Broken Law

In recent years, the Roberts Court has fundamentally reshaped constitutional law. This Term, the Court will take up cases that could have profound implications for civil rights, public safety, and the health of our democracy. A panel of constitutional and legal experts joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss how far the Court might go to further transform voting rights, access to the courts to pursue ac...

Insiders likened aspects of Trump’s proposed “anti-weaponization fund” to a truth and reconciliation commission—a key transitional justice process—to legitimize the corrupt mechanism. Yet, the Trump Administration’s use of transitional justice terms to address supposed abuses of the past brings up important questions about what transitional justice mechanisms might be needed to address rights viol...

State attorneys general have been in the news a lot lately. But many people don’t fully understand what the job of state attorney general entails, and voters too often skip these races on their ballot because they don’t know anything about the office or the candidates. With 30 states and the District of Columbia holding elections for their attorneys general this November, understanding the role of...

The first ballots of this year's midterms have been sent out, and with that, it is officially election season.  Katie Waldo of We the Action and Nicholas Gothard of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law join Ashley Erickson to discuss ways that lawyers and law students can get involved in election protection efforts in 2026. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.o...

The Department of Justice is in crisis. The bedrock principle of non-interference, once held sacrosanct by administrations of both parties, has been jettisoned. The Attorney General has directed the Department to represent the President and his agenda above all else. Thousands of attorneys and professionals have left or been forced out as leadership pursues personal and political grudges at the Pr...

Nine years after Hurricane Maria and ten years after a fiscal control board was imposed on Puerto Rico, the second Trump Administration is now using the island for its own aims while neglecting the needs of the island's citizens. In this episode, Dr. Marisol LeBrón joins Valerie Nannery to dig into Puerto Rico’s colonial status, how it effects the everyday lives of Puerto Ricans, and how it e...

In the wake of recent SCOTUS decisions like Dobbs and Skrmetti , the bodies and actions of queer people, mothers, and pregnant people have been increasingly criminalized.  Lindsay Langholz is joined by Valena Beety to discuss her new book, Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity , and how women and queer people are being punished for crimes tha...

In backsliding democracies around the world, civil society organizations have consistently been targeted by government actors in order to stifle dissent and pluralism.  ACS Director of Policy and Program Diane Furstenau joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss this pattern and what lessons we can learn from other countries' experiences as we face similar threats at home. Join the Progressive Legal M...

Checks on executive power have become fully unbalanced, with boundaries and guardrails overrun daily. Congressional leadership unwilling to challenge a president of their own party and an enabling Court have thus far proven largely uninterested in reining in a president who openly defies constitutional and legal constraints on his power. A recent panel at ACS's 2026 National Convention tackle...

Since retaking office, the Trump Administration has put the legal profession in the crosshairs through executive orders, administrative rules, and public pressure campaigns targeting lawyers, law firms, and judges. In a recent wave of attacks, the Administration has set its sights on law schools and law students. Amanda Fuchs Miller joins Ashley Erickson to discuss the various levers of federal po...

In the final weeks of the 2025-2026 term, the Supreme Court will issue over two dozen decisions in key cases.  Before this final stretch, we return to ACS's Supreme Court Preview event to refresh our collective memories on those cases still outstanding and as an opportunity to reflect on what the term has yielded thus far. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Valerie Na...

Recent reporting suggests the President is flirting with issuing more blanket pardons for political allies and those willing to court his favor.  Liz Oyer joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss how the president's pardon power has been used (and abused) in recent years and to understand just how far outside the norms we have strayed. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Lind...

It has been a tough few weeks for democracy.  The US Supreme Court's recent demolition of what remained of the Voting Rights Act, the Virginia Supreme Court's decision to trump the express will of Virginia voters to redraw congressional lines, and southern state legislatures racing to the bottom to strip Black voters of political power have weighed heavily on us all.  For our 200th episo...

As ACS staff prepares for our 2026 National Convention in Washington, DC, we invite you to revisit two highlights of our 2024 convention for a little inspiration and encourage you to join us for this year's event if you are able.  Judge Carlton Reeves (S.D. Miss.) and then-New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin delivered remarks on the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education , the role attorn...

Since January 2025, the District of Columbia and its more than 700,000 residents have been under near-constant attack by both the Executive and Legislative branches of the federal government. The federal officials attempting to control the District through legislative action and physical force are not elected by D.C. residents and are not accountable to them. Keya Chatterjee joins Broken Law to de...

The Roberts Court has recently used its docket to indulge in growing antidemocratic tendencies, collecting power for itself as it shuts the courthouse doors on those seeking to vindicate their constitutional rights and uphold checks and balances.  David Sloss joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss his new book, People v. The Court: The Next Revolution in Constitutional Law, and how power might be rebal...

What trust remains in antitrust enforcement under the Second Trump Administration?  Diana Moss joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss the Nexstar-Tegna merger, what impact the deal would have on consumers, and why the politicization of regulatory bodies like the FCC threatens due process and the rule of law. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Lindsay Langholz, Vice President of...

Katie Gima and Jess Zalph join Ashley Erickson to discuss ACS's Constitution in the Classroom program, including a look at newly released curriculum entitled "Separation of Church and State and the U.S. Constitution" and how to bring this important piece of civic education to a classroom near you. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Ashley Erickson, Senior Di...

Kim Lane Scheppele joins Valerie Nannery to discuss how America’s slide into autocracy is similar to and different from autocratic shifts around the world, how far America is on the path to autocracy, and what we can all do to stop the descent.  Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Valerie Nannery, Senior Director of Policy and Program Guest: Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S....

Lindsay Langholz is joined by ACS San Diego Lawyer Chapter leaders Kevin Gregg and Emily Howe to discuss immigration cases making their way through federal courts, who gets to decide who is an American, what protection citizenship or legal status provides, and what it is like to be on the front lines of defending American democracy. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Linds...

The rights protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution are essential for the proper functioning of a responsive democracy.  As we mark the end of the first year of the Second Trump Administration, Nora Benavidez joins Lindsay Langholz to take stock of the effects of a year-long assault on free speech and discuss her recent report, Chokehold: Donald Trump's War on Free Speech &am...

Introducing ACS's New President!  Phil Brest joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss his background in judicial nominations, the perspective he brings to his new role, and the political moment we all find ourselves in as he takes the helm at ACS. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program Guest: Phil Brest, President of ACS Li...

From detaining student protesters to threatening to deport rival politicians, President Trump has weaponized the immigration system to suppress dissent. Professor Alina Das and advocate Ramya Krishnan join Taonga Leslie to discuss how these attacks chill speech across the board, examine the unique challenges of defending free speech in the immigration context, and describe how lawyers can resist e...

This fall, the Department of Homeland Security descended on the Greater Chicago area as part of an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign targeting Democratic-run cities.  Scott Sakiyama joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss his experiences organizing and engaging in efforts to combat authoritarian tactics used by federal agents, what activists in other cities can learn from Chicago, and the impo...

Indigenous communities are often invited to participate in the conversation about access to their sacred sites but rarely do their interests prevail. Time and again, their input is received and yet made subordinate to competing interests from corporate powers, scientific pursuits, and even recreation.  Michalyn Steele joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss how the law could be changed to reorder existi...