Peter Shamshiri is a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

host. He was formerly an in-house legal counsel at

MetLife MetLife, Inc. is the Holding company, holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, Annuity (US financial produ ...

, but was fired upon his employers learning of his involvement with the podcast 5-4. Shamshiri currently co-hosts the podcast 5-4, which examines the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

as an ideological entity, from a critical, progressive perspective, as well as the podcast If Books Could Kill, which critically examines the premises of various popular non-fiction books, primarily focusing on harmful ideas spread through popular literature. Shamshiri is a proponent of

legal realism Legal realism is a naturalistic approach to law; it is the view that jurisprudence should emulate the methods of natural science; that is, it should rely on empirical evidence. Hypotheses must be tested against observations of the world. Leg ...

Career

Prior to his work as a podcaster, Shamshiri worked as a lawyer. He has described himself as having had a brief "do-gooder-phase" where he worked as a juvenile defendant, but has otherwise worked in corporate law. His first podcast was Mic Dicta, which was a shared legal podcast hosted by a large group of lawyers. He, along with lawyers Rhiannon Hamam and Michael Liroff, co-hosts the podcast 5-4, which was launched in February 2020 by Prologue Projects. The podcast gained particular popularity after the overturning of

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...

and has been generally well-received for its irreverent tone and sharp analysis. He also co-hosts the podcast If Books Could Kill with journalist Michael Hobbes, which was similarly well-received. Shamshiri is a writer for legal news site Balls and Strikes. In 2024, he was chosen as one of the new political influencers to watch by The New Republic.

Personal life

Shamshiri is a

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

. His hobbies include chess and watching undefined sports. He is straight, married and resides in New Jersey. He is a Virgo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shamshiri, Peter 21st-century American journalists American lawyers American book podcasters American podcasters Living people American writers