#SistersInLaw

Joyce Vance and Kimberly Atkins Stohr answer listener questions on presidential vetoes under a Democratic Congress, lawyer disbarment, and more. They explain how regular and pocket vetoes work and why a new Congress should still pass agenda-setting bills; how some states require partisan judicial elections and the importance of researching candidates; the state licensing process for disbarring law...

Barb McQuade hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss the unexpected election results in Alaska and Mississippi, the unique aspects of their voting systems, ranked-choice voting, legal challenges relating to election integrity, and how the Blue Wave will affect the country.  Then, the #Sisters examine the SCOTUS arguments in a Catholic school’s challenge to anti-discrimination law, the tension between relig...

Barb McQuade and Jill Wine-Banks answer listener questions on Democratic plans to counter Project 2025, the potential deportation case against Rep. Ilhan Omar, and more. They explain the constitutional role of grand juries in federal cases, House and Senate Democratic plans for the first 100 hours and 100 days, why civil service rules should still be followed even if opponents have flouted them, t...

Joyce Vance hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss the state of voting rights going into the midterm elections, looking at the DOJ’s challenges in Alaska and California, the future implications of federal interference in the states, and the history of dirty tricks in politics.  Then, the #Sisters explain Maureen Comey’s victorious lawsuit against the administration for wrongful termination, and the latest...

Barb McQuade and Kimberly Atkins Stohr answer listener questions on everything from down-ballot elections to presidential immunity, and more. They explain how voters can research judges through resources like vote411.org and the League of Women Voters, why local media’s decline has shifted focus away from state and local races, how voters can keep pressing officials on corruption, why states may s...

Kimberly Atkins Stohr hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss Trump’s expanding campaign to cast doubt on the midterm results, a voter eligibility lawsuit in California trying to block people from voting, and the need to provide voter information and empower voters.  Then, the #Sisters expose corruption allegations involving Kimberly Guilfoyle and Alina Habba, and sound the alarm on the broader problem of...

Kimberly Atkins Stohr and Jill Wine-Banks answer listener questions on everything from ICC jurisdiction to an all-female Supreme Court, and more. They explain why the International Criminal Court lacks jurisdiction over U.S. third-country immigrant removals, why Congress cannot appoint special counsel to investigate or prosecute the Trump administration, the potential of an all-female Supreme Cour...

Jill Wine-Banks hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss the SCOTUS case over a FOIA request seeking DOGE transparency, the legal arguments, government accountability under Trump, and what the decision will mean for future information requests.  Then, the #Sisters expose MAGA’s war on the environment and disaster preparedness, looking at emergency preparedness during the fire season, the environmental conce...

Barb McQuade and Joyce Vance answer listener questions on everything from AI-related harms to the death penalty, and more. They explain existing product liability and consumer protection tools that could address harmful AI systems while noting the need for new regulation, the limits of Trump’s executive order renaming the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, Congress’s civil,...

Barb McQuade hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss the ongoing impact of the Dobbs decision on abortion laws across the country, particularly regarding access to Mifepristone, legal challenges to Dobbs and abortion laws, and the struggle to restore our rights.  Then, the #Sisters examine the violations of Posse Comitatus created by Trump’s immigration enforcement, why preventing the militarization of law...

Jill Wine-Banks and Barb McQuade answer listener questions on everything from whether the Eighth Amendment covers immigration detention to foreign election interference, and more. They explain why the Supreme Court treats the ban on cruel and unusual punishment as applying only after criminal conviction, how international legal conferences and ABA programs let countries compare systems, why a crim...

Joyce Vance hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss the legality of government-funded political ads, looking at the difference between public service announcements and partisan propaganda, and how it compromises the ethical use of taxpayer funds.  Then, the #Sisters review the legality of the Trump administration's third-country removal of immigrants, the SCOTUS decision allowing it to continue, and how in...

Jill Wine-Banks and Barb McQuade answer listener questions on everything from gift-tax rules for large White House staff gifts to whether a Speaker could refuse to swear in newly elected members, and more. They discuss the annual $19,000 exclusion versus the lifetime exemption and who actually pays the gift tax, the political-question doctrine and why a Mike Johnson logjam is theoretically possibl...

Kimberly Atkins Stohr hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss Trump’s war on media organizations following the stripping of credentials to respected organizations, how his actions butt up against the 1st Amendment, and the judicial response.  Then, the #Sisters examine the U.S. immigration policy of 3rd country removals, the legal challenges to it, and the ongoing human rights concerns.  They also review t...

Joyce Vance and Kimberly Atkins Stohr answer listener questions on everything from Judge Mehta’s January 6 ruling to Apple devices listening in two-party consent states, and more. They discuss why the judge followed Rule 48 and the separation of powers even while criticizing the DOJ, how Citizens United can only be undone by a new Court majority or a constitutional amendment and why Democrats shou...

Jill Wine-Banks hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss the SCOTUS ruling shutting down Trump’s executive order limiting mail-in voting, what it means for the upcoming midterm elections, who dissented and why, and what it means for future challenges to voting rights.  Then, the #Sisters highlight legal concerns over Trump’s ongoing attempt to take control of the Kennedy Center, explain Congress's role, and...

Joyce Vance and Barb McQuade answer listener questions on everything from Trump’s White House ballroom to the insanity defense, and more. They discuss the Supreme Court’s halt of construction without deciding its legality, Congress’s unused power of the purse, limits of presidential immunity and the political risks of impeachment, why private carriers cannot replace the Postal Service for ballots,...

Joyce Vance hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss Trump’s unusual payments to his staff and his promise of $5,000 to voters if they vote for Republicans during the midterm elections. Then, the #Sisters dissect the gerrymandering battle in Missouri, looking at how the SCOTUS ruling impacts the state, the grassroots movements demanding representation, and the challenges posed by election deniers holding ke...

Barb McQuaid and Jill Wine-Banks answer listener questions on everything from ICE accountability to vacated convictions, and more. They discuss why courts cannot independently prosecute federal agents who overstep the law, immunity barriers in civil suits, where to find pro bono immigration help, how probate works when there is no will, the green card process in marriages, the legal line between c...

Barb McQuade hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss the recent legal battles over Trump’s attempts to interfere with mail-in voting and the potential legal consequences for presidential election meddling.  Then, the #Sisters review the legal issues surrounding another shooting of a civilian by ICE in Minnesota, Governor Abbott’s extradition attempts, and the federal charges filed against the agent.  They...

Joyce Vance and Jill Wine-Banks answer listener questions on everything from prosecutorial liability to bodily autonomy, and more. They discuss why lying to the public is not a crime and how impeachment or elections are the remedies, why U.S. attorneys carry malpractice insurance and when they can be sued, possible Democratic House investigations into Trump family finances if Democrats regain the...

Jill Wine-Banks hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss the State Department’s war on immigrants, the revocation of B1 and B2 visas, how it affects asylum seekers, and the legal basis for extradition after being targeted by ICE.  Then, the #Sisters review the legal basis for Trump’s proposed inscription of his name on the Kennedy Center, the issues it raises, and the political motivations involved.  They a...

Barb McQuade and Kimberly Atkins Stohr answer listener questions on everything from selective prosecution to the origins of the filibuster. They discuss how discrimination claimants can proceed given the current state of the EEOC, the lack of a federal duty to disclose a member of Congress’s death, the distinction between prosecutorial discretion and selective prosecution, how the shadow docket di...

Kimberly Atkins Stohr hosts #SistersInLaw to discuss the Pentagon’s war on the Constitution, looking at the lawsuit against the so-called Department of War regarding the independence of the military newspaper Stars & Stripes and discrimination in military promotions. Then, the #Sisters explore the effects of social media on our youth in light of the ongoing META trial.  They also examine the r...

Jill Wine-Banks and Kimberly Atkins Stohr answer listener questions on everything from Fifth Amendment protections and contempt of Congress to the lasting effects of presidential pardons. They discuss whether Dr. Anthony Fauci can be held in contempt after pleading the Fifth, the limits on investigating or indicting after a preemptive pardon, the ability to pursue civil suits to recover funds from...