Sen. John Kennedy has a reputation for asking the kind of questions that make witnesses squirm, and on Tuesday, he delivered a masterclass in intellectual dissection during a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on nationwide injunctions. His target? University of Pennsylvania law professor Kate Shaw, who also happens to be the wife of MSNBC’s Chris Hayes. Shaw quickly found herself on the losing end of unrelenting questioning that exposed her partisan double standards and reckless rhetoric about the Supreme Court.
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The hearing was convened to examine the abuse of universal injunctions — nationwide judicial rulings that can block federal policies even outside a judge’s jurisdiction. While Democrats have enthusiastically defended these judicial power grabs in the Trump era, Kennedy’s line of questioning cut straight to the hypocrisy at the heart of that defense.
“Do any of you think that nationwide or universal injunctions are not being abused?” Kennedy asked the panel.
Professor Shaw tried to deflect. “I’m not sure what the — if I may, Senator, I’m not sure what the time horizon of the question is,” she stammered. She went on to say there could be “good faith disagreements” over the legitimacy of certain injunctions, but claimed, “I have not seen… abuse. No.”
Kennedy wasn’t buying it. “I’ve read your stuff and, and I’ve read your writings,” he replied. “I don’t wanna get bogged down with this, but I have little respect for your opinion because I’ve read your stuff.”
“When someone is in the White House that you agree with and someone gets a universal injunction against him, you don’t like universal injunctions,” Kennedy said bluntly. “You called them, ‘judges acting like they’re politicians in robes and judges looking like crass political actors.’ But now that President Trump’s in the White House — who you dislike — you think that universal injunctions taste like pumpkin pie.”
Kennedy then delivered a personal rebuke that left Shaw visibly shaken.
“I have to discount what you say ’cause I think you act on your political beliefs,” Kennedy said. “And I worry that that’s what you’re teaching your kids.”
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🚨THAT’S GOTTA HURT: Senator Kennedy just eviscerated this Democrat witness’ credibility on rogue judges and the weaponization of the judicial branch.
“I’ve read your stuff…I have little respect for your opinion…Now that President Trump’s in the White House — who you dislike… pic.twitter.com/9du8Eqf1fP
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 3, 2025
Kennedy wasn’t done, either, and you can bet that Democrats regret having Shaw as an expert witness after this.
“On April 22nd, 2024, you said there are some members of the Supreme Court that are evil,” Kennedy said. “Which justices were you talking about?”
Shaw initially denied the claim. “I’ll take it at your word, Senator. I don’t recall using that word,” she said.
Kennedy fired back by quoting her directly: “You said, quote, ‘Justice Kagan, I mean, will she be able to control the opinion’s future distortion by her evil colleagues? Probably not.’ End quote.”
Related: This Is Best Takedown of the Dems’ Support for Nationwide Injunctions I’ve Ever Seen
Cornered, Shaw tried to walk it back. “I’m very skeptical. If it’s transcription, it was probably a transcription error. I do not think I said that.”
Kennedy wasn’t buying the spin. “No, you said it. Why don’t you own up to it?” he pressed. “Which ones do you think are evil?”
As Shaw floundered, Kennedy moved in for the finish.
“You’re embarrassed that you made that statement, aren’t you?” he asked. When Shaw weakly insisted she didn’t refer to justices as evil “in the classroom,” Kennedy hit her again: “You did right here… on your podcast. April 22nd, 2024. Big. As. Dallas!”
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🚨WATCH: @SenJohnKennedy blasted UPenn law professor Kate Shaw for referring to Supreme Court justices as “evil.”
“You’re an officer of the court,” Sen. Kennedy said. “You know what I’m embarrassed at? That you’re teaching our kids.” pic.twitter.com/uUHbUbw7gX
— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) June 3, 2025
He’s right. I looked it up. She said it.
You can watch the above clip, and it’s clear: Shaw said exactly what Kennedy said she did. She just couldn’t own up to it because it destroyed her credibility as a witness for the Democrats.
The moment reached peak Kennedy when he mocked Shaw’s credibility with his signature southern drawl: “Gag me with a spoon. You’re part of the problem in all of this.”
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