In the Public Interest

In the Public Interest is excited to continue its second annual miniseries examining notable decisions recently issued by the US Supreme Court. In this episode, co-host Felicia Ellsworth is joined by Deputy Director for the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project and former WilmerHale Litigation Counsel Adriel Cepeda Derieux to discuss the recent decision in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of th...

In the Public Interest is excited to present its second annual miniseries examining notable decisions recently issued by the US Supreme Court. In this episode, co-host Michael Dawson is joined by WilmerHale Senior Counsel Julie Williams, former Chief Counsel and First Senior Deputy Comptroller at Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, to discuss the recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of Americ...

In this episode of In the Public Interest, podcast co-host Michael Dawson sits down with WilmerHale Partner Ariel Soiffer to discuss the current artificial intelligence (AI) landscape. Ariel shares his perspective after working for over 20 years in AI-related fields and advising clients on technology-related transactions. Together, Ariel and Michael break down the history of AI, the progression of...

In this episode of In the Public Interest , podcast co-host Felicia Ellsworth sits down with WilmerHale Partner Lisa Pirozzolo to discuss a pro bono matter in which the City of Boston agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle a longstanding federal discrimination lawsuit. The lawsuit, which was initially filed nearly 20 years ago, alleged that a hair test used by the city to identify drug use on its po...

Senior International Counsel Ambassador Robert Kimmitt joins In the Public Interest host Felicia Ellsworth to talk about his storied career in public service. Through his service as the first General Counsel of the National Security Council, the first American Ambassador to a united Germany in over 50 years, General Counsel and Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Treasury, Under Secretary of...

In this episode of In the Public Interest , host Felicia Ellsworth interviews Brendan McGuire, who recently rejoined WilmerHale after serving as chief counsel to New York City Mayor Eric Adams and City Hall. McGuire discusses his experience in the Adams Administration, including the challenges emerging from COVID, the New York City Legal Fellows Program and the asylum seeker crisis. He also reflec...

Season three of the firm’s podcast, In the Public Interest , covered real-time historic moments in American politics and jurisprudence and shared remarkable individual stories at the center of significant legal cases WilmerHale has handled. In each episode, co-hosts John Walsh and Felicia Ellsworth invited guests to share their unique perspectives on the most pressing legal and policy challenges c...

Since 1960, Congress has raised, revised or extended the statutory debt ceiling 79 times. The United States reached its debt ceiling in January 2023, prompting a congressional showdown and sparking fears of extreme market volatility and a global recession if the US were to default on its legal obligations. The 2023 debt ceiling crisis ended in June, when President Biden signed legislation that sus...

In the Public Interest is excited to present the final episode in our miniseries examining landmark decisions recently issued by the United States Supreme Court. The final episode explores the Court’s decision in Moore v. Harper , a case involving control over electoral redistricting by state legislatures. In the episode, co-host Felicia Ellsworth is joined by Partner Seth Waxman, a former United...

In the Public Interest is excited to continue our miniseries examining landmark decisions recently issued by the United States Supreme Court. The fourth episode examines the Court’s decision in Groff v. DeJoy , a case centered around a postal worker who sought a religious accommodation from his employer to not work on Sundays in observance of the Sabbath. In the episode, co-host Felicia Ellsworth...

In the Public Interest is pleased to continue our miniseries examining landmark decisions recently issued by the United States Supreme Court. Our third episode focuses on the Court’s decision in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis , a case concerning whether a Christian website designer has a First Amendment right to refuse to design wedding websites for same-sex couples. In this episode, co-host John Wals...

In the Public Interest is pleased to continue our miniseries examining notable decisions recently issued by the United States Supreme Court. Our second episode welcomes WilmerHale Partner Daniel Volchok, who focuses his practice on appellate litigation and has an extensive Native American law practice. In this episode, Volchok joins co-host Felicia Ellsworth to discuss the Court’s decision in Haal...

In the Public Interest is excited to present a miniseries examining notable decisions recently issued by the United States Supreme Court. The first episode in the miniseries welcomes WilmerHale Partner Thomas Saunders, who focuses his practice on appellate and government litigation with a particular emphasis on intellectual property. In the episode, Saunders joins co-host Felicia Ellsworth to disc...

Reports of climate-related disaster have made headlines across the country, from flooding in California to record-breaking heatwaves in the Pacific Northwest and all manner of extreme weather in between. These phenomena seem to be happening more frequently and more intensely as climate change continues to advance. In ways large and small, we’re all being forced to adapt to a new normal—and this ep...

In the Public Interest is pleased to welcome Preet Bharara, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and current partner at WilmerHale. Bharara, who joined the firm in June 2022, is also a legal analyst for CNN and host of his own podcast, “Stay Tuned with Preet.” Since joining WilmerHale, Bharara has focused his practice on investigations and criminal litigation matters. In this e...

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, a spate of countries, including the United States, have imposed several packages of sanctions on Russia and Russian officials. These sanctions ranged from bans on the provision of various types of professional services in Russia to prohibitions on oil imports and trading of petroleum products from Russia. In this episode, In...

In late February of 1965, Malcolm X was murdered at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York. In the days after the famous civil rights leader’s assassination, three men were arrested and charged with his murder. All three men were later convicted on those charges, despite testimony that two of those men, Muhammad Abdul Aziz and Khalil Islam, were innocent. In the years since, Aziz and Islam stead...

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, reversing Roe v. Wade and holding that the US constitution no longer includes a right to abortion. The Court’s decision left states with full authority to regulate – or eliminate -- abortion access. In Season Two of In the Public Interest, WilmerHale Partner Kim Parker spoke with Helene K...

In 2021, Mariah Carey’s company Lotion LLC applied to register the trademark “Queen of Christmas” for future use on a vast range of products, including music, perfume, sunglasses and coconut milk. Elizabeth Chan, a singer and songwriter who exclusively writes and sings holiday music, filed an opposition to block Carey’s registration in August 2022. Chan herself had been dubbed the “Queen of Christ...

We’re pleased to announce that the firm’s podcast, In the Public Interest, will return for a third season! Tune in to hear a preview of what to expect this season from our hosts, WilmerHale Partners John Walsh and Felicia Ellsworth. Season Three will kick off with an episode featuring Elizabeth Chan, a full-time Christmas songwriter who recently prevailed in a trademark battle over Mariah Carey. P...

In episode three, season one of In the Public Interest, Partner David Bowker interviewed Jason Rezaian, a columnist and former correspondent in Iran for The Washington Post who was wrongfully charged and convicted by the Iranian government on false claims of espionage. Bowker and WilmerHale represented The Washington Post in a successful effort to secure Rezaian’s release from Iran’s notorious Evi...

WilmerHale’s podcast, In the Public Interest , gives listeners an inside look at the legal and policy challenges capturing the public interest. In season two, Partners John Walsh and Felicia Ellsworth invited notable figures and top leaders in their fields to discuss topics ranging from COVID-19 to reproductive rights and more. As season two comes to a close, join Walsh and Ellsworth as they share...

On August 15, 2021, the Taliban overthrew the Afghan government shortly after the United States announced it would withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. In the weeks that followed, the US government evacuated over 120,000 US citizens and Afghan allies from Afghanistan, and the United States welcomed 76,000 Afghans as refugees, most as humanitarian parolees. While many Afghans are now safe in the U...

Cryptocurrency continues to dominate the headlines, from starting the year at a high with major TV ads to questions in recent weeks about the stability of the market. In this episode of In the Public Interest, co-host and Partner John Walsh is joined by fellow Partners Tiffany Smith and Zachary Goldman to explore the world of Web3 with Jai Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy is the Chief Legal Officer at Andrees...

Over the last two years, one topic has dominated headlines and conversation across the world: the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic, new variants of the coronavirus have emerged, but so too have vaccines, antiviral treatments, mask mandates and more. In this episode, co-host and Partner Felicia Ellsworth is joined by fellow Partner Thomas Strickland to discuss the current land...