MSNBC host Chris Hayes awkwardly reported on his wife’s congressional testimony, hailing her as ‘amazing’ as he detailed her battle with the GOP over the unprecedented number of nationwide injunctions against the Trump Administration.
Constitutional law professor Kate Shaw appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as a minority party witness to testify about the ‘lawlessness’ of Donald Trump.
Hayes, who has been married to Shaw since 2007, covered his wife’s tense face of with Senator Josh Hawley on his All In With Chris Hayes program and did not shy away from showing where his loyalties lie.
‘There’s a fun moment in the United States Senate yesterday I’d love to share with you, mostly because it features the amazing constitutional law professor/podcast host/New York Times contributor Kate Shaw, who’s also my wife,’ Hayes said.
He added: ‘And it also features Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who is amazing in his own way, I guess.’
Hayes went on to accuse the senator of ‘going to ridiculous lengths to defend the lawlessness of boss Trump’, whom he claims Hawley believes is a ‘victim’ of a ‘vast network’ biased federal judges.
He took aim a Hawley’s chart detailing the nationwide injunctions that were issued during the Trump, Biden, Obama and Bush administrations, alluding that the senator’s ‘big gotcha chart’ was joke worthy.
The MSNBC host went on to cite his wife’s ‘more simple explanation’, which he suggested disproves Hawley’s allegation of bias against trump.
MSNBC host Chris Hayes awkwardly reported on his wife’s congressional testimony and did not shy away from showing where his loyalties lie as he hailed her as ‘amazing’
Chris Hayes and constitutional law professor Kate Shaw (pictured together in April 2014) have been married since 2007. They share three children together
‘Hawley had printed out a big gotcha chart, which he seemed to think proved that Donald Trump is a victim of a vast network of biased judges from across the ideological spectrum,’ Hayes told the program on Wednesday night.
‘Professor Shaw suggested there might be a more simple explanation.’
The segment cut to footage from Shaw’s testimony on Tuesday which saw Hawley probing the law professor about the significantly higher number of injunctions issued against the president.
‘What’s the principle of when an injunction binding non-parties, which was never done in this country before the 1960s?’ Hawley asked.
‘And let’s see the chart, the Trump chart, which was done, really, only once Trump came into office for the first time. Now, you don’t think this is a little bit anomalous?’
Shaw quickly hit back: ‘A very plausible explanation, Senator, you have to consider is that he is engaged in much more lawless activity than other presidents, right?’
Hawley went on the allege that nationwide injunctions were ‘never used before the 1960s’ and now are being used by ‘Democrat judges’ to take aim at the GOP.
Shaw disputed his allegation, saying: ‘It’s Republican appointees as well, Senator. And the 1960s is where some scholars begin, sort of locate the beginning of this -‘
Hayes seemingly took aim at Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) during the segment, describing the senator (pictured on June 2) as ‘amazing in his own way, I guess’
Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) (C) greets University of Pennsylvania law Professor Kate Shaw (L) and Catholic University law Professor Joel Alicea before a subcommittee hearing on June 3, 2025 about the unprecedented number of nationwide judicial injunctions against the Trump Administration
But the lawmaker cut her off, asking her to ‘identify’ some of the scholars who are experts in nationwide injunctions.
The law professor started to answer his question, but Hawley cut her off again, noting how the ‘republic endured for 150 years before there was a nationwide injunction’.
Shaw, however, claimed the ‘federal government was doing a lot less’ before and that ‘many things that have changed’ in the last five to ten decades.
Hawley continued to push: ‘So, so long as it is a Democrat president in office, then we should have no nationwide injunctions? If it’s a Republican president, then this is absolutely fine, warranted, and called for.
‘How can our system of law survive on those principles, Professor?’
‘I think a system in which there are no meaningful constraints on the president is a very dangerous system,’ Shaw answered before the clip came to an end.
Hayes, offering his reaction to the exchange, just quoted his wife’s testimony, telling the audience: ‘A very plausible explanation you have to consider is that he is engaged in much more lawless activities than other presidents.’
Hayes and Shaw met in the late 1990s during their freshman year at Brown University. They tied the knot in 2007 and now share three children together. The couple are nown share sweet glimpses of their romance and family life on social media
Hayes and Shaw met in the late 1990s during their freshman year at Brown University. They tied the knot in 2007 and now share three children together.
Shaw has made several appearances on Hayes’ politics podcast Why Is This Happening?.
She was a guest on the podcast twice in 2018 to discuss the ‘Rule of Law in the Era of Trump’ and appeared on the show again in 2019 to discuss the ‘meaning of impeachment’.
The pair, both of whom have large media presences, also occasionally collaborate on crossover podcast episodes.
The couple are also known share sweet glimpses of their romance and family life on social media.
