After interviewing hundreds of witnesses and reviewing tens of thousands of documents, the January 6th Select Committee is preparing to hold public, televised hearings. While we’ve learned a lot in recent months from subpoenas and lawsuits, the American public is presumably about to learn a whole lot more in these hearings. So, what do we know already and what should we expect from the hearings? Jeanne Hruska speaks with POLITICOS's Kyle Cheney and with Jeannie Rhee, a partner at Paul Weiss, about the Select Committee's work thus far and the lingering impact of January 6th on our democracy.
Episode Host: Jeanne Hruska, ACS Sr Advisor for Communications and Strategy
Episode Guests:
Kyle Cheney, Congress Reporter for POLITICO
Jeannie Rhee, Partner at Paul Weiss
Links:
Judge Carter's Decision in Eastman v. Thompson
"Jan. 6 panel piecing together details of final Trump-Pence call," by Kyle Cheney
Interview with Jeannie Rhee on Countering Hate in Court, "Jan. 6 Did Not Come Out of Nowhere."
Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org
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In recent weeks, there's been a flurry of revelations about the political activities of Justice Clarence Thomas's spouse, Virginia Thomas, including her text messages to Mark Meadows, then President Trump's chief of staff, that seem to espouse electoral conspiracy theories. On this episode, Jeanne Hruska speaks with Vox Senior Correspondent Ian Millhiser about what we know about Ginni Thomas’s political activities, what they do or don’t say about Justice Thomas's role on the Supreme Court, and about the Court's "just trust us" approach to ethics. They also delve into how this all relates to the Supreme Court's ongoing legitimacy crisis.
Episode Host: Jeanne Hruska, ACS Sr Advisor for Communications and Strategy
Episode Guest: Ian Millhiser, Senior Correspondent at Vox
Links:
"Clarence Thomas' Long Fight Against Fair and Democratic Elections," by Ian Millhiser
"SCOTUS Justices Should Not Get the Last Word on Impartiality," by Alan Morrison
"A Code of Conduct for the Supreme Court? Legal Questions and Considerations," by the Congressional Research Service
28 U.S. Code § 455 - Disqualification of justice, judge, or magistrate judge
Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org
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We are celebrating the historic and bipartisan confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th Supreme Court Justice. Zinelle October, ACS executive vice president, speaks with Danielle Holley-Walker, Dean and Professor of Law of Howard Law School, and Russ Feingold, ACS president, about the significance of Judge Jackson's confirmation, while underscoring the Supreme Court's continued legitimacy crisis and need for reform. They also look back at those public hearings and the need for accountability over the despicable and racist behavior exhibited by certain senators.
Episode Host: Zinelle October, ACS Executive Vice President
Episode Guests:
Danielle Holley-Walker, Dean and Professor of Law of Howard Law School
Russ Feingold, ACS President
Links:
Remarks from Ketanji Brown Jackson after her confirmation
"Dear America, Get Your Knee Off Our Necks," by Zinelle October
"ACS Celebrates the Historic and Bipartisan Confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court"
Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org
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State courts handle the vast majority of lawsuits in this country, easily outworking federal courts. And as the packed U.S. Supreme Court rewrites American jurisprudence, state courts are poised to become the battleground for even more issues that impact our daily lives. This could explain why races for state judgeships are heating up, with more mudslinging, intimidation, and money being spent. Jill Dash speaks this week with Anita Earls, Associate Justice of the North Carolina State Supreme Court, to discuss the mounting politicization of state courts - and why it is all the more important for diverse, qualified lawyers to consider running for judgeships.
Episode Host: Jill Dash, ACS Vice President of Strategic Engagement
Episode Guests:
Anita Earls, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
Links:
Skewed Justice, by ACS
ACS's Run.Vote.Work. Initiative
Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org
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The world is currently facing the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War. Millions of people are fleeing the effects of war, poverty, and persecution from places as disparate as Afghanistan, Central America, Haiti, and now Ukraine. This is happening against the continued backdrop of COVID-19 and the U.S. government’s use of a long-dormant immigration authority to expel asylum seekers. Evan Monod speaks this week with Shoba Wadhia and Lee Gelernt about the current and enduring challenges with the U.S. immigration system and how the current state of migration underscores the urgency for reform.
Episode Host: Evan Monod, ACS Law Fellow
Episode Guests:
Lee Gelernt, Deputy Director, ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project
Shoba Wadhia, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Penn State Law
Links:
"Five Things to Know About the Title 42 Immigrant Expulsion Policy," by Leonardo Castañeda and Katie Hoeppner of the ACLU
ACLU Update on Huisha-Huisha v. Mayorkas
"The Racism and Incoherence of the World’s Asylum Systems," by Naureen Kahn
Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org
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There are orchestrated assaults being led by certain state legislatures against trans rights and reproductive rights in this country. While these attacks have been ongoing for years, they are ratcheting up. From Florida's "Don't Say Gay Bill" to a bill in Missouri that would bar pregnant people from accessing abortion services out of state, state legislators seem to be competing to come up with the most extreme, dangerous legislation. Jeanne Hruska speaks with ACS's own Christopher Wright Durocher and Lindsay Langholz about recent developments in key states and about why we are likely to see increasingly extreme legislation attacking trans rights and reproductive rights in the near term. They also discuss the 50th anniversary of the Equal Rights Amendment passing Congress and being sent to the states.
Episode Host: Jeanne Hruska, ACS Senior Advisor for Communications and Strategy
Episode Guests:
Christopher Wright Durocher, ACS Vice President of Policy and Program
Lindsay Langholz, Director of Policy and Program
Links:
"Issues Impacting LGBTQ Youth Polling Analysis," by The Trevor Project
"Texas Is Terrorizing Trans Youth," by Chase Strangio
"What If Roe Fell?" by the Center for Reproductive Rights
Equal Rights Amendment
"Women’s Rights and Democracy Are Inextricably Linked," by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Brennan Center
Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org
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