Boom! Lawyered

On April 27, Arkansas officials issued a directive requiring anyone seeking elective surgery to obtain a negative COVID-19 test 48 hours prior to an abortion. Can you guess which elective procedure those officials were primarily targeting? Yep, that's right: procedural abortion. Advocates almost immediately sued on behalf of three patients who needed an abortion, hadn’t been able to get a COVID-19...

Believe it or not, the U.S. Supreme Court is still hearing cases on the birth control benefit! Jess and Imani hop on the mics after Wednesday's arguments to break down everything you need to know, including: The highlights and lowlights from the arguments The future of contraceptive coverage Whether Brett Kavanaugh horribly embarrassed himself The justices' ongoing battle with the mute button And...

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in two consolidated cases that could kill off the birth control benefit for good. Jess and Imani preview everything you need to know. If you'd like to support Boom! Lawyered, please visit: https://rewire.news/boomgive Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawye...

The landscape of abortion access is shifting rapidly, and it feels something new is happening every day. Which states are trying to use COVID-19 to try and ban abortion? How are the courts responding? It’s almost impossible to keep up. Fortunately, Jess and Imani are here to bring us up to speed on the latest developments in Texas, Ohio, Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and...

Do you know who's not staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic? Abortion clinic protesters. In this episode, Jess and Imani lay waste to the claim that protesting an abortion clinic during a global pandemic is an "essential service" and discuss whether the courts will look the other way, anyway. Love Boom! Lawyered? Support us here: https://rewire.news/boomgive Expert Repro Journalism That Inspir...

On March 31, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed Texas lawmakers to exploit the COVID-19 outbreak to ban abortion services—effective immediately. Imani Gandy and Jessica Mason Pieklo hop on the mic to discuss what happened, what this means, and what's likely to happen next in Texas and around the country. Want to support Boom! Lawyered? Help us here ! Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.&...

The coronavirus crisis has forced the U.S. Supreme Court to hit pause. What will happen to cases that have been argued, like June Medical Services v. Russo ? What will happen to other important cases yet to be argued? And how concerned should we be for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Imani and Jess discuss these questions and more on the latest episode of Boom! Lawyered. If you'd like to support our...

Eleven towns in East Texas recently declared themselves "sanctuary cities for the unborn." Seriously. Jess and Imani explain why this ridiculous idea might be the first step of a scary new strategy from the anti-choice movement. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake...

Jess was inside the Supreme Court for arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo. Then she literally ran across the street to record this podcast with Imani to bring the rest of us up to speed on the most important and surprising moments of the day. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you under...

On March 4th, the Supreme Court will hear the first major abortion rights case since Brett Kavanaugh joined the bench. Jess and Imani preview what's at stake and explain the sleeper issue that could upend abortion rights law as we know it. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’...

ALERT: Our new series We'll Hear Arguments comes out on 2/25! Subscribe here for the coolest breakdown of Roe v. Wade ever: https://rewire.news/arguments Now back to our regular programming: An alarming new bill in Indiana asserts that life begins at conception, and federal laws that “fail to protect a person’s inalienable right to life” are null and void in the Hoosier State. In other words, anti...

We have some big news for Boom! Lawyered subscribers: Jess and Imani are launching a second podcast series on February 25th!  It's not available yet, but we wanted to give our listeners a special preview... The new show is called We'll Hear Arguments, and it explores the dramatic, inspiring, and infuriating arguments of Roe v. Wade from 1971 and 1972. This journey into the past is extremely releva...

Federalist Society heavyweight Leonard Leo is one of the primary architects of the conservative takeover of the federal courts. Now, he's got a new dark money project that could cement that takeover for a generation or more. Imani and Jess explain Leo's new plan and just how scary things could get if it works. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and...

Reason bans! D&E bans! Pre-viability bans! TRAP laws! And a landmark Supreme Court case.  2020 is shaping up to be a wild ride for abortion rights in the United States. In our final Boom! Lawyered episode of 2019, Imani and Jess map out everything worth following in the year ahead. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. I...

Today, the Supreme Court declined an appeal challenging a Kentucky law that forces doctors to show and describe ultrasound images before performing an abortion—even if patients avert their eyes or ask the doctor to stop. In this emergency episode, Jess and Imani explain what this means for the First Amendment and abortion rights in Kentucky and around the country. Expert Repro Journalism That Insp...

June Medical Services v. Gee  could upend over four decades of abortion rights precedent when the case goes before the U.S. Supreme Court in March. That's because, as part of their decision, the justices will rule on whether abortion providers can sue on behalf of their patients. Imani and Jess explain why this is a big deal and how the Court is likely to decide. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspi...

Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone tried to perform an abortion while committing arson or burglary? Ohio lawmakers have, and they've proposed a massive new ban to deal with that hypothetical—and a whole lot more. Jess and Imani break down a 723-page bill that will leave your jaw on the floor. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and...

When is a ban not a ban? When it's a deadline! Imani and Jess dive into the absurd arguments that Arkansas is making in the hopes that its pre-viability abortion ban will stick. Will the courts buy these new claims? Are other states following suit? B!L answers those questions and more.  Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the tru...

Imani and Jess debunk the latest frontier in junk science: "abortion reversal." As more states pass laws forcing doctors to promote this myth, the courts continue to step in and block them. But if more people don't recognize the bad-faith claims underlying "abortion reversal," that could change—and sooner than we might think. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take tim...

During recent Supreme Court arguments about trans rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, one of the justices appeared to buy into the idea of "bathroom panic." That may not seem surprising—except that the justice in question was Sonia Sotomayor. Imani and Jess explain what happened, where Justice Sotomayor went wrong, and why "bathroom panic" arguments don't hold up under scrutiny. Expert...

There's only one abortion clinic left in Kentucky, and by law its doctors must place ultrasound images in the patient’s view and read a state-mandated script. Recently, the ACLU filed a petition on behalf of the clinic asking the Supreme Court to step in. Imani and Jess explain the forced ultrasound law, its harms, and how the Roberts Court could protect—or devastate—the free speech rights of prov...

This morning, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the three cases that will ultimately decide whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects gay and trans employees from employment discrimination. Jess attended the arguments and then joined Imani for a breakdown of the most important moments. Jess then interviews Claudia Trevor-Wright about the experience of being arrested during Court-relate...

Friday morning, the Supreme Court announced it was taking June Medical Services v. Gee . In this emergency episode of Boom! Lawyered, Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy discuss why this is a direct threat to reproductive rights and the value of legal precedent. For more, please read: Supreme Court Takes First Abortion Rights Case With Kavanaugh on the Bench Boom! Lawyered: Standing Edition Exper...

On October 8, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a trio of cases to determine whether sexual orientation discrimination is sex discrimination and thus prevented under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Jess and Imani explain these landmark cases and what to expect from the day of arguments next week. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a c...

The first full Supreme Court term featuring Brett Kavanaugh is less than a week away. Jess and Imani preview the important abortion rights cases to keep an eye on and everything that hangs in the balance. For all the latest updates on these cases and more, visit Rewire. News . Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boo...