Episode 185: So You're Thinking of Running for Office...

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

Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

Episode 184: On the Merits - A Preview of the 2025-2026 SCOTUS Term

After a very active summer on the emergency docket, the Supreme Court is set to begin a new term. Christopher Wright Durocher and Taonga Leslie join Lindsay Langholz to break down several important cases on the Court's merits docket, including those focused on LGBTQ+ rights, free speech, immigration, voting rights, and more.

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program

Guest: Christopher Wright Durocher, Vice President of Policy and Program

Guest: Taonga Leslie, Director of Policy and Program for Racial Justice, ACS

Link: Brief of Amici Curiae National Women's Law Center and 51 Additional Organizations, B.P.J. v. West Virginia State Bd. of Ed. (4th Cir.)

Link: The First Amendment in Flux, ACS 2025-2026 Program Guide

Link: Episode 180: The Voting Rights Act at 60

Link: Concurring Opinion, Hilo Bay Marina v. State of Hawai'i

Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org

Episode 183: Circling Back

This week on Broken Law, we are circling back on stories we've previously covered, providing updates you may have missed before we head into a new SCOTUS term and a new academic year.  Lindsay Langholz and Christopher Wright Durocher bring you the latest on Harvard's lawsuit against the Trump Administration, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's purported termination, the conservative majority's continuing and egregious misuse of the Supreme Court emergency docket, and how the federal government and states are handling death row cases.

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program

Guest: Christopher Wright Durocher, Vice President of Policy and Program

Link: Harvard College v. HHS (D. Mass.)

Link: Appeals court judges publicly admonish Supreme Court justices: ‘We’re out here flailing,' by Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney

Link: Judge temporarily blocks Trump's firing of Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, by Steve Kopack 

Link: Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo

Link: Mid-Year Review 2025: New Death Sentences Remain Low Amidst Increase in Executions, Death Penalty Information Center

Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org

Episode 182: Waging Lawfare Against Democracy

The Trump administration has sought to advance its extreme and often unlawful agenda through the strategic use and abuse of the law and legal system, including Executive Orders targeting law firms and litigation and misconduct complaints against district court judges. While some lawyers and courts are holding the administration accountable, others are quick to capitulate. Mark Lemley joins Christopher Wright Durocher to talk about the administration’s abuse of the law and legal system and what can be done to stop it.

Host: Christopher Wright Durocher, Vice President of Policy and Program

Guest: Mark Lemley, William H. Neukom Professor of Law and Director of the Program in Law, Science and Technology, Stanford Law School; Partner, Lex Lumina, LLP

Link: Amicus Brief of 676 Law Professors in Support of Plaintiff, WilmerHale v. U.S. Dep’t of Just., 25-cv-917 (Apr. 11, 2025)

Link: As July 4 Approaches, Supreme Court Signs Away American Democracy, by Mark Lemley

Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org

Episode 181: AI and Health Equity

Over the past few years, no technological development has been more discussed than the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning. AI is changing how we work, how we make art, and even how we access healthcare. Jennifer Oliva joins Taonga Leslie to explore the ways AI and algorithms are being used to restrict access to healthcare nationwide and how lawyers and patients can advocate for greater fairness and transparency.

 

Host: Taonga Leslie, Director of Policy and Program for Racial Justice

Guest: Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law and Val Nolan Faculty Fellow, Maurer School of Law

Link: https://theconversation.com/how-artificial-intelligence-controls-your-health-insurance-coverage-253602

Link: https://www.propublica.org/article/evicore-health-insurance-denials-cigna-unitedhealthcare-aetna-prior-authorizations

Link: https://www.btah.org/

Link: https://www.techtonicjustice.org/

Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org

Episode 180: The Voting Rights Act at 60

Sixty years ago, Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law one of the most transformative bills in United States history - the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  Michael Li joins Lindsay Langholz to take stock of the VRA's impact on American democracy, the real wins pro-democracy advocates are still able to achieve in spite of an increasingly hostile Supreme Court, and what the future holds for this critical law.

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program, ACS

Guest: Michael Li, Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice

Link: Growing Racial Disparities in Voter Turnout, 2008–2022, Brennan Center for Justice

Link: A New Cycle of Texas Gerrymandering: Your Questions Answered, Bolts Magazine

Link: The Supreme Court Just Signaled Something Deeply Disturbing About the Next Term, by Rick Hasen

Link: The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Fact Sheet, The Brennan Center for Justice

Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org