Broken Law

In less than four years, President Biden has gone from a skeptic to proponent of significant reforms to the Supreme Court. Christopher Wright Durocher joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss how the Court’s recent decisions have played into the growing calls for reform and what proposals may be gaining traction. We also bring you excerpts of ACS’s 2023-2024 Supreme Court Review to better understand just...

In less than 100 days, voters all over the country will start heading to the polls as early voting begins in most states. Lindsay Langholz is joined by ACS’s Ashley Erickson and Power the Poll’s Marta Hanson to cut through the noise of the presidential race and talk about one concrete thing that can be done to help protect democracy this year and help restore faith in our election system long-term...

Artificial intelligence has burst onto the scene at a fragile time for our democracy, leading to many questions about how such a powerful tool can be harnessed to empower voters and election administrators while exposing vulnerabilities in our democratic structures. Taonga Leslie speaks with Spencer Overton about the potential racial harms and upsides of AI on our democracy. Join the Progressive L...

As we approach the end of another Supreme Court term where originalism has dominated opinion after opinion in furtherance of an extremist conservative ideology, a question once again arises - how should progressives interpret the Constitution? Madiba Dennie joins Valerie Nannery to discuss her new book, The Originalism Trap , and how progressives can reclaim what the Constitution means. Join the P...

Antitrust has escaped the business section and become a major topic of conversation in households across America. If you plan to attend a summer concert, buy groceries, or even listen to this episode on your phone, antitrust could have a real impact on your day-to-day life. Recent high-profile cases and notable agency actions have garnered commentary from supporters and skeptics alike. Elizabeth B...

The Biden Administration recently released a new rule that provides critical updates to Title IX. Lindsay Langholz and ACS Law Fellow Claire Comey speak with Anya Marino and Shiwali Patel about this important federal civil rights law, the contours of this new regulation, and the work still to be done to protect students of all gender identities on campus. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today:...

Christopher Wright Durocher is joined by Professor Elisabeth Semel to talk about her recently released report, Guess Who’s Coming to Jury Duty? They discuss how too many courts don’t adequately track prospective jurors’ race and ethnicity and how the failure to take a race-conscious approach to jury selection and service results in the perpetuation of implicit, explicit, and institutional racial b...

This week on Broken Law, we revisit two moving speeches from ACS's 2023 National Convention. Oren Nimni and Sherrilyn Ifill explore the complicity of lawyers in maintaining our unjust legal system and the special responsibility we bear in creating a more just future. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Today's Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Progra...

Florida and Arizona state courts recently green lit restrictive abortion bans and the Supreme Court hears two cases that will have significant implications for how doctors and pregnant people navigate the post- Dobbs chaos.  Elizabeth Binczik and Lindsay Langholz discuss the latest abortion news and how these developments are interacting with this year's elections. Join the Progressive Legal...

The Supreme Court has taken up three cases that arise out of litigants seeking accountability for the violent events of January 6th. This month, the Court will hear arguments on former president Trump's presidential immunity claim and take a look at whether the law used to prosecute many January 6th participants was validly applied in one such prosecution. Lindsay Langholz speaks with Donald...

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to affect how work is performed across industries and, in particular, within media and entertainment. Elizabeth Binczik speaks with Sarah Fowler of SAG-AFTRA to get her thoughts on how AI could impact performers’ work, the current state of the law, and how we might protect performers and people in general from AI’s risks without sacrificing AI’s benefits....

International Women's Day will be celebrated on March 8th. It is a day to celebrate while also taking stock of women's rights here in the United States and abroad.  This year, we see a number of countries making significant strides toward reproductive freedom for women while the United States slides backwards. Lindsay Langholz speaks with Julie Suk, author of "After Misogyny: How th...

Under the banner of "40 acres and a mule," the movement for reparations for slavery and Jim Crow has gained momentum in recent years, with diverse efforts underway from big states like California and New York to smaller communities like Evanston, Illinois and Asheville, North Carolina. Marcus Hunter, author of the recently published "Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation...

The Electoral College has shown significant flaws since its inception. Twice in the 21st Century, the national popular vote winner has not ultimately been elected President. The undemocratic nature of the institution has many asking why our system is built the way it is and what can be done to fix it. In this follow-up to Episode 137 ("Is the ECA Prepared for 2024?"), Lindsay Langholz sp...

The Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in Loper Bright Enterprises and Relentless, Inc. , two cases that could see the Court overrule the Chevron doctrine, a 40-year-old precedent. Overruling Chevron could empower courts to redesign federal governance as we know it. Elizabeth Binczik speaks with Professor Andrew Mergen about what happened at the oral arguments, about the Chevron doctrine,...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in the second of two big immigration cases this term. On this episode, Jeanne Hruska speaks with Taonga Leslie about the Supreme Court's track record on immigration, takeaways from the oral arguments in the relevant cases this term, and the potential impact on access to justice depending on how the Court rules. Join the Progressive Legal Mov...

Welcome to 2024! We are covering two topics poised to shape the new year. First, Jeanne Hruska catches up with Lindsay Langholz for the latest developments in efforts to keep Donald Trump off the ballot in various states and whether SCOTUS will finally step in. Jeanne then speaks with ACS President Russ Feingold to discuss where President Biden is on judicial appointments at the end of three years...

The Electoral Count Act (ECA) played a prominent role in the legal fictions clung to by those who orchestrated the January 6th Insurrection. With another presidential election before us, Lindsay Langholz joins Jeanne Hruska to discuss the updates made to the ECA since 2021 and whether we should have faith in the ECA this election cycle. They also recap end-of-year SCOTUS news.   Join the Progressi...

With 2023 nearly over, Craig Mastantuono and Neal Sarkar join Jeanne Hruska to discuss the good, the bad, and the terrifying from the past year and to look ahead to the mammoth year that is 2024. Craig and Neal also share the biggest 2023 takeaways from their respective states: Wisconsin and Texas.   Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Today's Host: Jeanne Hruska , ACS Sr Ad...

After a hot labor summer, we've continued to see positive developments on the labor front. On this episode, Elizabeth Binczik speaks with Professor Catherine Fisk about the combination of labor wins this year and what 2023 could mean for labor moving forward. They review the deals struck to end the Hollywood strikes and the ingenuity of the United Auto Worker strikes. Join the Progressive Leg...

Two topics for the price of one episode. Jeanne Hruska is joined by Professor Mark Lemley for a discussion on his recent article, “Red Courts, Blue Courts,” which explains how administrations are increasingly prioritizing district court vacancies in states that align with their party and the resulting consequences. In the second half of the episode, they delve into AI and the question of whether A...

There's been much conversation about Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and whether it can be used to keep people who engaged in the January 6th insurrection off the ballot. Lindsay Langholz speaks with Donald Sherman and Nikhel Sus from CREW  about their lawsuit aimed at keeping Donald Trump off the ballot in Colorado. They discuss the ruling of the trial court and look ahead to the December 6t...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently published a "Code of Conduct," signed by all nine justices.  Jeanne Hruska catches up with Russ Feingold, ACS President, to discuss how much weight, if any, to give this new Code. They also discuss the latest on judicial confirmations and look ahead to how voters can engage on the courts come election time.  Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLa...

Since the U.S. Supreme Court largely outlawed affirmative action in higher education earlier this year, there's been discussion about what the decision could mean for the future of DEI practices in employment. Taonga Leslie speaks with Marcus Childress about the chilling effect that SFFA v. Harvard has had and how employers can continue to advance DEI in the wake of the decision.  Join the Pr...

The U.S. Supreme Court has an opportunity to rein in its disastrous 2nd Amendment decision in  NYSRPA v. Bruen  this term, or make it that much harder for states to prevent gun violence. Christopher Wright Durocher speaks with  Esther Sanchez-Gomez (Giff ords Law Center) about takeaways from the Court's oral argument in  U.S. v. Rahimi   and how the Court could clean up its own mess when it c...