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.
- Update frequency
- every 10 days
- Average duration
- 45 minutes
- Episodes
- 183
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Episode 42: When Legislatures Race to the Bottom
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 ratchet…
Episode 41: A State Attorney General Does What Exactly?
This November, voters in 30 states and the District of Columbia will be casting ballots for state attorney general. These elected officials work on many issues that impact our everyday lives, and yet…
Episode 40: How the Law Views the Ukraine Crisis
Last month, Russia launched a premeditated, unjustified, and unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine in flagrant violation of international law. In response, the international community has unleashed…
Episode 39: Michigan's Secretary of State Sounds off on Democracy
Secretaries of State (SoS) play a key role in preserving election security and access to the ballot. Voters will be casting ballots for their state's SoS in 27 states this year. But, just what is inv…
Episode 38: Climate Change Goes to Court
The Supreme Court is taking up four cases, consolidated under the name West Virginia v. EPA, that could lead to the most consequential decision on the government’s ability to fight climate change in …
Episode 37: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Senate Confirmation Process
Supreme Court confirmations are headlining events, driving the news cycle and consuming the Senate’s attention. But just what does the confirmation process look like behind the scenes? Beyond the TV …
Episode 36: Money, Corruption and Government, Oh My
What role do ethics violations play in the degradation of our democracy? The Trump administration left behind a legacy of profound corruption, egregious conflicts of interest, and outrageous self-dea…
Episode 35: The Case for Reparations in the United States
Dr. Marcus Hunter joins Broken Law to talk with Peggy Li about why reparations are needed in the United States and how the movement for reparations works with and alongside the movement for Truth, Ra…
Episode 34: "You Control the Supreme Court or You Control Nothing"
Elie Mystal, Legal Analyst and Justice Correspondent for The Nation, stops by Broken Law to talk with Jeanne Hruska about what he means when he says, "you either control the Supreme Court or you cont…
Episode 33: The Gun Lobby's Courtship of the Supreme Court
Late last year, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case challenging a NY State firearm regulation under the Second Amendment—New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. This is …
Episode 32: We Need to Talk Elections
The battle over the 2022 midterm elections has already begun. Gerrymandering, packing of election offices, and new voter suppression laws are being leveraged to influence the results of the upcoming …
Episode 31: January 6th, One Year Later
One year ago, an angry mob of white supremacist anarchists stormed the U.S. Capitol, interrupted the constitutionally required counting of Electoral College votes, and tried to undermine the peaceful…
Episode 30: What Just Happened? Summing up 2021
In our final episode of 2021, Jeanne Hruska speaks with Melissa Murray, Professor at the NYU School of Law, and Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer at Slate Magazine, about the legal legacy of the past t…
Episode 29: State of Democracy, Part III
In this final episode of our State of Democracy series, we discuss the importance of a vibrant civil society, which is frequently discussed in foreign policy circles, but less so here at home. Jeanne…
Episode 28: State of Democracy, Part II
70 years after the establishment of the United Nations and the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are witnessing mounting human rights abuses in every corner of the globe. These…
Episode 27: Roe on the Brink
On December 1st, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the blockbuster abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Org. Lindsay Langholz speaks with Gretchen Borchelt, Vice President for Reprod…
Episode 26: State of Democracy, Part I
Across the globe, we are witnessing a democratic decline, including worrying signs of democratic retreat here at home. Elected autocrats are fine tuning their playbook in countries as diverse as Vene…
Episode 25: Courts Matter
For as much talk as there is about the presidency and whom we elect to Congress, there is rarely public conversation about who is sitting on our federal courts, specifically those that are not the U.…
Episode 24: On Native American Land
McGirt v. Oklahoma may be the most consequential recent Supreme Court case that you have never heard of. McGirt, decided in July 2020, stunned many Court watchers and Indian Law experts. Rather than …
Episode 23: How the World Views the Death Penalty
Throughout the world, the death penalty is in decline. Since 1976, more than 75 countries have abolished the death penalty, and many others have severely curtailed its use or abolished it in practice…