Episode 197: People v. The Court

The Roberts Court has recently used its docket to indulge in growing antidemocratic tendencies, collecting power for itself as it shuts the courthouse doors on those seeking to vindicate their constitutional rights and uphold checks and balances. David Sloss joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss his new book, People v. The Court: The Next Revolution in Constitutional Law, and how power might be rebalanced through a change in judicial review standards.

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Vice President of Policy and Program

Guest: David Sloss, John A. and Elizabeth H. Sutro Professor of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law

Link: People v. The Court: The Next Revolution in Constitutional Law, by David Sloss

Link: The Roberts Court's Assault on Democracy, by Judge Lynn Adelman

Episode 196: Politicized Mergers as a Threat to the Rule of Law

What trust remains in antitrust enforcement under the Second Trump Administration?  Diana Moss joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss the Nexstar-Tegna merger, what impact the deal would have on consumers, and why the politicization of regulatory bodies like the FCC threatens due process and the rule of law.

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Vice President of Policy and Program

Guest: Dr. Diana Moss, Vice President and Director of Competition Policy, Progressive Policy Institute

Link: The Nexstar-Tegna Merger Will Raise Your Cable Bill, and Then Some, by Diana Moss

Link: Resisting the Politicization of Antitrust and Regulation, by Diana Moss 

Link: Competition, Progressive Policy Institute

Episode 195: Bringing the Constitution to the Classroom

Katie Gima and Jess Zalph join Ashley Erickson to discuss ACS's Constitution in the Classroom program, including a look at newly released curriculum entitled "Separation of Church and State and the U.S. Constitution" and how to bring this important piece of civic education to a classroom near you.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

Host: Ashley Erickson, Senior Director of Network Advancement

Guest: Katie Gima, Senior Director of Legal Programs & Networking, Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Guest: Jess Zalph, Constitutional Litigation Fellow, Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Link: Constitution in the Classroom

Link: Elementary School Lesson Plan

Link: Middle School Lesson Plan

Link: High School Lesson Plan

Episode 194: How Close to Autocracy Are We?

Kim Lane Scheppele joins Valerie Nannery to discuss how America’s slide into autocracy is similar to and different from autocratic shifts around the world, how far America is on the path to autocracy, and what we can all do to stop the descent.

Host: Valerie Nannery, Senior Director of Policy and Program

Guest: Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs & Director of the Program in Law and Normative Thinking at the University Center for Human Values, Princeton University

Link: Autocratic Legalism, by Kim Lane Scheppele

Link: Trump’s Counter Constitution, by Kim Lane Scheppele

Link: The ‘Big Lie’s’ Autocratic Assault on the Rule of Law: Attorneys Can Stop It, by Jim Saranteas

Link: Become a Poll Worker

Episode 193: Navigating The Maze of Our Immigration System

Lindsay Langholz is joined by ACS San Diego Lawyer Chapter leaders Kevin Gregg and Emily Howe to discuss immigration cases making their way through federal courts, who gets to decide who is an American, what protection citizenship or legal status provides, and what it is like to be on the front lines of defending American democracy.

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program

Guest: Kevin Gregg, Partner, Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt, P.A. and ACS San Diego Lawyer Chapter Leader

Guest: Emily Howe, Principal, Law Offices of Emily E. Howe and ACS San Diego Lawyer Chapter Leader

Link: The American adoptees who fear deportation to a country they can't remember, by George Wright

Link: Immigration Review Podcast, hosted by Kevin A. Gregg

Link: ACS National Convention 2026

Episode 192: One Year of Trump's Chokehold on Free Speech

The rights protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution are essential for the proper functioning of a responsive democracy.  As we mark the end of the first year of the Second Trump Administration, Nora Benavidez joins Lindsay Langholz to take stock of the effects of a year-long assault on free speech and discuss her recent report, Chokehold: Donald Trump's War on Free Speech & the Need for Systemic Resistance.

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program

Guest: Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights, Free Press

Link: Chokehold: Donald Trump’s War on Free Speech & the Need for Systemic Resistance

Link: I Counted Trump’s Censorship Attempts. Here’s What I Found., by Nora Benavidez

Link: Defending Academic Freedom, Episode 175 of Broken Law