Last Branch Standing by Sarah Isgur

The Witty, Myth-Busting Insider Look at the Supreme Court Everyone Is Talking About

In Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today’s Supreme Court, Sarah Isgur — SCOTUSblog editor, co-host of the hit Advisory Opinions podcast, and ABC News legal analyst — pulls back the curtain on the one institution still doing its constitutional job.

While Congress and the Executive branch have strayed far from the Framers’ vision, the Supreme Court remains the last branch standing. Drawing on years inside the legal world, Isgur delivers a smart, snappy, and often funny tour of how the Roberts Court actually works — revealing what the media consistently gets wrong, what the justices’ clerks really gossip about, and why the Court’s growing power is both necessary and risky.

This isn’t another partisan screed. It’s a clear-eyed, myth-busting account that challenges assumptions on both sides: the Court isn’t the 6-3 monolith portrayed in headlines, and many of the loudest attacks on its legitimacy are based on misunderstanding or bad faith. Isgur also offers practical, surprising ideas for restoring public trust without undermining judicial independence.

Whether you’re frustrated with the Court, fascinated by it, or just want the real story behind the headlines, Last Branch Standing is the essential, accessible guide to understanding the most powerful and least understood branch of American government.