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5-4
The podcast artwork is based on the Supreme Court Building
Presentation
Hosted by	Rhiannon Hamam Michael Liroff Peter Shamshiri
Genre	Politics
Format	Audio
Narrated by	Leon Neyfakh
Language	English
Length	Approximately 40–60 minutes
Production
Production	Prologue Projects
Theme music composed by	Spatial Relations
No. of episodes	151
Publication
Original release	February 25, 2020 (2020-02-25)
Related
Website	Official website

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." It was launched by Leon Neyfakh's Prologue Projects in partnership with the Westwood One Podcast Network.

Premise

The hosts are self-described advocates for legal realism. 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.

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. 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.”

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."

Notable guests

Elected American politicians have been guests on the show. Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator of Rhode Island, appeared on the podcast in 2021. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a "fan", was a guest in July 2022. Representatives Ro Khanna and Mondaire Jones appeared in separate episodes, discussing court reform.

Jamelle Bouie discussed the Democratic political strategy in July 2022.

Alec Karakatsanis appeared, criticizing the U.S. legal system.

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. As of July 2022, it earns $35,000 per month. It is the 39th most popular podcast tracked by Graphtreon, and the 101st most popular Patreon project overall. 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. 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.

Episodes

As of February 19, 2024, 5–4 has had the following episodes:

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

References

1. "Five Four Pod". www.fivefourpod.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
2. ^ "The Leftist Lawyers Who Think the Supreme Court Sucks". The New Yorker. September 17, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
3. "Supreme Court is Leon Neyfakh's Latest Target In 5-4 Podcast". Inside Radio. February 26, 2020. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
4. ^ Quah, Nicholas (March 16, 2021). "Yes, Podcast Listenership Is Still on the Rise". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
5. Barasch, Alex (September 17, 2021). "The Leftist Lawyers Who Think the Supreme Court Sucks". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
6. Lampen, Claire (January 25, 2021). "The Prison Abolitionist Redefining What It Means to Win". The Cut. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
7. ^ Quah, Nicholas (October 20, 2022). "When a Supreme Court Podcast Gets You Fired". Vulture. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
8. "Five Four Pod | 'This Is A Captured Institution' - An Interview with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse". www.fivefourpod.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
9. Ugwu, Reggie (July 25, 2022). "The Hosts of '5–4' Never Trusted the Supreme Court". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
10. "Get Us to Seven feat. Rep. Mondaire Jones". Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
11. "5-4". Five Four Pod. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
12. "5-4: WTF Are The Dems Doing? with Jamelle Bouie on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
13. "San Antonio ISD v. Rodriguez ft. Alec Karakatsanis". Five Four Pod. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
14. "5-4 Podcast is creating a podcast". Patreon. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
15. "5-4 Podcast: Patreon Earnings + Statistics + Graphs + Rank". Graphtreon. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
16. Ugwu, Reggie (July 25, 2022). "The Hosts of '5-4' Never Trusted the Supreme Court". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
17. "5-4". Five Four Pod. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.

External links

• Official website

• Political podcasts
• 2020 podcast debuts
• Liberal podcasts