Missing "More Perfect"

Jad Abumrad's playful podcast about the people behind Supreme Court cases

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The Constitution is our civic Bible, a source of endless interpretation, controversy, and frustration. When I was in high school and finally abandoned the notion that I would one day play major league baseball, my next thought was that I would become a constitutional lawyer. I studied case law, argued mock cases, and imagined myself standing before the Supreme Court. I even took the LSAT my senior year in college before deciding to pursue teaching, history, and non-profit work.

I never got to the Court, but the Constitution still fascinates me. That’s why I miss “More Perfect,” a podcast that focused on the human stories and personalities behind some of the cases that have made their way to the Court. Launched (and originally hosted) by Radiolab co-founder Jad Abumrad, “More Perfect” ran for three seasons (2016-18), took a break, and returned for a single season (2023), hosted by Julia Longoria.

“More Perfect” popped unexpectedly into my feed recently with the re-release of a 2023 episode on the late David Souter, the quiet, quirky New Englander who improbably became a Supreme Court justice. Souter was an enigmatic figure who seems almost incomprehensibly non-partisan in our era of hyper-polarized politics. The episode was classic “More Perfect” – thoughtful and thought-provoking, but funny and playful as well.

“Playful” is not generally a word associated with the stodgy Court, but “More Perfect” makes it work. Abumrad is a creative genius willing to take risks and experiment. During the third season, Abumrad and crew cut a “More Perfect” album, a collection of original songs about the 27 constitutional amendments. They recruited an eclectic range of musicians – “They Might Be Giants” wrote a ditty about the unheralded 3^rd Amendment, while Dolly Parton sang the praises of the 19^th. The result is a bit uneven, but often hilarious.

One episode stands out in particular. To help listeners understand the nuances of the 1^st Amendment, “More Perfect” interviewed Bert Neuborne, a self-described “Constitutional cop” who now teaches civil liberties at New York University. It’s a beautiful interview, in part because Neuborne is a gracious and self-deprecating storyteller with an idiosyncratic voice.

Neuborne explains the “deep structure” of the First Amendment, the poetic, 45-word foundation of our most fundamental freedoms. The logic “is the life cycle of a democratic idea,” Neuborne tells us. The amendment moves from the freedom of our inner thoughts (freedom of religion) to speaking that thought (speech) to amplifying that thought (press) to organizing people around that thought (assembly) to getting the government to do something about that thought (petition). Each builds on the previous one. It’s a profound insight that has stuck with me since I first heard it seven years ago.

Have a listen to the Neuborne interview here (it begins at 8:21), or peruse the “More Perfect” archives here. Enjoy!