- Allyson K. Duncan, you are the chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

What's going through your mind?

Are you worried to be watching a district judge battling with the president's administration, arguing about who's gonna follow the law, what the law is like this?

Is that concerning for you?

- I worry about everything that affects the integrity of the court, and the way in which it is regarded.

The federal judiciary, the judiciary is the weakest branch of government.

It lacks the power of the purse, which Congress has, and the power of the sword which the president has.

- Are you worried that Director Severino hasn't fully complied with this order right away?

Does that worry you?

- It certainly worries me.

- If the money leaves the gate, we're not getting it back.

That's the fact.

The president was elected to end the wasteful spending.

If we re-open it, that money's gone forever.

We're not getting it back.

And that's hurting the American taxpayer.

- Attorney General Goldman, should those checks be going out the door while the full case makes its way up?

- Absolutely.

And while I appreciate that, the president thinks that every single thing he does is valid because he won an election.

Unfortunately every president wins an election, so that's not actually a grounds to stop the payment.

- So, Chief Justice Duncan, there is a person on this panel in fact, who you know very well.

They're a former law clerk of yours, smartest law clerk you've ever had.

You trust her judgment implicitly.

It's Sarah Isgur.

Would you give Sarah a call, and ask her to help think through this case with you, how you might approach it?

- Absolutely not.

(everyone laughs) She's not working for me now.

She is, she is not, we are not in confidential relationship with one another.

She can clerk for me now.

You can come back and clerk for me now.

- Would you clerk for her now, or do you want to use a different?

- I've already clerked for her, yes.

- You've already clerked for her once.

- Yeah.

- And you're not going back.

- I'm not going back.

- No.

(everyone laughs) - What a lonely job, Chief Justice Duncan.

Fortunately Sarah, you have a platform of your own.

You are in fact a prominent social commentator.

You've got a podcast.

And Chief Justice Duncan is a big fan of the podcast.

So, you can say what you think about this case, and maybe she'll hear it.

Who should win?

Should attorney general win, and these checks go out the door?

Or should Director Severino?

- Yeah, I don't think this is a close call.

For many of the arguments that the Attorney General has made, this is simply not within the powers of the president.

All the more so because Congress debated this, had bills in front of it, and rejected them.

They didn't have the votes.

The process is supposed to be exactly that.

And if you don't have the popular political will to pass it through Congress, which is meant to be hard, and annoying, and long, and compromising, then you don't get to do it.

And just 'cause you were elected president of the nation, I don't give too anythings about who elected you or by how much.