SideBar Podcast - Legal Talk Network

Exploring Voting Behavior and Civic Engagement with Mindy Romero

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 11:00:51 +0000

Mindy Romero is the founder and director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy that is part of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy based in Sacramento, California. Romero is a political sociologist whose research focuses on political behavior and race/ethnicity. The research and reports of the Center seek to explain patterns of voting and political underrepresentation, particularly among youth and communities of color in California and the U.S.

Protecting Whistleblowers with Louis Clark

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:00:44 +0000

For over 40 years, Louis Clark has led the Government Accountability Project (GAP), an organization dedicated to protecting whistleblowers and ensuring government accountability. During the Trump administration, GAP is overwhelmed with the number of government employees seeking support in disclosing illegal, unethical, and fraudulent conduct. It is also addressing a new form of retaliation against whistleblowers, physical harm, and death threats. Learn more about the organization and its work at https://whistleblower.org.

Women of Color: The MVPs of the Social Justice Movement with Vanessa Daniel

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 11:00:12 +0000

Vanessa Priya Daniel’s first book, Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning, centers the work of women of color in social justice movements. Daniel discusses her personal journey from community organizer to the founder and Executive Director of Groundswell, a philanthropy organization committed to intersectional organizing. She shares the three superpowers of successful WOC leaders that we can all adopt: a 360 vision, boldness, and generosity.

Making It Easy to Give Back with Anna Chu

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 11:00:13 +0000

We The Action has a simple premise – lawyers have the power to do good. The organization started in 2017 to help connect lawyer with pro bono causes, from immigration and domestic violence representation to non-profit governance and tax issues, from voting rights to copyright. Anna Chu, the Executive Director, describes how nimble organization started the Federal Workers Defense Network to provide pro bono support for the thousands of federal workers who were fired from their positions in violation of law and without legal process. You can find pro bono opportunities at https://wetheaction.org/lawyers

Protecting and Providing Due Process with Erika Pinheiro

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 20 May 2025 11:00:55 +0000

Erika Pinheiro serves as the Executive Director of Al Otro Lado providing holistic legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the US and Tijuana through a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based practice. The organization provides direct, free, legal services on both sides of the US-Mexico border and beyond through zealous individual representation, medical-legal partnerships, and impact litigation to protect the rights of immigrants and asylum-seekers.

Reclaiming Civility with Cassandra Dahnke and Tomas Spath

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 06 May 2025 11:00:06 +0000

Thirty years ago, Cassandra Dahnke and Tomas Spath founded the Institute for Civility with the goal to promote civility—in government, workplaces, schools—and to catalyze change. They describe their journey, how they define civility, what they have learned about reducing polarization, and why they have hope for the future. https://www.instituteforcivility.org/.

Respecting and Protecting our Seniors with Christine Winge

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 11:00:29 +0000

Meals on Wheels does more than just provide home delivery of healthy food for Seniors. President Christine Winge reminds us that maintaining human connection is a critical and essential part of physical and mental health as we grow older and risk becoming more isolated.

The Moral Call to Protect Children with Beth Wilbur

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 11:00:37 +0000

After a long career in the corporate world, Beth Wilbur decided she would serve children as the Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Monterey County. She discusses the incredible work that CASA volunteers do to support children in the foster care system and how they change lives through their efforts. She describes her motivation as a moral call to protect children.

Where do You Go When the Taxman Calls? with Lisa Sperow

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 11:00:53 +0000

Lisa Sperow is the Executive Director of the Cal Poly Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. The clinic provides free representation to low-income taxpayers in disputes with the IRS. Many of the clinic’s clients have nowhere else to seek help when they receive frightening notices from the IRS. It is even more alarming for taxpayers who do not speak English and who are completely unfamiliar with the process and documents necessary to respond to government claims, even if the claims are in error. As Lisa says, “this program helps ensure the fairness and integrity of the tax system by educating low-income taxpayers about their rights and responsibilities and by ensuring that their individual rights are protected.”

Empowering Young People to Reach Their Potential with Cathy Sakimura

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:08 +0000

Cathy Sakimura has spent her entire professional life empowering young people, first as a youth organizer, then as the Deputy Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and now as Executive Director of Legal Services for Children (LSC) in San Francisco. In this episode, Cathy describes why she has dedicated her life to serving children and families, how she manages the challenges, and what each of us can make a difference in a child’s life, including donating money to LSC because it lost its federal funding that allowed it to serve immigrant children in detention. https://secure.everyaction.com/cVYzZjzhqkC12TIE2v3q7A2

Partnering to Protect Human Rights by Protecting Our Planet with Brad Adams

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 12:00:38 +0000

Brad Adams and Climate Rights International believe that progress on climate change cannot succeed without protecting human rights – and the fight for human rights cannot succeed without protecting our planet against climate change. Brad and CRI work in partnership with local and international groups, activists, and affected communities to demand justice and accountability from powerful interests.

Pro Bono Passion Perseveres Pre- and Post-Pandemic with Fawaz Bham

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 12:00:35 +0000

Providing pro bono service to small businesses in Dallas, Texas not only persevered through the pandemic – it expanded. The innovative program developed by attorney Fawaz Bham coordinated more than 40 law firms and community organizations through a transition from in-person to remote clinics to sustain a program that has served over 25,000 clients. Bham’s efforts were recognized by the 2024 American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award for exceptional volunteer public service.

Advocating for Native American Rights, A 50+ Year Journey Still Underway with John Echohawk

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 12:00:20 +0000

John Echohawk has served as Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) since 1977. Under John’s inspired and continuing leadership, NARF has successfully asserted and defended the most important rights of Indians and tribes in hundreds of major cases, and has achieved significant results in such critical areas as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, voting rights, and Indian education.

Dream.org Sets the Tone for Optimism in Action with CEO Nisha Anand

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 12:00:34 +0000

Nisha Anand, the Chief Executive Officer of Dream.org, joins SideBar to discuss how she builds bridges across political divides to find real solutions. Nisha employs the “radical act of finding common ground” with unlikely allies while still staying true to her progressive values. She provides a hopeful message that collaboration can achieve change and overcome polarization and political divides.

New Season and New Format – SideBar: Optimism in Action with Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 12:00:15 +0000

Seasons one and two of SideBar featured discussions with authors, lawyers, and academics discussing challenges to our individual constitutional and civil rights. Each of our episodes ended with our featured guests providing recommendations on how each of us can contribute to solutions for the common good. Season three of SideBar is going to flip the narrative. We are featuring lawyers, nonprofit leaders, activists, and community members who are already accomplishing extraordinary work that is improving the humanitarian, public policy, and charitable needs of our local, national, and global communities. We hope that you will join us for this season of SideBar as we meet individuals and organizations who prove through their actions that opportunities to influence positive change exist for each of us. We are calling this season of SideBar — “Optimism in Action”.

Space Law Really is the New Frontier with Chris Hearsey

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 12:00:33 +0000

SideBar guest Chris Hearsey has spent over ten years working in international space collaborations, space exploration technologies, and other aerospace applications. His work has contributed to advancements in space law, policy, and technology. Chris is known for his visionary approach and commitment to pushing the boundaries of space capabilities, developing sustainable space technologies, and fostering an economic ecosystem conducive to innovation and growth.

A Rejection of Democrats or a Rejection of Democracy?

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 12:00:46 +0000

Was 2024 a “historic” presidential election? Constitutional historians Lawrence Goldstone and Madiba K. Dennie join Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick to discuss the context, concerns, and questions following the recent re-election of Donald Trump. One of the questions that many of us are asking is whether the recent presidential election was a rejection of Democrats or a broader rejection of Democracy?

The Future of the Legal Profession Impacts Democracy with Ray Brescia

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:00:46 +0000

Since colonial days, the legal profession has been proud of its role in the founding of the republic, the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, and the defense of democracy and the rule of law. However, the profession faces an existential crisis on which the American democratic experiment hinges, says law professor Ray Brescia, author of Lawyer Nation: The Past, Present, and Future of the American Legal Profession. If attorney unethical behavior surrounding the 2020 election repeats without disciplinary repercussions in 2024 . . . democracy itself is at risk.

Equal Justice for All is Possible with Robert Tsai

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 11:00:51 +0000

Stephen Bright made it his life’s work to unleash social change by representing unpopular clients–namely those on death row. Remarkably, he succeeded, winning all four cases he argued before the Supreme Court. Robert Tsai chronicles Stephen Bright’s decades long fight to ensure equality under the law that is still being challenged at the Supreme Court today.

The Return of Legal Vigilantism with David Noll and Jon Michaels

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 11:00:35 +0000

David Noll and Jon Michaels, authors of Vigilante Nation, discuss the reemergence of state-supported vigilantism. Noll and Michaels explain the vigilante methods, from anti-abortion bounties to book bans to the January 6 attack on the Capitol. They also provide a path forward, outlining what needs to be done to stop these efforts.

Pardon My Concerns – Should We Put Limits on Presidential Pardons? with Kim Wehle

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 11:00:04 +0000

Like all discretionary authority, the pardon power is only as virtuous as the person who controls it. Kimberly Wehle, author of the new book, Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works – and Why demonstrates that it can be a righteous tool to remedy wrongful convictions, but it also can be used to obstruct investigations, benefit political allies, and reward the President’s friends and family. As the author of What You Need to Know about Voting—and Why, Kim also challenges efforts to distort or disrupt the U.S. electoral system for selecting the president and warns that vigilance is necessary, locally and nationally.

Does Our Current Constitution Provide the Protections and Rights We Need? with Dean Erwin Chemerinsky

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Berkeley Law Dean, author of No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States asks the provocative question – is it time to consider drafting a new constitution? Is it absurd to think that a document drafted in the 18th Century can still protect democracy and individual rights in the 21st Century? Join the SideBar discussion about the challenges under the constitution to protect free speech, a democratic electoral system, diversity in higher education, and the status of the Equal Rights Amendment.

The Erosion of LGBTQ+ Rights with Roberta Kaplan and Brandon Trice

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 11:00:58 +0000

In the last several years, there have been a wave of anti-LGBTQ laws passed across the country and ACLU is tracking 547 new bills in the 2024 legislative session. Robbie Kaplan and Brandon Trice describe their success challenging one of those laws, Florida’s “don’t say gay law.” In this wide-ranging conversation, we touch on the rising attacks on the LGBTQ community, the future of marriage equality, and the effect of the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision on the E.Jean Carroll defamation judgement.

Yes! The Constitution Allows Changes to the Supreme Court – and Other Surprises with Lawrence Goldstone

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 11:00:02 +0000

Award-winning author and historian Lawrence Goldstone explains why what the Constitution does not say – was intentional – so that democracy can evolve. According to Goldstone, author of “Imperfect Union: How Errors of Omission Threaten Constitutional Democracy”, changing the Supreme Court, protecting voting rights, defining the Second Amendment, and maintaining the balance of power between state and federal government are intended to be the responsibilities of voters, not the government or the courts.

Judge Shopping For Me, But Not for Thee with Chris Geidner

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 11:00:49 +0000

Over the past year, the Supreme Court has taken a far more active role in reviewing cases reflecting fringe arguments supported by federal district court judges and appellate circuits. The Western and Northern Districts of Texas have become the destination of choice for “judge-shopping” to receive the benefits of far-right conservative judicial ideology. But when attorneys challenging the ban on gender-affirming care used a similar approach to dismiss a case before a hostile right-wing conservative federal judge, the Alabama district court subjected them to a two-year secret investigation for purported “judge-shopping”. Chris Geidner, a noted Supreme Court reporter and author of the newsletter “Law Dork” joins SideBar to discuss how federal “judge-shopping” is allegedly being used to manipulate outcomes and how the current Supreme Court is responding.

The Radical Act of Choosing Common Ground with Nisha Anand

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 11:00:39 +0000

Justice Bent, Not Broken with Elie Honig

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 11:00:21 +0000

Senior CNN Legal Analyst Elie Honig challenges whether the rule of law is under attack when powerful people square off against judges and juries. As author of Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away with It and a former federal and state prosecutor, he served on air as a CNN Senior Legal Analyst throughout the first criminal trial and conviction of a former US President.

Constitutional Equal Rights – the Time is NOW! with Katherine Spillar

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 11:00:41 +0000

Kathy Spillar, Executive Director of Feminist Majority Foundation and Executive Editor of MS Magazine joins SideBar to discuss why ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is an essential legal tool to guarantee women’s rights. Ratification of the ERA would constitutionally prohibit sex discrimination, recognize systemic inequities across different groups of people, and uplift historically marginalized people to achieve true equality and justice.

How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back with Madiba K. Dennie

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 21 May 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Madiba K. Dennie is an attorney, columnist, author, and professor whose work focuses on fostering an equitable multiracial democracy. Dennie is the author of The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back. She currently serves as Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at the critical legal commentary outlet Balls and Strikes. As counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice, she addressed democracy issues involving the census, the courts, and attempts to disempower communities of color.

Criminalizing Motherhood and Reproductive Health with Dr. Michele Goodwin

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 07 May 2024 11:00:30 +0000

Since the Dobbs Supreme Court case was decided, we have gained a heightened awareness of the criminal laws surrounding pregnancies, including the decision to terminate one. But the criminalization of abortion isn’t a new post-Dobbs phenomenon. Women, especially women of color, have frequently faced punitive state laws regulating reproductive health. Dr. Michele Goodwin, attorney, law professor, and author of Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood, joins SideBar to discuss her research into the long and continuing history of the government policing and criminalizing women’s reproductive health.

How Women Influenced the Constitution with Mary Sarah Bilder

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 11:00:29 +0000

Law Professor Mary Sarah Bilder discusses the amazing story of Eliza Harriot, a rare female public lecturer who delivered a University of Pennsylvania program attended by George Washington as he met in Philadelphia with delegates to draft the US Constitution. Harriot’s performance likely inspired the gender-neutral language of the Constitution and her advocacy inspired countless young women to consider a college education and fight back against exclusions based on sex, gender, and race.

We (Who Are Not) the People: Interpreting the Undemocratic Constitution with Milligan and Ross

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 11:00:59 +0000

Law Professors Joy Milligan and Bertrall Ross discuss how we should interpret a Constitution that was not written for or drafted by “We the People”. The original constitution excluded women and racial minorities. The drafters and the commentators of the period were exclusively white men. Many of the subsequent amendments were adopted under “undemocratic” conditions and interpreted by courts that did not fairly reflect the population then, or now. However, there is evidence that the language and intent of the drafters was to leave “space” for future interpretation. Milligan and Ross join SideBar to promote the proposition that “We the People” will only be protected by the Constitution if the “history and tradition” of ALL the people are considered in Supreme Court interpretations.

Are We Living Up to Our Obligations to Protect Native American Rights and Tribal Sovereignty? with John Echohawk

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:00:58 +0000

Since the mid to late 1980s, an increasingly conservative federal bench has made it more difficult to defend Indian rights under existing treaties and federal law. John Echohawk is an attorney and Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) defending Native American tribes, organizations, and individuals. He joins SideBar to discuss issues such as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, voting rights, and Indian education.

Surprise! You Do Not Have the Right to Vote with Rick Hasen

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:00:51 +0000

The federal constitution neither explicitly nor implicitly includes the right to vote. Instead, the framers allowed the States to determine the “Time, Places, and Manner of holding Elections.” Rick Hasen, author of A Real Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy, believes that needs to change. He asserts that a constitutional right to vote can deescalate election litigation and can safeguard democracy from election subversion.

Who Can Hold Judges Accountable? with Aliza Shatzman

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 12:00:53 +0000

Federal judges have lifetime tenure with little to no oversight. Despite employing thousands of new law school graduates as law clerks, they aren’t subject to anti-discrimination or other workplace laws. How is it possible that federal courts do not have to follow the same federal labor laws they enforce? In this episode, Aliza Shatzman, founder of the Legal Accountability Project, describes the experience that inspired her to create LAP and what needs to change to hold federal judges accountable.

Maintaining Democracy Requires Meaningful Access to Justice with Renee Knake Jefferson

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 12:00:34 +0000

Access to an ethically based justice system not only protects free and fair elections, but also impacts the rights that affect our everyday lives. In this episode of SideBar, Professor and Author Renee Knake Jefferson calls for lawyers and judges, including the US Supreme Court, to further commit to ethical access to justice.

How Important is the Diversity of Our Appellate Courts in Defining Justice? with Juvaria Khan

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 12:00:45 +0000

Appellate courts decide what our laws mean and how they affect all aspects of our personal lives: our ability to vote, how we are policed, our religious freedom, the quality of our education, our workplaces, healthcare, immigration protections, and much more. Yet people of color remain greatly underrepresented as both appellate attorneys and judges. Juvaria Khan, founder of The Appellate Project discusses the importance of diversity of lived experience in defining equity and fairness in judicial decision-making.

SideBar 2023 Highlights: Defending Democracy, Challenging the Supreme Court, and Pursuing a Pluralistic Society Free from Bias with Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 12:00:50 +0000

SideBar cohosts and law deans Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick look back over the 29 episodes and 25 guests featured in SideBar’s incredibly successful first season. If you have been a listener, this episode will highlight key moments from our discussions with expert guests, authors, lawyers, and judges on critical issues facing democracy, the legal system, the Supreme Court, and society. If you haven’t been a listener yet, start with this special episode to get a head start on selecting topics and guests to listen to from season one . . . every episode as relevant and important today as when originally discussed with SideBar’s expert guests.

If You Think Democracy is Guaranteed, Think Again! with David Pepper

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 12:00:10 +0000

David Pepper, author of Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual for Every American, returns to SideBar to sound the alarm that democracy remains under attack. Although there were shocking lowlights in 2023, David reminds us that there are also signs of hope. Our final SideBar episode of Season One is a reminder that we all have a critical role to play in the battle for democracy.

Can We Protect Democracy from AI and Deepfakes? with Drew Liebert and Jonathan Mehta Stein

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 12:00:12 +0000

Disinformation and deepfakes, accelerated by AI, pose an existential threat to our democracy and elections, and as a country, we are simply not ready says The California Institute for Technology and Democracy (CITED). Drew Liebert and Jonathan Mehta Stein believe that what is needed is an impartial source for policymakers, the press, and the public that will provide expertise related to AI regulation as it applies to campaign communication and election integrity.

How Did the Police Become Untouchable? With Joanna Schwartz

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:00:51 +0000

Before killing George Floyd, Officer Devin Chauvin had at least 18 misconduct complaints lodged against him. Despite this history, Chauvin was elevated to training new officers. How could this happen? UCLA Law Professor Joanna Schwartz, author of Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable, explains how courts have constructed multiple legal barriers to holding police accountable, making it nearly impossible for victims of police misconduct to obtain damages or to seek changes to police department’s practices and policies. In the end, she offers steps to dismantle some of these barriers and improve public safety.

When Religious Ideology and Public Health Collide – We All Lose! with Wendy Parmet

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 12:00:31 +0000

The COVID pandemic exposed weaknesses in our public health system and exposed the lack of trust in science and government. The change in the Supreme Court’s interpretation of public health law has been equally startling . . . overturning 100+ years of public protection by granting religious ideology priority over science. Northeastern University Law Professor Wendy Parmet also serves as the Faculty Director of the university’s Center for Health Policy and Law and is the author of Constitutional Contagion: Covid, the Courts and Public Health.

Are Lies and Liars Protected by the First Amendment? with Jeff Kosseff

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 11:00:27 +0000

Professor Jeff Kosseff, author of “Liar in a Crowded Theater: Freedom of Speech in a World of Misinformation” examines and defends constitutional protection for false speech. “It’s the listener and the reader who gets to choose, not the Government!” says Jeff. His warning is that “Once we give away our freedom of speech, we are unlikely to get it back.” Jeff is also the author of “The United States of Anonymous: How the First Amendment Shaped Online Speech” and “The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet.”

Why Does the US Criminalize Legal Immigration? with Cesar García Hernández

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 11:00:34 +0000

Nationally recognized immigration law expert, Professor Cesar García Hernández of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law talks about the intersection of criminal and immigration law, including the rights of migrants in the criminal justice system, immigration imprisonment, and race-based immigration policing.

The Best Beloved Thing is Justice! with Lisa Kloppenberg

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:00:39 +0000

Professor and Dean Emerita Lisa Kloppenberg, author of The Best Beloved Thing is Justice: The Life of Dorothy Wright Nelson, discusses her mentor, colleague, and friend. Judge Nelson was a true trailblazer for women in the legal profession. She was one of only two women in her class at the UCLA School of Law and one of the first 14 female tenure-track law professors in the United States. She became one of the first women to lead an American law school as Dean of USC Gould School of Law and later became a distinguished jurist on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. An inspiring story shared by a nationally renowned scholar in her own right, Santa Clara University School of Law Professor and Dean Emerita Lisa Kloppenberg.

Has this Supreme Court Lost Its Balance? with NPR Legal Correspondent Nina Totenberg

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 11:00:37 +0000

Supreme Court Correspondent Nina Totenberg discusses her fifty-year career as a reporter covering some of the most important Supreme Court decisions of our time. As a front-row witness to history, with unique access to Supreme Court Justices and Washington D.C. policymakers, Nina joins SideBar cohosts Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick to discuss the importance of building relationships – with the Court – within the Court – and most importantly, with the public. Along with Susan Stamberg, Cokie Roberts, and Linda Wertheimer, Nina was one of the “Four Mothers of National Public Radio” who laid the foundation of one of the most respected news organizations in America.

Is the Supreme Court Amassing Unconstitutional Power? with Stephen Vladeck

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 11:00:13 +0000

Professor Stephen Vladeck, author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic, discusses how the Supreme Court has dramatically expanded the use of the little-known – and poorly understood – “Shadow Docket” to approve unconstitutional voting processes, abortion bans, restrictive immigration policies, and expanded religious liberties. Vladeck is a CNN Supreme Court analyst and cohosts an award-winning national security law podcast.

Why Do We (Still) Fail to Respect Women Under the Constitution? with Julie Suk

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:00:49 +0000

Professor Julie Suk, author of After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do About It, discusses the legal and economic framework in the United States that fails to fairly recognize and value women’s work. Unfortunately, the U.S. remains a leader in unequal pay, no pay, inadequate support for childcare, healthcare, and social services, and irregular parental leave policies and protections. Professor Julie Suk explains how other countries have enacted constitutional protections and inclusive lawmaking processes that result in more equitable outcomes for women that result in benefits to all members of society. Professor Suk challenges us to consider correcting deficiencies in our federal constitution that would enhance equality, improve the economy, and enrich our democracy.

Has America Abandoned the Promise of a Multi-Racial Democracy? with Dr. Peniel Joseph

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 11:00:35 +0000

After 200 years of racial and ethnic struggle, including the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Era, and Black Lives Matter, where are we now in the effort to achieve the promise of a multi-racial democracy? Dr. Peniel Joseph helps us to understand this struggle and describes our current political environment in a historical context. He holds a joint professorship at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the History Department in the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also the founding director of the LBJ School’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy and the Associate Dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Joseph is the author of seven books, most recently The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the 21st Century which won the 2023 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.

Was the Constitution Ever Really Color-Blind? with Damon Hewitt

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:00:22 +0000

Damon T. Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, discusses Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina and the Supreme Court’s direction on affirmative action. Hewitt explains what Brown v. Board of Education got wrong, exposes the logical fallacy behind the idea that a diversity rationale should have an endpoint, and offers insights on what higher education institutions should do in response to the Court’s decision.

Police Reform is NOT the Answer, Only Community Reform Will Create Lasting Change, with Dr. Thaddeus Johnson

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 11:00:36 +0000

Dr. Thaddeus Johnson, former police officer, Senior Fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University, discusses his research and unique insights on empowering citizens to create safer communities. Public safety requires more than police reform, it requires community reform and in this wide-ranging and motivating conversation, Dr. Johnson details the steps communities can take to reduce crime, increase police accountability, and rebuild trust.

Who is “Whispering” in the Supreme Court’s Ears? with Hazelton & Hinkle

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 11:00:50 +0000

Professors Morgan Hazelton and Rachael Hinkle have published a fascinating book on one of the mysteries behind Supreme Court decision-making. “Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision-Making” combines research of more than 25,000 party and amicus briefs filed between 1984 and 2015 and interviews with former Supreme Court clerks and attorneys to shed light on the use of amicus briefs, one of the more mysterious and consequential features of Supreme Court cases. Both professors have J.D. and Ph.D. degrees and combine unique academic expertise in judicial politics, judicial process, and analytical methods.

Technology-Driven Justice: Can Al and Big Data Revolutionize the Courts? with Nicole Clark

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 16 May 2023 11:00:23 +0000

Nicole Clark, lawyer, entrepreneur, and CEO of Trellis, discusses how the award-winning technology start-up she founded is democratizing access to the law by making state trial court records more accessible and bringing transparency to the judicial system. Nicole describes her vision, reveals the challenges for women entrepreneurs to obtain venture capital, and predicts how legal technology will transform the legal profession.

Can We Trust this Supreme Court with the Constitution? with Elie Mystal

Legal Talk Network — Tue, 02 May 2023 11:05:00 +0000

The indomitable, outspoken, brilliant, and thoughtful Elie Mystal, author, columnist, and commentator, joins cohosts Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick to discuss his book Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution. In this wide-ranging conversation, Elie challenges our thinking about how judges should be selected, the myth of judicial ethics, and the false narrative of “originalism”.

Supreme Court Justices Behaving Badly – What Has History Taught Us? with Judge Margaret McKeown

Legal Talk Network — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 11:05:34 +0000

Judge Margaret McKeown discusses her new book Citizen Justice: The Environmental Legacy of William O. Douglas and her research on the Supreme Court Justice’s controversial approach to advocacy both on and off the bench. During his 36 years on the bench, Justice Douglas was threatened with impeachment twice, including concerns about private payments received during his long tenure and for a perceived conflict of interest where he refused to recuse himself. Is history repeating itself?

Is Conservative Christian Discrimination Now a Protected Class? with Nomi Stolzenberg

Legal Talk Network — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 11:05:29 +0000

Law Professor Nomi Stolzenberg discusses the US Supreme Court’s consideration of Conservative Christian ideology as a new protected class under the First Amendment. Seven of the nine members of the Supreme Court are Catholic or raised Catholic. How does this potentially affect the decisions being handed down by the Supreme Court?

Judicial Misconduct – How Should We Respond? with Charles Geyh

Legal Talk Network — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 11:05:02 +0000

Professor Charles Geyh, an expert in judicial conduct, discusses the ethical obligations of judges and the options available (or not) when judges break the rules – including the U.S. Supreme Court justices. He also weighs the pros and cons of electing vs. appointing judges.

Who’s Writing All These Crazy State Laws? with Joel Rogers

Legal Talk Network — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 12:05:29 +0000

Professor Joel Rogers describes the rise of American Legislative Council (ALEC), the organization responsible drafting model bills introduced across the country with devastating impacts upon public education, voting rights, and environmental protections, to name a few. He also outlines a strategy for reversing these efforts and provides a message of hope.

Who Do State Legislatures Actually Represent? with Buffy Wicks

Legal Talk Network — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 12:05:54 +0000

In this SideBar episode, California Assemblymember, Buffy Wicks discusses the power of state legislatures to protect fundamental constitutional rights and the importance of diverse representation.

Book Bans and Democracy – Can they coexist? with Suzanne Nossel

Legal Talk Network — Sat, 04 Feb 2023 17:05:42 +0000

In this episode of SideBar, Suzanne Nossel, the Chief Executive Officer of PenAmerica, discusses the dangers of book bans and educational gag orders to our core democratic values. She places these laws within a historical context, explains why they matter, and provides a way forward.

Artificial Intelligence (Al) – Who do you trust? with Orly Lobel

Legal Talk Network — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 14:05:11 +0000

In this episode of SideBar, Orly Lobel, author and Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law discusses both the opportunities and challenges of harnessing the power AI. Her most recent book, The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future (PublicAffairs 2022), was named one of The Economist’s Best Books of 2022.

Lady Justice with Dahlia Lithwick (part 2)

Legal Talk Network — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 12:15:59 +0000

Dahlia Lithwick and the Legitimacy of the Supreme Court: In Part II of our wide-ranging conversation with Dahlia Lithwick, we move from discussing the lawyers in her book, Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America, to the legitimacy of the Supreme Court and the critical role lawyers play in our society.

Lady Justice with Dahlia Lithwick (part 1)

Legal Talk Network — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 12:05:55 +0000

Dahlia Lithwick, award-winning lawyer, author, commentator, and podcaster reminds us that we all have a role to play in protecting our rights. Her book, “Lady Justice”, celebrates the important role that women lawyers have played in pursuing justice and equality. She reminds us that we each need to step up, educate ourselves on the issues, and do the hard work necessary to achieve change. In Lithwick’s career, she went from a position of great power and authority reporting on the Supreme Court from the inside . . . to the role of advocate and commentator speaking truth to power from the outside through her keen observations about the U.S. Supreme Court and its ideological agenda.

“Vigilante Federalism’ with David Noll (Part 2)

Legal Talk Network — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 16:00:11 +0000

In Part II, we continue our discussion with David Noll, co-author of “Vigilante Federalism”, who warns how the spread of private subordination laws thwarts our democratic system and undermines longstanding constitutional rights.

‘Vigilante Federalism’ with David Noll (part 1)

Legal Talk Network — Sat, 03 Dec 2022 17:00:34 +0000

David Noll, co-author of “Vigilante Federalism”, is a lawyer, columnist, and Rutgers law professor who warns how the spread of private subordination laws thwarts our democratic system and erases longstanding constitutional rights.

Reclaiming Democracy, with David Pepper (part 2)

Legal Talk Network — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 16:59:48 +0000

In Episode 2, Reclaiming Democracy, David Pepper, the author of Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines, provides a stark wake-up call for the steps he believes are necessary to move from a competitive autocracy back to a democracy. Pepper insists that reclaiming our democracy requires a sustained and persistent effort at the local, state, and federal levels. With a view to the future, he highlights the steps he believes are necessary to defend democracy.

It’s the Statehouses Stupid! with David Pepper (part 1)

Legal Talk Network — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 07:10:28 +0000

It’s the Statehouses. Stupid. So says David Pepper, the author of Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines. State legislatures, often ignored, play a significant role in deciding our rights, including the right to vote. Join SideBar co-hosts law school deans Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick as they discuss current challenges to the American political system and Constitutional rights with author, lawyer, and politician David Pepper as the podcast’s inaugural guest. {Part 1 of 2}

New Show Launches! with Gardina and Winick

Legal Talk Network — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 06:01:32 +0000

Is our democracy at risk? How do we balance competing constitutional rights? How do we battle disinformation and still maintain free speech? If these are questions you grapple with, this is the show for you!

Hosts (and law school deans) Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick proudly present ‘SideBar’, a podcast dedicated to discussing rights, self-governance, and the fabric of our society… the law. Tune in twice a month as Jackie and Mitch speak plainly about these complicated topics with amazing guests! And now, onto the teaser