This fall, the Department of Homeland Security descended on the Greater Chicago area as part of an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign targeting Democratic-run cities. Scott Sakiyama joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss his experiences organizing and engaging in efforts to combat authoritarian tactics used by federal agents, what activists in other cities can learn from Chicago, and the importance of taking action now.
Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program
Guest: Scott Sakiyama, Oak Park, Ill. Attorney and Activist
Link: Oak Park attorney arrested near school says federal agents pointed gun at him, had ‘Chiraq Team 2’ group chat, by Rebecca Johnson
Link: Order and Opinion, Chicago Headline Club v. Noem (Judge Ellis)
Link: Volunteer patrols and the PTA at school entrances: How some Charlotte residents are mobilizing amid the immigration crackdown, by Dalla Faheld, Andy Buck, & Dianne Gallagher
Indigenous communities are often invited to participate in the conversation about access to their sacred sites but rarely do their interests prevail. Time and again, their input is received and yet made subordinate to competing interests from corporate powers, scientific pursuits, and even recreation. Michalyn Steele joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss how the law could be changed to reorder existing values and give greater weight to Indigenous interests in sacred sites.
Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program
Guest: Michalyn Steele, Marion G. Romney Professor of Law, BYU Law
Link: The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act as a Model of Cultural Sovereignty for Protecting Indigenous Sacred Sites, by Michalyn Steele
Link: Rethinking Protections For Indigenous Sacred Sites, by Stephanie Hall Barclay and Michalyn Steele
Link: Indigenous Resilience, by Michalyn Steele
Link: Supreme Court spurns Native American religious claim over copper mine on sacred land, by Lawrence Hurley
Link: Native American Rights Fund
President Trump is currently remodeling a house that he does not seem keen to move out of when his lease is up. Donald Sherman of CREW joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss the threat of Trump seeking a third term, and why in spite of clear constitutional text, history cautions us to take the threat seriously. They examine the clear text of the 22nd Amendment, the fight over ratification in the states, and why that all matters now.
Correction: At 20:00, a reference is made to Gerald Ford's ineligibility for a second term with a key word missing from the statement. President Ford was not eligible for two elective terms based on when he ascended to the presidency.
Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program
Guest: Donald Sherman, Executive Director and Chief Counsel, CREW
Link: 2 presidential terms, 41 states: the ratification of the 22nd Amendment, CREW
Link: Remarks of Rep. Jennings, Congressional Record (852-853)
Link: A Third Trump Term Is Not the Charm, by Jamelle Bouie
Link: Presidential Term Limits in American History, by Michael Korzi
Right-wing operatives continue to target diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Through a growing web of hostile executive orders, state bans, and private lawsuits, enemies of diversity are using law to chill discussion of race, gender, sexuality, and other "divisive" concepts. In the face of these attacks, diversity defenders are turning to the First Amendment — and in many cases, they are winning. Taonga Leslie is joined by practitioners from across the country to explore strategies for using First Amendment principles and precedent to strengthen DEI programs going forward and highlight recent wins.
Host: Taonga Leslie, Director of Policy and Program for Racial Justice
Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program
Guest: Katy Youker, Director, Economic Justice Project, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Chicago Women in Trades v. Trump)
Guest: Lawrence Lustberg, Director, John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law, Gibbons P.C. (Saadeh v. New Jersey State Bar Association)
Guest: Robert McDuff, Director of the George Riley Impact Litigation Initiative, Mississippi Center for Justice (Jackson Federation of Teachers v. Fitch)
Link: The First Amendment in Flux, ACS 2025-2026 Program Guide
Link: Using the First Amendment to Uphold DEI Initiatives, by Christopher Lucca and Vanessa Huber
Link: Protecting Our Purpose
Link: The Legal DEI Project
In the midst of an all-out assault on the rule of law, many are seeking opportunities to get involved in their communities to fight for our democracy. We've heard from members of our network who are interested in running for office or are considering for the first time finding their way to elected service. Rebecca Dussich of Buckeye Justice Forum joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss the impact of downballot elected officials, particularly judicial officials, and what potential candidates should consider as they approach a possible run for office.
Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program
Guest: Rebecca Dussich, State Director, Buckeye Justice Forum
Link: Running for Office, ACS
Link: Buckeye Justice Forum
Link: Find Your Ballot, Vote411
