Broken Law

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.

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Host: Ashley Erickson, Senior Director of Network Advancement

Guest: K...

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. 

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Host: Valerie Nannery, Senior Director of Policy and Program

Guest: Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and...

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.

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Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Polic...

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...

Introducing ACS's New President!  Phil Brest joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss his background in judicial nominations, the perspective he brings to his new role, and the political moment we all find ourselves in as he takes the helm at ACS.

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Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program

Guest: Phil Brest, President of ACS

Link: ACS National Convention 2026 

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From detaining student protesters to threatening to deport rival politicians, President Trump has weaponized the immigration system to suppress dissent. Professor Alina Das and advocate Ramya Krishnan join Taonga Leslie to discuss how these attacks chill speech across the board, examine the unique challenges of defending free speech in the immigration context, and describe how lawyers can resist efforts to silence non-citizens and ...

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.

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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 t...

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.

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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 j...

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, p...

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.

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Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy ...

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 eg...

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 ...

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.  ...

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.

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ACS recently completed our 2025 National Convention Series, taking a deep dive into states' responses to the pressing issues of immigration, democracy and voting, economic and racial justice, and transgender rights. This week, we bring you brief excerpts from that series, highlighting perspectives from a diverse set of experts on the stakes of this moment and what we can do in response.  

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The Supreme Court recently wrapped up its 2024-2025 term and the ACS Policy and Program team is here to break down the headline cases, those that may have slipped under your radar, and several that came and went via the shadow docket.

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

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

Guest: Tao...

The country has recently experienced a series of escalating instances of political violence, perpetrated by individuals as well as state actors wielding governmental power.  Christopher Wright Durocher is joined by Lindsay Langholz to discuss the ways in which our legal system is being weaponized against disfavored groups and the toll that political violence takes on our rights and our communities.

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