Boom! Lawyered

The last couple years have been a wild ride, to say the least. Boom! Lawyered celebrates our two-year anniversary by looking ahead to the next two years. What's in store for reproductive rights, LGBTQ equality, and the integrity of the Supreme Court? Jess and Imani offer their predictions—and a ray of hope. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a...

In Chicago, no one within 50 feet of an abortion clinic is allowed to get closer than eight feet to another person. Anti-choice groups have challenged this "bubble zone" ordinance, and the Supreme Court is about to decide whether to hear them out. Jess and Imani explain what's at stake for clinics, providers, and patients in Chicago and around the country if John Roberts and friends take...

The Department of Labor has proposed a rule that could gut civil rights protections for the employees of more than 42,000 businesses that hold a federal contract. Imani and Jess explain the rule, its impact, and why former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia might roll over in his grave if he knew his son could be tasked with enforcing it.  Anyone can comment on this law here . Expert Repro Journ...

This week, a federal court blocked Missouri’s multi-week gestational ban. But did you know that another restriction banning abortions based on the race, sex, or Down syndrome diagnosis of a fetus was allowed to take effect? Jess and Imani explain the faulty logic of these bans and how this decision paves the way for more trouble down the road. Read more from Jess here . Expert Repro Journalism Tha...

Planned Parenthood recently announced it will withdraw from the federal family planning program known as Title X because of President Donald Trump’s domestic "gag rule." Imani and Jess explain this crisis and how Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts helped lay the foundation for it. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment...

Shameless Tennessee lawmakers are trying to redefine fetal viability in a way that makes no medical sense and is designed as a direct attack on Roe v. Wade . Jess and Imani explain what makes this bill a dangerous escalation in the decades-long crusade to overturn Roe . Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawy...

Recently, the ultra-conservative 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated an involuntary manslaughter charge against a Native woman from Sisseton, South Dakota. That charge is based on allegations that she ingested illegal drugs while pregnant, resulting in the death of her newborn. Jess and Imani explain why this decision is an alarming escalation of the anti-choice efforts to establish fetal pers...

It's no secret that Imani and Jess are as close as they are smart. But what secrets have they kept from each other? And what secrets have they kept from us? All is revealed on this special episode of Boom! Lawyered. 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 in our courts...

SisterSong v. Kemp may be the first major lawsuit centering the reality that attacks on access to abortion care disproportionately harm communities of color. Imani and Jess explain the case and how it could introduce the concept of reproductive justice to the Supreme Court.   Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom...

Last week, a Department of Justice lawyer stunned the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals when she argued that it is “safe and sanitary” to confine immigrant children for indefinite periods of time without basic needs like soap or toothbrushes. Jess and Imani explain the legal framework meant to protect these children and how the Trump administration intends to dismantle it. Expert Repro Journalism Tha...

Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that policies targeting transgender people are sex-based discrimination that must meet heightened scrutiny to be constitutional. This is a big deal! Imani and Jess evaluate this important—but qualified—win for transgender rights and what it means for those rights in the future. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take...

The fight over the Trump administration’s questionable efforts to add a citizenship question to the census has reached the Supreme Court, and a decision looms. Jess and Imani explain the case and how a bad decision could cement inequality for generations. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you...

Jess sits down with Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to discuss the challenges facing progressive attorneys general in the era of Trump and how they are fighting back against his administration. 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 in our courts, chip in to k...

This week, the Supreme Court ruled that a provision of an Indiana law mandating the burial or cremation of fetal remains could take effect. At the same time, it blocked a separate provision of the Indiana law banning abortions based on the race, sex, or disability of a fetus. Imani and Jess explain Tuesday’s decision, Justice Clarence Thomas’s opinion equating modern-day family planning with eugen...

Conservative lawmakers are passing total and near-total abortion bans with the explicit hope that they will be used to overturn  Roe v. Wade . But how would that work, exactly? Imani and Jess explain the arguments that would fuel a legal challenge to Roe and how a bad decision could then be used to attack state laws protecting abortion rights. Download Imani's highlighted copy of the Roe v. Wade d...

Franchise Board of California v. Hyatt may not be the most important case of the Supreme Court term, but the fallout from the Court's decision to overturn decades of precedent could have major ramifications for Roe v. Wade . In fact, Justice Stephen Breyer sounded the alarm himself in his dissenting opinion. In this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Imani and Jess explain what happened and what it could...

The near-total ban on abortion recently passed in Georgia contrasts sharply with the landmark decision in Kansas that declared abortion a natural right. Jess and Imani explore which of those paths other states are likely to follow and the main reason there's still hope for abortion rights in America. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitm...

The Supreme Court announced this week that it will hear three cases that could determine what, if any, protections LGBTQ employees have from job discrimination. Jess and Imani explain what it means that the Court agreed to hear all three cases together and how the effects of a bad ruling could extend into housing and health-care discrimination. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes...

Imani and Jess discuss the case of Jamal Knox, a young rapper who was convicted for terroristic threats and witness intimidation based on the lyrics of his music. When are words “true threats,” and when are they protected free speech? And why do most court cases on speech seem to be decided in whichever direction benefits white Christian patriarchy? Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Epi...

The Supreme Court will soon decide whether to take a case that would give school districts the ability to affirmatively discriminate against transgender students. Jess and Imani explain how a bad decision in this case could enshrine the bogus concept of "reverse discrimination" into law, putting even more rights—and lives—at risk. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes lik...

In a new filing this week, President Donald Trump's Justice Department declared that it wants the courts to strike down the entirety of the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional. This comes on the heels of a recent district court decision making the same argument by U.S. District Court Judge and noted malcontent Reed O'Connor. Jess and Imani explain this new strategy, the legal errors underpinni...

Jess and Imani answer listener questions across a range of important issues. Where can we find hope for the future of reproductive rights? How soon will people feel the impact of so many recent ultra-conservative judges appointed to the lower courts? And what beverage pairs well with a delicious criminal indictment? Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, researc...

Ryan Magers is suing the Alabama Women's Center for wrongful death because his girlfriend, who was 16 at the time, got an abortion—with the consent of her parents—against Magers's wishes. How is this even possible? And how does this case fit into the ongoing anti-choice campaign for "fetal personhood?" Imani and Jess have those answers and more.  Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.&nb...

Anti-choice politicians are pushing a new legislative strategy to demonize their opponents and confuse the public: so-called Born Alive bills. In this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Imani and Jess dissect the myths propping up this strategy and give you all the tools you need to combat anti-choice lies about later abortion. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires.  Episodes like this take time, res...

An unforgettable day of testimony on Capitol Hill began with Republicans demanding a do-over because—wait for it—they didn't get documents on time. For anyone who followed the Kavanaugh hearings, that might be funny if it wasn't so sad. And that was just the beginning! In this emergency episode of Boom! Lawyered, Jess and Imani discuss some of the most pressing legal questions and concerning devel...