Broken Law

Broken Law

Ever feel like the law is stacked against you? It probably is. Broken Law speaks truth to power in discussing how our laws and legal system serve the few at the expense of the many. This is where law meets real life. Hosted by the staff of the American Constitution Society, we reckon with the origins of our legal system, interview people on the frontlines of the progressive legal movement, and chat about necessary legal reforms to restore our democratic legitimacy and improve the lives of all people.

Episodes

April 15, 2025 36 mins

Over five months after voters cast their ballots to elect a North Carolina Supreme Court Justice, the election remains uncertified.  The losing candidate has taken to the courts in an attempt to change the rules of the contest long after Election Day and, so far, two state courts have been willing to do so.  Lindsay Langholz joins Christopher Wright Durocher to discuss the legal case at the heart of this election contest, the court...

Mark as Played

There have been over 100 lawsuits challenging many of the early actions of the second Trump Administration.  Kate Huddleston joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss the details of one, Campaign Legal Center's recently filed lawsuit challenging the Department of Government Efficiency's power grab. 

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program

Guest: Kate Huddles...

Mark as Played

The Court is entering its final stretch of oral arguments for the 2024-2025 term and they will be hearing four important cases with significant First Amendment implications, particularly when it comes to the separation of church and state.  Hirsh Joshi joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss the tension between public policy goals and religiously motivated exemptions in each of these cases.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement To...

Mark as Played

More than 950 law scholars from around the country have signed on to a bipartisan letter decrying President Trump’s slew of illegal executive orders and actions. Christopher Wright Durocher talks with principal author and coordinator of the letter Kent Greenfield about what prompted these scholars to speak out and where this crisis may lead.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

Host: Christopher Wright Duro...

Mark as Played

Perhaps more than any other issue, harsh immigration enforcement has defined President Trump’s political career. Since returning to office, the President has moved to end birthright citizenship, authorized ICE to raid schools and churches, and announced plans for mass detention centers on Guantanamo. Professors Ana Raquel Minian and Amanda Frost join Taonga Leslie to help us make sense of the raft of anti-immigrant actions and what...

Mark as Played

The Supreme Court recently heard two cases that could have significant implications for the way we live our lives online.  Gautam Hans joins Lindsay Langholz to reflect on the arguments made to the Court, how to interpret the TikTok v. Garland decision and chaotic aftermath, and why we should all care about broad restrictions on adult content websites.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

Host: Lindsay Lan...

Mark as Played
January 21, 2025 38 mins

From the first Trump Administration's executive order restricting equity and inclusion discussions across the federal government to the Supreme Court's decision in Students for Fair Admissions, the last few years have seen significant legal attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.  David Glasgow joins Taonga Leslie to discuss the historical context of DEI, the current state of play as we enter a second ...

Mark as Played

What is constitutional theory and do judges actually need one? Mark Tushnet joins Christopher Wright Durocher to discuss his new book, Who Am I to Judge? Judicial Craft Versus Constitutional Theory, and how reasoned judgment can lead the way forward.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

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

Guest: Mark Tushnet, William Nelson Cromwell Profes...

Mark as Played
December 24, 2024 33 mins

If you are doing some last minute holiday shopping or resolving to read more books in 2025, we have got you covered.  Lindsay Langholz and Christopher Wright Durocher share what books are on their wishlist this holiday season, and Valerie Nannery speaks with Joshua Perry about his novel, Seraphim.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program

Host: Christo...

Mark as Played

Bethany Davis Noll, Executive Director of The State Energy & Environmental Impact Center, joins Valerie Nannery to talk about how a second Trump Administration will move to roll back federal regulations, how he harnessed previously low-profile tools to roll back regulations during his first term in office, and how this changed the way the Biden Administration approached regulatory changes.

Join the Progressive Legal Mo...

Mark as Played

How might a Trump administration effectively ban abortion without actually signing a national abortion ban into law?  Abortion advocates are sounding the alarm over a 1873 law known as the Comstock Act.  Lindsay Langholz joins Christopher Wright Durocher to take a critical look at this zombie law - why it was passed, how it has historically been used, and how an incoming Trump administration might take advantage of this dusty secti...

Mark as Played

The 2024 presidential election is behind us. Now, the second Trump administration looks poised to pick up where the first left off in its effort to reshape the federal judiciary in the conservative legal movement’s image. ACS President and former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold joins Christopher Wright Durocher to discuss prospects for the current Senate to confirm President Biden’s remaining judicial nominees to mitigate the damage of ...

Mark as Played

In the days after Election Day 2020, mis- and disinformation over how votes are counted, verified, and results certified fueled political violence and the birth of the Big Lie.  Ahead of Election Day 2024, Jonathan Diaz joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss what election law experts are actually focused on once the polls close and what is just noise.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

Host: Lindsay Langholz,...

Mark as Played

From the January 6th attack on the Capitol to recent assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump, political violence and intimidation pose a growing threat to our democracy. Taonga Leslie brings an excerpt from a recent ACS program co-hosted by Giffords Law Center and March for Our Lives featuring a discussion among advocates and legal scholars on the causes of rising political violence, the stakes of the 2024 election,...

Mark as Played

In this supersized episode, Christopher Wright Durocher joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss what to expect from the imminent start to the 2024-2025 Supreme Court Term.  Then, Sylvia Albert and Eyricka Geneus of Common Cause join Ashley Erickson to dig in on volunteer opportunities in this final stretch of the 2024 election cycle.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of ...

Mark as Played
September 17, 2024 39 mins

The Roberts Court has spent years ignoring precedent, norms, and judicial restraint in pursuit of concentrated power. Chris Kang joins Taonga Leslie to discuss the problems this power grab has caused and many of the reform proposals currently on the table.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

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

Guest: Chris Kang, Co-Founder and Former Chief...

Mark as Played

This Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end to an historically hot summer.  Terri Gerstein returns to Broken Law to talk with Valerie Nannery about legal protections for workers -- including from record heats but also from non-compete provisions, child labor exploitation, and more -- and the people who enforce those laws. 

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org

Host: Valerie Nannery, Senior Director of P...

Mark as Played

Two recent Supreme Court decisions have dramatically eroded the separation of church and state when it comes to our public schools.  As students head back for another school year, Elizabeth Cavell joins Lindsay Langholz to look at the impact the Court's decisions have had on public school classrooms and how Christian nationalists are attempting to push the boundary even further.

Join the Progressive Legal Movement Tod...

Mark as Played
August 6, 2024 46 mins

In less than four years, President Biden has gone from a skeptic to proponent of significant reforms to the Supreme Court. Christopher Wright Durocher joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss how the Court’s recent decisions have played into the growing calls for reform and what proposals may be gaining traction. We also bring you excerpts of ACS’s 2023-2024 Supreme Court Review to better understand just how aggressive the Court has becom...

Mark as Played
July 23, 2024 30 mins

In less than 100 days, voters all over the country will start heading to the polls as early voting begins in most states. Lindsay Langholz is joined by ACS’s Ashley Erickson and Power the Poll’s Marta Hanson to cut through the noise of the presidential race and talk about one concrete thing that can be done to help protect democracy this year and help restore faith in our election system long-term.

Join the Progressive Le...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.