All six conservative justices ruled that states may ban biological males from participating in girls' and women's sports.
Supreme Court BOMBSHELLS: Against Trump on Birthright Citizenship, WIN For Protecting Female Sports, with Mike Davis, Alan Dershowitz, and Kristen Waggoner | Ep. 1350
The Supreme Court ruled that birthright citizenship is constitutionally protected — meaning a Chinese national can fly in, give birth, and leave, and that baby is an American citizen forever.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Supreme Court BOMBSHELLS: Against Trump on Birthright Citizenship, WIN For Protecting Female Sports, with Mike Davis, Alan Dershowitz, and Kristen Waggoner | Ep. 1350
The Supreme Court ruled that birthright citizenship is constitutionally protected — meaning a Chinese national can fly in, give birth, and leave, and that baby is an American citizen forever.
TL;DR
The Supreme Court's final day of term delivers two landmark rulings: a 5-4 decision upholding birthright citizenship that strikes down Trump's executive order [1] — Megyn Kelly "Five justices — Roberts, Barrett, and the three liberals — struck down Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship. The ruling me…" 02:25 , and a unanimous 6-0 conservative ruling allowing states to ban biological males from girls' sports [2] — Megyn Kelly "In a unanimous 6-0 conservative ruling, the Supreme Court held that states may ban biological males from girls' and women's sports. Justice…" 55:55 . Megyn Kelly, Mike Davis, and Alan Dershowitz debate whether Congress can legislatively narrow birthright citizenship, while Kristen Waggoner and former Idaho State athlete Madison Kenyon celebrate the sports ruling. The single most useful takeaway: the sports decision's biological-sex logic may extend beyond athletics to locker rooms and Title IX privacy rights nationwide [3] — Kristen Waggoner "ADF sports rights ruling extends to locker rooms: Kristen Waggoner argued that the Supreme Court's biological-sex rationale in the sports r…" 1:01:50 .
Breaking news from the Supreme Court's final day of term: a 5-4 decision upholding birthright citizenship strikes down Trump's executive order, while a unanimous 6-0 conservative ruling allows states to ban biological males from girls' sports. Mike Davis, Alan Dershowitz, Kristen Waggoner, and Madison Kenyon join Megyn Kelly to break down both decisions.
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The episode opens with a pre-show ad and podcast promo before Megyn Kelly launches into one of the most consequential Supreme Court days in recent memory. She breaks down the birthright citizenship ruling first, explaining that five justices — Roberts, Barrett, and the three liberals — struck down Trump's executive order, effectively guaranteeing citizenship to any child born on U.S. soil regardless of parental allegiance. Kelly outlines the 14th Amendment's 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' clause and argues the majority ignored it. She also previews the historic girls' sports ruling, calling it a 'watershed moment' for girls and women. Along the way she takes sharp aim at NPR's Nina Totenberg for falsely reporting Justice Alito's retirement, only to retract it within ten minutes. The stage is set for a detailed expert discussion.
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Kelly pivots briefly to a sponsored segment for Birch Gold Group, noting that an ounce of gold has risen from roughly $1,200 a decade ago to approximately $4,500 today. She encourages listeners to diversify retirement savings by converting a 401k or IRA into physical gold, and highlights a limited-time promotion offering a free 1-ounce America 250 silver round for every $10,000 in purchases made before July 10th.
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With the two guests now on, Megyn Kelly moderates a high-voltage debate. Mike Davis [1] — Mike Davis "Mike Davis called the birthright citizenship ruling the most lawless Supreme Court decision in decades. He argued the majority effectively …" 12:32 delivers his sharpest verdict: the majority scratched out the 14th Amendment's 'subject to jurisdiction' clause, handing birthright citizenship to Chinese birth tourists, human traffickers, and illegal aliens. Alan Dershowitz [2] — Alan Dershowitz "Alan Dershowitz called birthright citizenship 'stupid, stupid, stupid' but argued the real fix lies with Congress, not the courts. Because …" 14:30 agrees the policy is idiotic but draws a careful distinction: a genuine textualist could read the Constitution's plain language as requiring birthright citizenship, and he isn't certain Scalia would have dissented. Davis pushes back by citing the American Indian citizenship precedent — the Supreme Court previously held that tribal Indians weren't covered, and Congress fixed that by statute in 1924. Dershowitz counters that Scalia dismissed legislative history and would have focused narrowly on the text. The section closes on a frank discussion of how Amy Coney Barrett went wrong, with Davis raising the Dobbs intimidation theory and Kelly floating her husband's 'Georgetown approval circuit' hypothesis.
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The conversation deepens into a jurisprudential and even psychological dissection of why the two most prominent conservative 'swing' votes went the wrong way. Mike Davis [1] — Mike Davis "The chief justice and Justice Amy Coney Barrett have put their vanity over our country, and it's unacceptable." 22:16 delivers his sharpest line — Roberts and Barrett put their vanity over the country — and draws a striking parallel: Roberts thought he was writing the next Brown v. Board of Education, but actually wrote the next Roe, constitutionalizing a bad ruling for decades. Dershowitz resists the framing, pointing out that the same conservative majority struck down race-specific affirmative action at Harvard and North Carolina, which required genuine courage. Kelly introduces the broader pattern of Souters, O'Connors, and swing-vote conservatives who drift left once on the bench, and Dershowitz explains it through the prism of who is in the academic audience justices write for — today, almost entirely the hard left.
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The most legally technical section of the episode focuses on whether Congress has a viable path to narrow birthright citizenship without a constitutional amendment. Dershowitz [1] — Alan Dershowitz "Alan Dershowitz called birthright citizenship 'stupid, stupid, stupid' but argued the real fix lies with Congress, not the courts. Because …" 14:30 makes the case methodically: because no such legislation exists, the Supreme Court's statements about it are pure dictum — not binding precedent — and a carefully crafted statute could potentially peel away one or two justices when the issue returns to court. He suggests Congress hold hearings on the specific phenomenon of Chinese birth tourists and pass a targeted law declaring such individuals are not 'subject to the jurisdiction.' Kelly then reads Senator Jacob Howard's original Senate floor speech, in which the 14th Amendment's author explicitly states the clause does not cover foreigners or aliens, giving Dershowitz additional ammunition. Davis, however, pours cold water on the legislative route, arguing that five justices have already effectively constitutionalized birthright citizenship, making a statutory fix nearly impossible without a constitutional amendment requiring 38 states.
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Midway through the birthright segment, Kelly announces that President Trump has posted on Truth Social, calling the ruling 'too bad for our country' and pledging his complete support for congressional legislation to end birthright citizenship. Dershowitz jokes he would be happy to help draft the bill if Trump calls. Kelly then shares proposals from legal commentator Bill Jacobson: mandatory pregnancy tests for visa applicants, automatic visa termination for pregnant female aliens, and criminal penalties for medical providers who fail to report positive tests. The tone is partly tongue-in-cheek, but Kelly presses Dershowitz on whether any of these could work legally. Dershowitz draws the line at rounding up pregnant women, insisting the legislative approach is both more humane and more likely to survive judicial review. Kelly agrees but says the president will not simply accept defeat.
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With Mike Davis gone and Dershowitz staying on, Kelly pivots to the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling striking down limits on coordinated spending between political parties and candidates. Dershowitz characterizes it as an inevitable extension of Citizens United but laments its impact on democracy, noting it effectively gives billionaires like George Soros vastly disproportionate political influence. Kelly argues Citizens United also destroyed bipartisanship by making members of Congress answerable to ideological donors rather than broad coalitions. Dershowitz then connects this to why he left the Democratic Party: radical candidates winning primaries with tiny turnout, including what he calls essentially communist, anti-American victors in New York. He warns the Republican Party faces the same dynamic through figures like Tucker Carlson, leaving millions of Americans politically homeless.
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Kelly returns to the NPR debacle in depth, and Dershowitz weighs in on Totenberg's long history of inappropriately close personal relationships with justices — relationships that, he argues, sometimes lead sources to feed her information in their own interest that turns out not to be true. Dershowitz confirms he likes Alito personally, calling him a 'real mensch,' and notes there have been persistent rumors about a possible retirement. Kelly says her own sources confirm Alito likely will step down but not imminently. The mood lightens as Dershowitz shares colorful memories from clerking on the Supreme Court — being elbowed in the face by Justice Byron White on the basketball court, and his role in inspiring Justice Alito to become a criminal lawyer. Dershowitz closes by plugging his new book, 'Founding Fathers and One Jewish Mother,' which draws parallels between the founding of the United States and Israel.
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Kelly transitions to a sponsored segment for The Wellness Company, framing the Medical Emergency Kit as essential summer preparation for unexpected illness. She describes the kit as an at-home urgent care solution, including essential prescriptions, a symptom-to-treatment guidebook, and access to telemedicine doctors, available for $45 off with promo code MK.
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Brief commercial breaks feature Nordstrom Rack promoting up to 60% off brands including Rag & Bone, Levi's, Adidas, and Free People for summer arrivals, and KFC promoting its weekday $10 Bucket of the Day deal rotating through nuggets, fried chicken, wings, and tenders.
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Kelly begins the second major segment of the episode with visible emotion, describing how she 'teared up' reading the girls' sports ruling. She walks through the key lines: Kavanaugh's majority opinion stating the Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women's sports, and Thomas's powerful concurrence [1] — Megyn Kelly "A man does not have a legal right to compete against women just because he believes that he is a woman, because gender dysphoria is a mutab…" 59:40 declaring that gender dysphoria is a mutable mental state that does not warrant heightened scrutiny. She emphasizes Thomas's statement [2] — Megyn Kelly "To use language to obscure reality, to show indifference regarding the truth, is to lie to the public and cease to treat our fellow citizen…" 1:00:35 that using language to obscure biological reality is lying to the public. Kelly explains the case involves laws in West Virginia and Idaho but has implications for all 27 states with similar bans. She previews the guests — Kristen Waggoner of Alliance Defending Freedom and Madison Kenyon, a former Idaho State athlete who competed against a male — before the segment formally begins.
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The guests arrive and the emotional weight of the day is immediate. Madison Kenyon [1] — Madison Kenyon "Madison Kenyon described waiting six years for the Supreme Court's ruling after being forced to compete against male athlete June Eastwood …" 57:55 says she has been waiting six years for this day, and her heart is full of gratitude for ADF, the attorneys general, and the female athletes who stood with her when the whole world seemed against them. She traces her journey from a speech class assignment defending the Women's Fairness in Sports Act to becoming the first collegiate plaintiff in this litigation. Kristen Waggoner [2] — Kristen Waggoner "Kristen Waggoner argued the Supreme Court's ruling is not limited to athletic competition. The court's biological-sex logic, combined with …" 1:01:40 immediately names Idaho Attorney General Labrador and West Virginia Attorney General McCuskey as unsung heroes, praising their willingness to defend these laws when so many other officials were spineless. She then signals ADF's next move: they are coming for the 23 states that still lack protections, arguing the court's biological-sex rationale and Title IX's equal-opportunity guarantee will apply there too — and beyond sports, into locker rooms and showers.
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This is the most emotionally resonant chapter of the episode. Kelly reads at length from Justice Kavanaugh's majority opinion, which describes with remarkable specificity the early-morning practices, the lonely road back from ACL tears, the trophies on bedroom shelves, the handshakes with opponents, and the lifelong friendships that women's sports produce [1] — Megyn Kelly "Sports are highly competitive and generally zero-sum. At almost every turn, someone wins and someone loses. Every athlete who makes a team …" 1:11:05 . Both Kelly and Waggoner are visibly moved. Waggoner says it is the first ruling in ten years of this fight where she read a justice's words and thought, 'He gets it.' Madison Kenyon adds her own story: her athletic scholarship to Idaho State gave her a nursing degree, her career, her husband, and her best friends. The section closes on Thomas's concurrence, which Waggoner calls equally significant — the declaration that using language to obscure biological reality is lying to the public, and that courts must begin telling the truth.
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Kelly plays a clip of NBC's Craig Melvin effectively issuing a trigger warning to his audience before using the terms 'biological male' and 'biological female,' explaining NBC is only using Supreme Court language. Kelly calls it a de facto acknowledgment that reality-based reporting requires a content warning at NBC. Waggoner points out that the Supreme Court's opinion itself uses no wrong pronouns and does not use the term 'transgender girl' — a deliberate choice that itself telegraphs the court's view of biological truth. Kelly notes that other outlets, particularly CNN, trotted out the false claim that only 10 trans athletes compete in NCAA sports, which she debunks using OutSports data showing well over 40 out trans college athletes and an estimated 122,000 transgender high school students who could be competing.
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Kelly uses public records to document the performance gap that female athletes like Madison Kenyon faced. June Eastwood's 800m personal best was nearly 4 seconds faster than the women's collegiate record; his 1500m time beat a decade-old record; his 5000m time was 13 seconds ahead of the women's record [1] — Megyn Kelly "Megyn Kelly cited detailed records showing male athlete June Eastwood's times were faster than long-standing women's collegiate records in …" 1:23:35 . Yet USA Today's coverage called him 'transcendent,' framed his presence as a 'life or death issue,' and focused entirely on his gender dysphoria rather than the women he displaced. Waggoner then offers the Lia Thomas data point — ranked 65th in men's swimming, first in women's — and the BPJ statistic: one middle schooler displaced 470 girls a combined 1,400 times. Kenyon reflects on how one male athlete in a 9-lane race displaces 8 women, and notes that with over 100,000 trans youth potentially competing, the scale of the problem is massive.
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Kelly and Waggoner turn to the ugly reality behind the West Virginia case's sympathetic media coverage. Waggoner describes how ADF client Adalia Cross was subjected to repeated explicit sexual threats by BPJ in the locker room, on the track, and in the throwing pit — statements the school promised to investigate but never followed up on. Kelly reads from Cross's testimony verbatim, noting the profanity for the record. Waggoner broadens the scope: ADF currently represents a 16-year-old girl in Washington state who was sexually assaulted while wrestling a male competitor. Kelly plays a clip of ABC News focusing exclusively on BPJ's disappointment at the ruling, without mentioning any of Cross's testimony. Kelly speculates about BPJ's motivations, while Waggoner focuses on the bigger picture — that these are not isolated cases and the Supreme Court's ruling is a beginning, not an end.
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With the celebration grounded, Waggoner maps the road ahead. ADF has cases active in blue states including Minnesota, where a male softball player helped win a state championship, and Connecticut, where 4 female athletes were beaten by 2 male competitors who wiped 17 records and took 4 state championships. Waggoner argues that today's ruling — with its affirmation that biology matters and Title IX guarantees equal opportunities — gives ADF the legal ammunition to prevail in those states too. Kelly presses on whether the Supreme Court will eventually rule that states must ban males from girls' sports (not just may), and Waggoner says the cases are already working their way through the appellate system. Both agree the most important complement to litigation is civic engagement: every parent should be showing up to school board meetings to demand policy changes without waiting for the courts.
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Kelly wraps the episode with a final act of tribute: she reads 14-year-old Irish poet Brandi Dove's poem 'I Am Not a Dress,' whose lines — 'a man in a dress is nonetheless a him' and 'I am not a woman subset of my sex' — distill the legal and cultural argument the Supreme Court just affirmed. The poem's defiant refusal to be silenced mirrors the journey of Maddie Kenyon and the thousands of female athletes who refused to go quietly. Kelly says the full poem will be posted to megankelly.com, thanks Waggoner and Kenyon for their courage, and urges listeners to donate to ADFlegal.org. The show closes with its standard sign-off — 'no BS, no agenda, and no fear' — followed by closing ad reads and podcast promos.
- Subject to the jurisdiction thereof
- The clause in the 14th Amendment's citizenship provision requiring that a person born in the U.S. must also be under U.S. legal jurisdiction to be a citizen; central to the birthright citizenship debate.
- Dictum (obiter dictum)
- A judge's remark in an opinion that is not essential to the decision and therefore not legally binding precedent; Dershowitz argued the majority's statements about legislation were merely dictum.
- Textualism
- A judicial philosophy holding that statutes and the Constitution should be interpreted by the ordinary meaning of their text, without reference to legislative history or intent.
- Originalism
- A method of constitutional interpretation that asks what the text meant to the public at the time of its enactment, as opposed to evolving interpretations.
- Heightened scrutiny
- A more demanding standard of judicial review applied to laws that classify people on the basis of protected characteristics like race or sex, making them harder to uphold.
- Immutable characteristic
- A trait that cannot be changed by choice, such as race or sex; legally significant because courts apply heightened protection to laws that discriminate based on immutable traits.
- Title IX
- A 1972 federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any educational program receiving federal funding, including athletics; central to the girls' sports legal battles.
- Equal Protection Clause
- The 14th Amendment provision prohibiting states from denying any person equal protection under the law; invoked both by challengers and defenders of girls' sports bans.
- 14th Amendment
- The post-Civil War constitutional amendment granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and guaranteeing equal protection; the core legal text in the birthright citizenship case.
- Article I (Congressional power)
- The constitutional article vesting legislative power in Congress; Dershowitz argued Congress has stronger authority than the president to redefine 'subject to the jurisdiction' because it acts under Article I.
- Bostock v. Clayton County
- The 2020 Supreme Court decision, authored by Justice Gorsuch, holding that Title VII's sex-discrimination prohibition covers transgender and gay employees.
- Citizens United
- The landmark 2010 Supreme Court ruling holding that political spending by corporations and other groups is a protected form of free speech, enabling unlimited independent campaign expenditures.
- Birthright tourism
- The practice of foreign nationals traveling to the United States specifically to give birth so their child automatically obtains U.S. citizenship.
- Mutable
- Capable of change; Justice Thomas used this word to argue that gender dysphoria is a changeable mental state and therefore not a constitutionally protected immutable characteristic.
- Dred Scott decision
- The 1857 Supreme Court ruling that enslaved persons were not citizens; overturned by the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause, the very provision at issue in the birthright citizenship case.
- Gender dysphoria
- A clinical diagnosis describing significant distress over a mismatch between a person's experienced gender identity and their biological sex; described in the ruling as a mutable, treatable condition.
- Pro bono
- Legal work performed without charge; Kristen Waggoner noted that all of Alliance Defending Freedom's legal representation is provided pro bono.
- Temerity
- Excessive confidence or boldness; used in the episode to describe the courage it would take for justices to rule against birthright citizenship despite potential accusations of racism.
- Inculcated
- Instilled by persistent instruction or repetition; used in Justice Alito's dissent hypothetical about a person born in the U.S. who was 'inculcated with hatred' of the country while growing up abroad.
- Social contagion
- The phenomenon where ideas or behaviors spread through social networks rather than biological transmission; used to describe the rapid increase in gender dysphoria diagnoses, especially among adolescents.
Chapter 1 · 00:00
Intro & Breaking News: Two Landmark SCOTUS Rulings
The episode opens with a pre-show ad and podcast promo before Megyn Kelly launches into one of the most consequential Supreme Court days in recent memory. She breaks down the birthright citizenship ruling first, explaining that five justices — Roberts, Barrett, and the three liberals — struck down Trump's executive order, effectively guaranteeing citizenship to any child born on U.S. soil regardless of parental allegiance. Kelly outlines the 14th Amendment's 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' clause and argues the majority ignored it. She also previews the historic girls' sports ruling, calling it a 'watershed moment' for girls and women. Along the way she takes sharp aim at NPR's Nina Totenberg for falsely reporting Justice Alito's retirement, only to retract it within ten minutes. The stage is set for a detailed expert discussion.
Claims made here
Five justices — Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Barrett, and the three liberal justices — struck down Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship, ruling the 14th Amendment requires it.
Five justices — Roberts, Barrett, and the three liberals — struck down Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship. The ruling means any child born on U.S. soil is an automatic citizen, regardless of the parents' immigration status or allegiance to the country.
As of the ruling, 27 U.S. states have passed laws banning biological males from participating in girls' and women's sports.
All six conservative justices joined to rule that states permitting bans on biological males in girls' sports are constitutional under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause.
Five justices — Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Barrett, and the three liberal justices — upheld birthright citizenship, striking down Trump's executive order.
NPR's Nina Totenberg published a report claiming Justice Alito was retiring, only for the Supreme Court to deny it on the record within minutes. Kelly said she has solid sources indicating Alito will step down but the timing was not imminent, calling Totenberg's report a massive piece of journalistic malpractice.
Ten years ago an ounce of gold was about $1,200; today it is around $4,500, illustrating gold's appreciation as an inflation hedge.
Chapter 2 · 12:30
Birch Gold Sponsorship Read
Kelly pivots briefly to a sponsored segment for Birch Gold Group, noting that an ounce of gold has risen from roughly $1,200 a decade ago to approximately $4,500 today. She encourages listeners to diversify retirement savings by converting a 401k or IRA into physical gold, and highlights a limited-time promotion offering a free 1-ounce America 250 silver round for every $10,000 in purchases made before July 10th.
Mike Davis called the birthright citizenship ruling the most lawless Supreme Court decision in decades. He argued the majority effectively scratched out the 'subject to the jurisdiction' clause of the 14th Amendment, handing birthright citizenship to Chinese birth tourists, illegal aliens, and even potential terrorists.
Chapter 3 · 13:00
Mike Davis & Alan Dershowitz React to Birthright Citizenship Ruling
With the two guests now on, Megyn Kelly moderates a high-voltage debate. Mike Davis [1] — Mike Davis "Mike Davis called the birthright citizenship ruling the most lawless Supreme Court decision in decades. He argued the majority effectively …" 12:32 delivers his sharpest verdict: the majority scratched out the 14th Amendment's 'subject to jurisdiction' clause, handing birthright citizenship to Chinese birth tourists, human traffickers, and illegal aliens. Alan Dershowitz [2] — Alan Dershowitz "Alan Dershowitz called birthright citizenship 'stupid, stupid, stupid' but argued the real fix lies with Congress, not the courts. Because …" 14:30 agrees the policy is idiotic but draws a careful distinction: a genuine textualist could read the Constitution's plain language as requiring birthright citizenship, and he isn't certain Scalia would have dissented. Davis pushes back by citing the American Indian citizenship precedent — the Supreme Court previously held that tribal Indians weren't covered, and Congress fixed that by statute in 1924. Dershowitz counters that Scalia dismissed legislative history and would have focused narrowly on the text. The section closes on a frank discussion of how Amy Coney Barrett went wrong, with Davis raising the Dobbs intimidation theory and Kelly floating her husband's 'Georgetown approval circuit' hypothesis.
Claims made here
American Indians were previously held by the Supreme Court to not be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States under the 14th Amendment, and Congress granted them birthright citizenship by statute in 1924.
Harvard Law School faculty is now approximately 98% liberal Democrat, compared to roughly 60-40 conservative-to-liberal when Alan Dershowitz joined the faculty in 1964.
Alan Dershowitz called birthright citizenship 'stupid, stupid, stupid' but argued the real fix lies with Congress, not the courts. Because the Supreme Court's remarks about legislative remedies are merely dictum, Congress could still pass a statute redefining who is 'subject to the jurisdiction' of the United States.
To amend the Constitution and change the birthright citizenship ruling would require a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress and ratification by 38 states.
Mike Davis and Megyn Kelly questioned how Amy Coney Barrett, who was sold as the next Justice Scalia, ended up siding with liberals on birthright citizenship. Davis raised the possibility she was intimidated during the Dobbs fallout; Kelly floated her husband's theory that attractive justices get drawn into the Georgetown approval circuit.
Davis argued Scalia would have sided with the dissenters, pointing to precedent that American Indians were not covered by the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause. Dershowitz countered that Scalia was a strict textualist and might have found the constitutional text itself compelled birthright citizenship, regardless of how dumb he thought the policy was.
Alan Dershowitz stated that Harvard Law School faculty is now approximately 98% liberal Democrat, compared to 60% conservative when he joined in 1964.
Chapter 5 · 30:00
Can Congress Fix Birthright Citizenship? The Legislative Path
The most legally technical section of the episode focuses on whether Congress has a viable path to narrow birthright citizenship without a constitutional amendment. Dershowitz [1] — Alan Dershowitz "Alan Dershowitz called birthright citizenship 'stupid, stupid, stupid' but argued the real fix lies with Congress, not the courts. Because …" 14:30 makes the case methodically: because no such legislation exists, the Supreme Court's statements about it are pure dictum — not binding precedent — and a carefully crafted statute could potentially peel away one or two justices when the issue returns to court. He suggests Congress hold hearings on the specific phenomenon of Chinese birth tourists and pass a targeted law declaring such individuals are not 'subject to the jurisdiction.' Kelly then reads Senator Jacob Howard's original Senate floor speech, in which the 14th Amendment's author explicitly states the clause does not cover foreigners or aliens, giving Dershowitz additional ammunition. Davis, however, pours cold water on the legislative route, arguing that five justices have already effectively constitutionalized birthright citizenship, making a statutory fix nearly impossible without a constitutional amendment requiring 38 states.
Following the ruling, legal commentator Bill Jacobson's proposals circulated — including mandatory pregnancy tests for visa applicants and automatic visa termination for pregnant female aliens. Kelly and Dershowitz debated how far the Trump administration could go, with Dershowitz preferring a legislative fix over rounding up pregnant women.
Chapter 7 · 41:30
Campaign Finance Ruling & Citizens United Extension
With Mike Davis gone and Dershowitz staying on, Kelly pivots to the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling striking down limits on coordinated spending between political parties and candidates. Dershowitz characterizes it as an inevitable extension of Citizens United but laments its impact on democracy, noting it effectively gives billionaires like George Soros vastly disproportionate political influence. Kelly argues Citizens United also destroyed bipartisanship by making members of Congress answerable to ideological donors rather than broad coalitions. Dershowitz then connects this to why he left the Democratic Party: radical candidates winning primaries with tiny turnout, including what he calls essentially communist, anti-American victors in New York. He warns the Republican Party faces the same dynamic through figures like Tucker Carlson, leaving millions of Americans politically homeless.
Claims made here
The Supreme Court struck down a federal law limiting coordination between political parties and candidates in a 6-3 ruling, as a natural extension of Citizens United.
Alan Dershowitz called the Supreme Court's new campaign finance ruling a natural extension of Citizens United but said it is terrible for democracy, giving billionaires like George Soros the equivalent of a million votes. He argued the bigger problem is primaries that are won by the most radical fringe of each party.
Alan Dershowitz explained why he left the Democratic Party, pointing to the recent New York primary victories of far-left candidates he describes as essentially communist and anti-American. He warned the same radical-primary dynamic threatens the Republican Party through figures like Tucker Carlson, leaving many Americans politically homeless.
Moments after the ruling, President Trump posted on Truth Social calling the Supreme Court's decision 'too bad for our country' but expressing hope Congress can fix birthright citizenship through legislation with his full support. Dershowitz said he would be happy to help draft the legislation if called upon.
Chapter 11 · 55:55
Historic Girls' Sports Ruling: Megyn Kelly's Initial Reaction
Kelly begins the second major segment of the episode with visible emotion, describing how she 'teared up' reading the girls' sports ruling. She walks through the key lines: Kavanaugh's majority opinion stating the Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women's sports, and Thomas's powerful concurrence [1] — Megyn Kelly "A man does not have a legal right to compete against women just because he believes that he is a woman, because gender dysphoria is a mutab…" 59:40 declaring that gender dysphoria is a mutable mental state that does not warrant heightened scrutiny. She emphasizes Thomas's statement [2] — Megyn Kelly "To use language to obscure reality, to show indifference regarding the truth, is to lie to the public and cease to treat our fellow citizen…" 1:00:35 that using language to obscure biological reality is lying to the public. Kelly explains the case involves laws in West Virginia and Idaho but has implications for all 27 states with similar bans. She previews the guests — Kristen Waggoner of Alliance Defending Freedom and Madison Kenyon, a former Idaho State athlete who competed against a male — before the segment formally begins.
In a unanimous 6-0 conservative ruling, the Supreme Court held that states may ban biological males from girls' and women's sports. Justice Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion affirming the constitutionality of such bans, while Justice Thomas's concurrence explicitly stated that gender dysphoria is a mutable, not immutable, mental condition.
Madison Kenyon described waiting six years for the Supreme Court's ruling after being forced to compete against male athlete June Eastwood at Idaho State University. She credited her athletic scholarship — which led to her nursing degree, her career, and meeting her husband — as proof that these opportunities cannot be handed to male athletes.
Chapter 12 · 58:00
Kristen Waggoner & Madison Kenyon: Reacting to the Victory
The guests arrive and the emotional weight of the day is immediate. Madison Kenyon [1] — Madison Kenyon "Madison Kenyon described waiting six years for the Supreme Court's ruling after being forced to compete against male athlete June Eastwood …" 57:55 says she has been waiting six years for this day, and her heart is full of gratitude for ADF, the attorneys general, and the female athletes who stood with her when the whole world seemed against them. She traces her journey from a speech class assignment defending the Women's Fairness in Sports Act to becoming the first collegiate plaintiff in this litigation. Kristen Waggoner [2] — Kristen Waggoner "Kristen Waggoner argued the Supreme Court's ruling is not limited to athletic competition. The court's biological-sex logic, combined with …" 1:01:40 immediately names Idaho Attorney General Labrador and West Virginia Attorney General McCuskey as unsung heroes, praising their willingness to defend these laws when so many other officials were spineless. She then signals ADF's next move: they are coming for the 23 states that still lack protections, arguing the court's biological-sex rationale and Title IX's equal-opportunity guarantee will apply there too — and beyond sports, into locker rooms and showers.
Claims made here
Justice Kavanaugh wrote in the girls' sports majority that the Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women's and girls' sports throughout America.
Justice Thomas wrote in his concurrence that gender dysphoria is a mutable mental state subject to psychiatric treatment and does not qualify for heightened scrutiny as an immutable characteristic.
Kristen Waggoner argued the Supreme Court's ruling is not limited to athletic competition. The court's biological-sex logic, combined with Title IX's equal-opportunity guarantee, will extend to locker rooms, showers, and dorm rooms. ADF already has clients who suffered sexual harassment and assault in these spaces.
Kristen Waggoner argued that the Supreme Court's biological-sex rationale in the sports ruling will extend to protect women's privacy in locker rooms, showers, and dorm rooms under Title IX.
Chapter 13 · 1:02:10
Kavanaugh's Powerful Opinion on What Sports Mean to Girls
This is the most emotionally resonant chapter of the episode. Kelly reads at length from Justice Kavanaugh's majority opinion, which describes with remarkable specificity the early-morning practices, the lonely road back from ACL tears, the trophies on bedroom shelves, the handshakes with opponents, and the lifelong friendships that women's sports produce [1] — Megyn Kelly "Sports are highly competitive and generally zero-sum. At almost every turn, someone wins and someone loses. Every athlete who makes a team …" 1:11:05 . Both Kelly and Waggoner are visibly moved. Waggoner says it is the first ruling in ten years of this fight where she read a justice's words and thought, 'He gets it.' Madison Kenyon adds her own story: her athletic scholarship to Idaho State gave her a nursing degree, her career, her husband, and her best friends. The section closes on Thomas's concurrence, which Waggoner calls equally significant — the declaration that using language to obscure biological reality is lying to the public, and that courts must begin telling the truth.
According to Kristen Waggoner, 8 in 10 Americans support the right of equal opportunities for women and oppose biological males competing in women's sports.
Chapter 14 · 1:10:00
NBC's Trigger Warning & Media Spin on the Ruling
Kelly plays a clip of NBC's Craig Melvin effectively issuing a trigger warning to his audience before using the terms 'biological male' and 'biological female,' explaining NBC is only using Supreme Court language. Kelly calls it a de facto acknowledgment that reality-based reporting requires a content warning at NBC. Waggoner points out that the Supreme Court's opinion itself uses no wrong pronouns and does not use the term 'transgender girl' — a deliberate choice that itself telegraphs the court's view of biological truth. Kelly notes that other outlets, particularly CNN, trotted out the false claim that only 10 trans athletes compete in NCAA sports, which she debunks using OutSports data showing well over 40 out trans college athletes and an estimated 122,000 transgender high school students who could be competing.
Chapter 15 · 1:13:50
June Eastwood's Records & Media Glorification of Male Athletes
Kelly uses public records to document the performance gap that female athletes like Madison Kenyon faced. June Eastwood's 800m personal best was nearly 4 seconds faster than the women's collegiate record; his 1500m time beat a decade-old record; his 5000m time was 13 seconds ahead of the women's record [1] — Megyn Kelly "Megyn Kelly cited detailed records showing male athlete June Eastwood's times were faster than long-standing women's collegiate records in …" 1:23:35 . Yet USA Today's coverage called him 'transcendent,' framed his presence as a 'life or death issue,' and focused entirely on his gender dysphoria rather than the women he displaced. Waggoner then offers the Lia Thomas data point — ranked 65th in men's swimming, first in women's — and the BPJ statistic: one middle schooler displaced 470 girls a combined 1,400 times. Kenyon reflects on how one male athlete in a 9-lane race displaces 8 women, and notes that with over 100,000 trans youth potentially competing, the scale of the problem is massive.
Claims made here
Over 90% of children struggling with gender identity, if allowed to go through natural adolescence, do not pursue medical transition.
OutSports documented well over 40 openly transgender athletes competing in college sports, and acknowledged that countless others competed without being publicly out.
Pro-trans outlet OutSports estimated that there are as many as 122,000 transgender youth ages 13–17 who could be participating in high school team athletics.
Kristen Waggoner cited science indicating that over 90% of children struggling with gender identity, if allowed to go through natural adolescence, do not seek medical transition.
Pro-trans outlet OutSports estimated as many as 122,000 transgender youth ages 13 to 17 could be participating in high school team athletics — far more than media reports suggesting only 10.
Alliance Defending Freedom filed the very first case defending female athletes against biological males in women's sports in Connecticut in 2017, with Megyn Kelly conducting the first interview of those athletes.
Megyn Kelly cited detailed records showing male athlete June Eastwood's times were faster than long-standing women's collegiate records in multiple events: nearly 4 seconds faster in the 800m, faster than a decade-old record in the 1500m, and 13 seconds ahead in the 5000m. Meanwhile, media coverage called Eastwood 'transcendent.'
Chapter 16 · 1:23:40
BPJ Case: Sexual Harassment the Media Ignored
Kelly and Waggoner turn to the ugly reality behind the West Virginia case's sympathetic media coverage. Waggoner describes how ADF client Adalia Cross was subjected to repeated explicit sexual threats by BPJ in the locker room, on the track, and in the throwing pit — statements the school promised to investigate but never followed up on. Kelly reads from Cross's testimony verbatim, noting the profanity for the record. Waggoner broadens the scope: ADF currently represents a 16-year-old girl in Washington state who was sexually assaulted while wrestling a male competitor. Kelly plays a clip of ABC News focusing exclusively on BPJ's disappointment at the ruling, without mentioning any of Cross's testimony. Kelly speculates about BPJ's motivations, while Waggoner focuses on the bigger picture — that these are not isolated cases and the Supreme Court's ruling is a beginning, not an end.
Claims made here
Male athlete June Eastwood's 800m personal best of 1:55.23 was nearly 4 seconds faster than the women's collegiate record of 1:59.1.
Lia Thomas ranked 65th in the men's swimming category before transitioning and competing as a woman, where Thomas placed first.
BPJ, the male West Virginia middle school athlete in the girls' sports case, displaced 470 girls 1,400 times and won 2 regional championships and a state championship.
Male athlete June Eastwood's 800m personal best of 1:55.23 was nearly 4 seconds faster than the women's collegiate record of 1:59.1.
June Eastwood's personal best in the 5000 meters was approximately 13 seconds faster than Jenny Simpson's long-standing women's collegiate record of 15:01.
Kristen Waggoner and Megyn Kelly detailed the unreported behavior of BPJ, the male West Virginia middle schooler at the center of the girls' sports case. BPJ repeatedly made explicit sexual threats to female teammates in the locker room, on the track, and in the throwing pit, yet the school took no action when the harassed girl complained.
Lia Thomas ranked 65th place in the men's swimming category before transitioning and competing as a woman, where Thomas placed first.
West Virginia male athlete BPJ, who identified as a girl, displaced 470 girls across 1,400 competitive instances, and took 2 regional championships and a state championship through middle school.
Chapter 17 · 1:29:10
ADF's Path Forward: 23 States, Locker Rooms, and Title IX
With the celebration grounded, Waggoner maps the road ahead. ADF has cases active in blue states including Minnesota, where a male softball player helped win a state championship, and Connecticut, where 4 female athletes were beaten by 2 male competitors who wiped 17 records and took 4 state championships. Waggoner argues that today's ruling — with its affirmation that biology matters and Title IX guarantees equal opportunities — gives ADF the legal ammunition to prevail in those states too. Kelly presses on whether the Supreme Court will eventually rule that states must ban males from girls' sports (not just may), and Waggoner says the cases are already working their way through the appellate system. Both agree the most important complement to litigation is civic engagement: every parent should be showing up to school board meetings to demand policy changes without waiting for the courts.
Claims made here
In Connecticut, 4 female track athletes have been beaten by 2 male competitors, who displaced girls from 4 state championships and erased 17 records.
Kristen Waggoner said ADF has active cases in Minnesota and Connecticut, two blue states without girls' sports bans. In Connecticut alone, 4 female track athletes have been beaten by 2 male competitors, displacing girls from 4 state championships and erasing 17 records. The court's biology-matters rationale gives ADF new ammunition.
Chapter 18 · 1:30:40
Closing: Brandi Dove's Poem & Farewell
Kelly wraps the episode with a final act of tribute: she reads 14-year-old Irish poet Brandi Dove's poem 'I Am Not a Dress,' whose lines — 'a man in a dress is nonetheless a him' and 'I am not a woman subset of my sex' — distill the legal and cultural argument the Supreme Court just affirmed. The poem's defiant refusal to be silenced mirrors the journey of Maddie Kenyon and the thousands of female athletes who refused to go quietly. Kelly says the full poem will be posted to megankelly.com, thanks Waggoner and Kenyon for their courage, and urges listeners to donate to ADFlegal.org. The show closes with its standard sign-off — 'no BS, no agenda, and no fear' — followed by closing ad reads and podcast promos.
No indexed bits in this chapter.
Show stoppers
Snapshots ()
Key Quotes ()
This episode
Cast
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Legal legend and Harvard Law professor who discussed both birthright citizenship and campaign finance rulings, arguing Congress should legislatively fix birthright citizenship.
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Conservative justice who sided with liberals on birthright citizenship, drawing heavy criticism from Kelly and Davis for betraying her originalist credentials.
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Justice who wrote the majority opinion in the girls' sports case and also joined the birthright citizenship majority on a narrower statutory ground.
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Justice who dissented on birthright citizenship and wrote a powerful concurrence in the girls' sports case, stating gender dysphoria is mutable and not a protected class.
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Chief Justice who authored the majority opinion upholding birthright citizenship, criticized by Davis for 'constitutionalizing' it like Roe v. Wade.
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Founder of the Article III Project who called the birthright citizenship ruling the most lawless SCOTUS decision in decades.
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Justice who dissented on birthright citizenship, raising national security concerns, and was the subject of a false NPR retirement report.
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Former Idaho State University athlete who competed against male athlete June Eastwood in 2019 and was a party to the Supreme Court girls' sports litigation.
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Late Supreme Court Justice whose textualist and originalist philosophy was repeatedly invoked as the standard Barrett failed to uphold; Davis and Dershowitz debated how he would have ruled.
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Justice who dissented on birthright citizenship with Thomas and Alito; praised by Davis for recent rulings but criticized for authoring Bostock.
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NPR's longtime Supreme Court correspondent who published a false report that Justice Alito was retiring, which was retracted within 10 minutes.
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Landmark 2010 Supreme Court campaign finance ruling discussed in the context of a new ruling extending its logic to allow coordination between campaigns and PACs.
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Male University of Montana athlete who competed as a woman in collegiate track, breaking multiple women's records and displacing female competitors including Madison Kenyon.
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Male UPenn swimmer who competed as a woman, ranking 65th in men's swimming before placing 1st in women's competition; cited as a catalyst for the national debate.
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The central institution of the episode, issuing two landmark rulings on birthright citizenship and girls' sports on the final day of its term.
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The conservative legal organization led by Kristen Waggoner that litigated the girls' sports cases all the way to the Supreme Court.
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Public radio organization whose correspondent Nina Totenberg published a false report about Justice Alito's retirement, which was denied by the Supreme Court and retracted.
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Organization that sued to block Idaho's Women's Fairness in Sports Act and opposed girls' sports bans, described by Waggoner as the opponent in the ADF litigation.
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The university where Madison Kenyon competed on a full athletic scholarship and was forced to race against male athlete June Eastwood in track and field.
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Conservative legal advocacy organization founded by Mike Davis, focused on federal judiciary issues.
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Alan Dershowitz's institution, cited as an example of academia's dramatic leftward shift — now 98% liberal Democrat versus 60-40 conservative when Dershowitz joined in 1964.
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One of the two states whose girls' sports bans were the direct subject of the Supreme Court ruling; home to athlete BPJ, whose case was central to the litigation.
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The other state whose girls' sports ban was at the center of the Supreme Court ruling, home to Madison Kenyon's litigation.
Stats
This episode
Claims & Sources
Factual claims made this episode, and whether a source was named.
Five justices — Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Barrett, and the three liberal justices — struck down Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship, ruling the 14th Amendment requires it.
All six conservative justices ruled that states may ban biological males from participating in girls' and women's sports.
Justice Kavanaugh wrote in the girls' sports majority that the Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women's and girls' sports throughout America.
Justice Thomas wrote in his concurrence that gender dysphoria is a mutable mental state subject to psychiatric treatment and does not qualify for heightened scrutiny as an immutable characteristic.
American Indians were previously held by the Supreme Court to not be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States under the 14th Amendment, and Congress granted them birthright citizenship by statute in 1924.
Pro-trans outlet OutSports estimated that there are as many as 122,000 transgender youth ages 13–17 who could be participating in high school team athletics.
OutSports documented well over 40 openly transgender athletes competing in college sports, and acknowledged that countless others competed without being publicly out.
Male athlete June Eastwood's 800m personal best of 1:55.23 was nearly 4 seconds faster than the women's collegiate record of 1:59.1.
BPJ, the male West Virginia middle school athlete in the girls' sports case, displaced 470 girls 1,400 times and won 2 regional championships and a state championship.
Lia Thomas ranked 65th in the men's swimming category before transitioning and competing as a woman, where Thomas placed first.
Harvard Law School faculty is now approximately 98% liberal Democrat, compared to roughly 60-40 conservative-to-liberal when Alan Dershowitz joined the faculty in 1964.
The Supreme Court struck down a federal law limiting coordination between political parties and candidates in a 6-3 ruling, as a natural extension of Citizens United.
Over 90% of children struggling with gender identity, if allowed to go through natural adolescence, do not pursue medical transition.
The author of the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause, Senator Jacob Howard, stated during Senate debates that it would not apply to foreigners or aliens, only to freed slaves.
In Connecticut, 4 female track athletes have been beaten by 2 male competitors, who displaced girls from 4 state championships and erased 17 records.