Boom! Lawyered

On June 27, the Supreme Court wrapped up its extraordinarily consequential, controversial, and, at times, surprising term. Imani and Jess break down the best and worst of the 2024-2025 opinions, and what it could mean for the future of the nation. All that and… alligators? Tune into the final episode of this season of Boom! Lawyered.Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today.The Fallout is back and better than ever. In her revamped weekly column, Jess and other guest experts will explore the judges, court cases, legal news, and laws that affect your day-to-day life. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Chief Justice John Roberts contorted logic to find a path for Tennessee to enforce its anti-trans law, while Justice Amy Coney Barrett left breadcrumbs for conservatives to lodge future attacks on trans rights. In this week's episode, Imani and Jess break down this devastating decision and more.Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today.The Fallout is back and better than ever. In her revamped weekly column, Jess and other guest experts will explore the judges, court cases, legal news, and laws that affect your day-to-day life. Subscribe to the newsletter here. 

Did the Supreme Court really make it easier for straight white folks to bring reverse discrimination claims? Kind of, yes. In this week's episode, Imani and Jess explain the Court's unanimous reverse discrimination decision, and why it matters that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote it.Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today.The Fallout is back and better than ever. In her revamped weekly column, Jess and other guest experts will explore the judges, court cases, legal news, and laws that affect your day-to-day life. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Imani and Jess dive into listener questions with wit, covering everything from strict scrutiny to the implications of the latest Supreme Court decisions. They tackle the nuances of abortion laws in Missouri, revealing shifts in voter attitudes. The discussion also highlights the controversial 'big, beautiful bill' and the historical significance of Marbury v. Madison. Along the way, they humorously compare abortion rights to gun ownership, unraveling the complexities behind judicial review and executive power.

This week Imani and Jess have a very special guest join the pod. Robin Stevenson, author of the LGTBQ+ children’s book Pride Puppy, joins Boom! Lawyered to talk about what it’s like having her work at the center of the Supreme Court fight in Mahmoud v. Taylor. Listen in as Stevenson shares her experience being targeted by the conservative legal movement, and learn what folks everywhere can do to support banned books and their authors.Mentioned in this episode:The First Amendment Is Being Rewritten in Real TimeEpisodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today.Fight news fatigue with Executive Dysfunction, our weekly newsletter covering the Trump administration. We keep up with the chaos, so you can turn off your push notifications.

This week, the hosts dive into a pivotal Supreme Court case that could redefine disability rights in education. A fiery exchange unfolds as a prominent attorney challenges justices on discrimination standards. They uncover the complexities surrounding the burden of proof for students with disabilities and shed light on the potential harm from proposed legal shifts. The conversation also highlights the surprising positions taken by the Trump administration, adding layers of confusion to an already fraught landscape. It's a significant moment for disability law!

School libraries are not indoctrinating kids with “LGBTQ+ ideology”—I know that, you know that, we know that.But conservatives love pretending they don’t.This week, Jess and Imani get into Mahmoud v. Taylor, a Supreme Court case that could upend First Amendment rights with the potential to fundamentally erase the separation of church and state in public schools.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that episodes like this one are only made possible with the support of listeners like you! If you can, please join our team by donating here.And sign up for The Fallout, a weekly newsletter written by Jess that’s exclusively dedicated to covering every aspect of this unprecedented moment.

Editor's note: This episode was recorded on April 16, 2025.The Trump administration’s lawlessness is hard to exaggerate—and especially so in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the White House admitted was mistakenly deported to a detention center in El Salvador. And even though the Supreme Court ordered the administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States, Trump and his cronies are doubling down.The White House is completely disregarding due process—and it’s a threat to all of us.This week, Jess and Imani get into Abrego Garcia’s nightmarish case, El Salvador and the U.S. government volleying blame on each other to avoid his rightful return, and President Donald Trump’s apparent desire to “deport” American citizens to a foreign detention center.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that episodes like this one are only made possible with the support of listeners like you! If you can, please join our team by donating here.And sign up for The Fallout, a weekly newsletter written by Jess that’s exclusively dedicated to covering every aspect of this unprecedented moment.

This week, Jess and Imani join Lizz Winstead and Moji Alawode-El of Feminist Buzzkills live from The Black Cat in Washington, D.C. for a rowdy takedown of the latest abortion case to reach the Supreme Court, the election results in Wisconsin, and more.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that episodes like this one are only made possible with the support of listeners like you! If you can, please join our team by donating here.And sign up for The Fallout, a weekly newsletter written by Jess that’s exclusively dedicated to covering every aspect of this unprecedented moment.

President Donald Trump famously has a… strained relationship with the law, to say the least. His first term saw numerous legal challenges to attempted policies—not to mention his two impeachments. Now, barely two months into his second term, Trump is already facing more than 100 lawsuits over his attacks on birthright citizenship, gutting of the federal workforce, and more. In this episode, Jess and Imani dive into the Trump administration’s attacks on the law, from targeting law firms to straight up ignoring court orders. And psst—Washington, D.C. listeners, don’t miss seeing Jess and Imani live with Feminist Buzzills’ Lizz Winstead and Moji Alawode-El! They’ll be taking the stage at the Black Cat on April 3 at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). Get tickets here.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that episodes like this one are only made possible with the support of listeners like you! If you can, please join our team by donating here.And sign up for The Fallout, a weekly newsletter written by Jess that’s exclusively dedicated to covering every aspect of this unprecedented moment.