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5-4
Podcast about the US Supreme Court From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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5-4 (pronounced "five to four") is a podcast that covers the U.S. Supreme Court from a critical, progressive perspective. The podcast's tagline describes it as being "about how much the Supreme Court sucks", and providing an "irreverent tour of all the ways in which the law is shaped by politics."[1] It was launched by Leon Neyfakh's Prologue Projects in partnership with the Westwood One Podcast Network.
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Premise
The hosts are self-described advocates for legal realism.[2] A consistent theme is also a demonstration of the primary role of political ideology in shaping Supreme Court decision, as opposed to any specific judicial philosophy.
The first episode of the podcast was about Bush v. Gore.[3][4] Most episodes center around a specific Supreme Court case, typically one that the hosts believe was wrongly decided, and they discuss the ramifications of the court's decision on law and society. The hosts also sporadically release episodes on general political or legal topics, such as profiles on Supreme Court justices or commentary on elections.[1]
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History
5-4 was launched in February 2020 by Leon Neyfakh's Prologue Projects in partnership with Westwood One Podcast Network (which has since been renamed Cumulus Podcast Network). Its hosts, Rhiannon, Peter, and Michael, maintain semi-anonymous profiles as podcast hosts, disclosing only their first names and a "handful of biographical details" in any given episode.[5] Rhiannon worked as a public defender in Austin, Texas; Peter previously served as in-house counsel for MetLife and was fired upon his employer's finding out about his role on the podcast; Michael was a former associate at Sullivan & Cromwell, and self-described "reformed corporate lawyer."[6][7][2]
Neyfakh's original advertising partnership with Westwood One failed to generate significant revenue for the podcast, so the decision was made to instead fund its production through Patreon. The following month, Nicholas Quah wrote in Vulture: "After its pivot to Patreon, 5-4 is now significantly better positioned for the next stage of its life, and its experience stands as a good example of the fact that a race for scale isn't the only way to run a shop in this business."[4]
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Notable guests
Elected American politicians have been guests on the show. Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator of Rhode Island, appeared on the podcast in 2021.[8] Senator Elizabeth Warren, a "fan", was a guest in July 2022.[9] Representatives Ro Khanna and Mondaire Jones appeared in separate episodes, discussing court reform.[10][11]
Jamelle Bouie discussed the Democratic political strategy in July 2022.[12]
Alec Karakatsanis appeared, criticizing the U.S. legal system.[13]
Reception
Within a week of its launch in February 2020, the 5-4 Patreon had accumulated almost 3,000 paid subscribers, enough to generate roughly $200,000 in revenue each year.[4] As of July 2022, it earns $35,000 per month.[14] It is the 39th most popular podcast tracked by Graphtreon, and the 101st most popular Patreon project overall.[15] The podcast has typically been well-received, with the hosts' "funny, forceful argumentation" and "enthusiastically acidic takes on the once-widely revered American legal institution" praised for making the law more accessible to its listeners and everyday people.[2][7] It particularly gained popularity in the summer of 2022, after the overturning of Roe v. Wade under Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization; the month of the Dobbs decision, the number of episode downloads increased 90% from the last year.[7][16]
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Episodes
Summarize
Perspective
As of June 26, 2025[update], 5–4 has had the following episodes:[17]
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
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Notes
- Originally released as a subscriber-only episode on February 3, 2025
References
External links
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