Isgur to discuss her best-selling book \"Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court\" and unpack how the Supreme Court really works. Using engaging examples—from “snails on a train” to modern constitutional debates—they explore competing theories of interpretation, the myth of a purely partisan court, and why most decisions defy simple ideological lines. Isgur also offers an insider’s look at the justices, the Court’s internal dynamics, and controversial questions like transparency, media influence, and the role of judgment in the law. Original air date 23 April 2026. The book was published on 14 April 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","meta_description":"Michael sits down with legal analyst and Advisory Opinions host Sarah Isgur to discuss her best-selling book \"Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprisi…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1462,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/book-club-with-michael-smerconish-4372437/episodes/sarah-isgur-last-branch-standing/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-club-with-michael-smerconish-4372437/sarah-isgur-last-branch-standing.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}