Broken Law

As our country races towards a financial cliff known as the debt limit, there is growing talk of President Biden invoking the 14th Amendment to defy the debt limit statute and continue to pay our nation's bills. Garrett Epps and Peter Shane join Jeanne Hruska to discuss the 14th Amendment and what could be the least worst option for the country.  Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today:   A...

Bradley Whitford (West Wing, The Handmaid's Tale, Get Out) stops by Broken Law to discuss his political activism, the state of our democracy, and why courts matter.  Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today:   ACSLaw.org Today's   Host: Jeanne Hruska, ACS Sr. Advisor for Communications and Strategy Guest:  Bradley Whitford, Actor and Political Activist Visit the Podcast Website:   Broke...

“Any story of the Supreme Court that doesn’t include the shadow docket is a story that’s looking at an increasingly skewed and incomplete portion of the Court’s work," writes Professor Stephen Vladeck in his new book, "The Shadow Docket." Jeanne Hruska speaks with Professor Vladeck about his book, the Supreme Court's increasing use of the shadow docket, and what it means for th...

In less than two months, ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, has gained over 100 million users – outpacing TikTok in its rate of growth. In addition to their novelty, ChatGPT and AI tools like it raise numerous concerns about data privacy, intellectual property, ethics, and more. Jeanne Hruska speaks with Professor James Grimmelmann about these challenges and whether lawmakers are prepared to address them. Jo...

On our 100th episode, Russ Feingold speaks with Joan Biskupic, CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst, about her new book, “Nine Black Robes,” which details how the Supreme Court came to be dominated by the conservative supermajority that it is today, with a close examination of the Trump administration’s handling of judicial vacancies. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today:   ACSLaw.org Today'...

In the past couple of weeks, there has been a flurry of judicial activity over Mifepristone, one of the two drugs most often used in medication abortion and that was approved by the FDA over 20 years ago. On this episode, Jenny Ma returns to Broken Law to speak with Lindsay Langholz about the absurdity of the argument being made against Mifepristone, how it has played out in the courts thus far, a...

Recent media reporting has uncovered just how widespread the use of child labor is in the United States. Rather than rush in to strengthen child labor laws and enforcement, some states are actually moving to make it easier for employers to hire children. Beth Binczik speaks with Terri Gerstein about why child labor is on the rise and what needs to happen to protect minors and workers' rights....

The Florida state government has enacted multiple laws in recent years that censor what can and cannot be taught and discussed in the classroom. Taonga Leslie speaks with Kenneth Nunn about the experience of teaching about race in Florida. They discuss the consequences for teachers, students, and society when critical discussions of race are censored, strategies for countering such censorship, and...

This year alone, hundreds of bills have been introduced in state legislatures aimed at erasing trans people from public life. Christopher Wright Durocher speaks with  Alejandra Caraballo and Mary Kelly Persyn about this "legislative  terror campaign," the devastating consequences of it, and how the legal community can fight in solidarity with the trans community in support of trans right...

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first introduced in 1923. 100 years later, with 38 states having ratified it, should it be considered the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? Lindsay Langholz speaks with Kathleen Sullivan about the status of the ERA and why the ERA is more important than ever.  Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Today's Host: Lindsay Langholz, Sr D...

We've hosted several episodes about Dobbs and its aftermath. On this episode, Lindsay Langholz is joined by Khiara M. Bridges for a broader conversation about forced birth in America and what it means for pregnant people, families, and the law when forced birth becomes a banality. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Today's Host: Lindsay Langholz, Sr Director of Policy...

As we await the fate of the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program before the Supreme Court, we take a look at the evolving use and existence of executive power. How powerful should the executive branch be? How would we go about reducing executive power? Jeanne Hruska speaks with Peter M. Shane about the evolution of executive power, with a close look at the last 40 years.  J...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in two lawsuits related to the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program. Beth  Binczik  and Luke  Herrine (Alabama Law)  dissect all the talk about whether any of the plaintiffs had standing, the merits of the cases, and what the Biden administration could do if the Court thwarts the program.  Join the Progressive Legal Movem...

There are nine judges in our federal judiciary who are not bound by a code of ethics, and they just so happen to be the nine most powerful judges in the country.  Jeanne Hruska speaks with Mark Joseph Stern (Slate) and Chris Kang (Demand Justice) about the U.S. Supreme Court's "just trust us" approach to ethics, the problems this continues to create, and what a code of ethics for ou...

This week, Lindsay Langholz speaks with Jessica  Mason Pieklo  from Rewire News Group to pull the curtain back on the anti-abortion movement. They discuss the  pending lawsuit  in  federal district court that could  result in abortion pills being banned, the concerted effort to target hormonal birth control, and much more . Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Today's Host: L...

Passed in the infancy of the world wide web,  Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act has  been called the “26 words that created the internet.” On February 21, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in  Gonzalez v. Google,  t he Court's first case about Section 230 and the immunity it confers on providers of interactive computer services. Christopher Wright Durocher speak...

If you are charged with a crime, you have a right to counsel. But what about a right to counsel if you are at risk of being evicted or losing custody of your children? How might a right to counsel in those situations close what is known as the “justice gap”? Jeanne Hruska speaks with Yael Cannon (Georgetown Law School) and John Pollock (Public Justice Center) to answer these questions and to explo...

Is there a correlation between the status of reproductive rights and the health of our democracy? Lindsay Langholz speaks with   Jennifer Weiss-Wolf about this  question  and her recent article in Ms. Magazine and Rewire Maga zine  that asks if  women's rights are the canary in the coal mine in the backsliding of democracies.  Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Today's...

This week, we are talking about Law and the Political Economy, or LPE, which seeks to expose how the market and economy are disproportionately shaped by and to serve powerful interest groups and the economically and politically dominant. Christopher Wright Durocher speaks with Amy Kapczynski to better understand LPE, its development, and how it can be utilized to build an equitable economy. Join t...

Senate Majority Leader Schumer has said judges will be a priority for the new Senate. If that's the case, there are three changes to the Senate's rules and norms that should be immediately made to expedite confirmations and prevent obstruction of the confirmation process. Jeanne Hruska speaks with ACS President Russ Feingold about those three changes and why the Senate should not wait to...

This week, we build on our previous episode about the January 6th Select Committee's final report by taking a closer look at the corresponding investigations underway at the Department of Justice. Jeanne Hruska speaks with returning guest Mary McCord (Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection) about how DOJ investigations operate, what to expect going forward, and the importance of...

The January 6 th Select Committee held its last public hearing, released its final report, and officially wrapped up its investigation in December. What should we make of the 800-page report, the Committee's criminal referrals, and the pages and pages of transcripts from the Committee’s interviews? Jeanne Hruska speaks with Joyce Vance about the Committee's imapct and what we should expe...

So much happened this year that it can be hard to recall it all and even harder to make sense of it all. Thankfully, our two guests do that for us on this week's episode. Jeanne Hruska speaks with Professor Khiara M. Bridges and Sr Politics Reporter Jennifer Bendery about the biggest takeaways from 2022 and what to expect in 2023. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Today&ap...

The Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, a case billed as the sequel to the 2018 case Masterpiece Cakeshop . Both cases involve businesses wanting to discriminate against LGBTQ+ couples in defiance of Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination law. On this episode, Christopher Wright Durocher speaks with Professor Kent Greenfield about the oral argument in 303 Creative and...

Recently, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that is equal parts baffling and dangerous: Moore v. Harper. On paper, it is about partisan gerrymandering. In reality, it's about a radical legal fiction that could upend constitutional law as we know it. Lindsay Langholz speaks with Allison Riggs from the Southern Coalition for Southern Justice, a member of the legal team representi...