
Boom! Lawyered
Every week, Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy take you on a wild ride through the latest legal battles in the fight for reproductive justice. On everything from abortion rights to trans discrimination to racial justice, Boom! Lawyered will help you get smart, stay mad, have fun, and fight back.
Produced by Rewire News Group.
Latest episodes

May 31, 2022 • 34min
Wombs Are Not Meth Labs—but Some Prosecutors Treat Them the Same
In this episode of Boom! Lawyered, co-hosts Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy discuss the surveillance state that conservative lawmakers are creating. It's real. It's not just the bounty hunter laws where neighbors are rewarded for snitching on each other. They're also getting nurses to snitch on patients. It's using the criminal justice system to police pregnancy—and it's going to get worse.Mentioned in this episode:A Gathering StormRewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered is only made possible by 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.

May 20, 2022 • 27min
Jess Interviews Her Ex-Work Wife, Robin Marty
Jess is joined by Robin Marty, operations director at Alabama West Women's Center, for a deeper look into the landscape of abortion in the South and how the clinic is preparing for a post-Roe world.Resources mentioned in the episode:If You Want to Protect Pregnant People From Arrest, Fund Red-State ClinicsThe New Handbook for a Post-Roe AmericaPregnant Workers Fairness ActRewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered is only made possible by 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.

May 9, 2022 • 24min
Processing the Fallout of the Supreme Court Leak
Co-hosts Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy break down what’s happened since Politico published the leaked SCOTUS opinion, including which lawmakers have risen to the occasion, and which didn’t. They also chat about how the White House’s response measures up to the gravity of the moment. And they’ll hit on what comes next: which states are poised to defend access moving forward and what the decision will mean for lawmakers eager to roll back abortion rights even more.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered is only made possible by 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.

May 3, 2022 • 21min
We Are in the Bad Place
There's no sugarcoating it, folks: We're in the bad place.In this emergency episode of Boom! Lawyered, co-hosts Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy bring you everything you need to know after Politico published a draft majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organizationthat fully reverses Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. After the recording of this episode, Chief Justice John Roberts released a statement that verified the authenticity of the opinion.It's full chaos, and there's no one like Jess and Imani to help you understand what it all means and where we go from here.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered—especially emergency episodes like this one—is only made possible by 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.

May 2, 2022 • 31min
Hey Lawmakers, Be Like Connecticut
Boom! Lawyered is approaching 1 million downloads, and Jess and Imani have something special planned for loyal subscribers and listeners like you! Keep tuning in this month and be sure you're following us on Twitter.Connecticut just passed the most progressive and pro-abortion law on the books right now—and it's a shining example of what states can do if they care about abortion access.In this new episode of Boom! Lawyered, co-hosts Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy take a look into a post-Roe world—mostly bad, some definitely good. If (and when) Roe v. Wade falls nationwide, there will be vast abortion deserts in the country—states where abortion is entirely illegal or inaccessible to the point of nonexistence. This means that providers and patients will need to rely on traveling to other states to provide or access care.It's basically up to progressive lawmakers to safeguard access—like what Connecticut is doing in sticking its neck out and transforming the state into a haven for access.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered is only made possible by 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.Articles mentioned in this episode:Harassment at Abortion Clinics Is Already Bad. It’s Worse When You’re Black.

Apr 25, 2022 • 28min
The 'Dobbs' Crystal Ball
The case has the potential to completely change the landscape of abortion access as we know it. And only one thing might be certain, as Jess puts it: There's no chance for a win here.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered is only made possible by 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.

Apr 18, 2022 • 31min
What the Hell Happened to Lizelle Herrera?
That's what happened in Texas after the indictment and arrest of Lizelle Herrera for a “self-induced” abortion. While Herrera’s charges were dropped, the case is a grim insight into the criminalization of pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes—one that seems to be getting worse.In a new episode of Boom! Lawyered, co-hosts Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy break down a few key points about what happened: the importance of accuracy in reporting on these issues, the ever-present questions about HIPPA and medical privacy, and the carceral nature of medicine.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered is only made possible by 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.Articles mentioned in the episode:Whose Choice?A Gathering StormBlack Women Were Canaries in the Coal Mine': A Conversation With Michele Goodwin

Apr 7, 2022 • 26min
History Made—Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Is Confirmed
The Senate voted 53-47 this afternoon to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court! "Aye" votes came from Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitt Romney to confirm Jackson, who's the first Black woman, and first public defender, to join the nation's highest court.In this rapid reaction episode of Boom! Lawyered, co-hosts Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy celebrate this historic moment and look ahead to upcoming cases that Justice Jackson will hear next term.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered—especially rapid reaction episodes like this one—is only made possible by 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.

Apr 4, 2022 • 26min
Ginni the Insurrectionist
In a new episode of Boom! Lawyered, co-hosts Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy ask the all-important question: Did we just move on from the fact that Ginni Thomas maybe probably definitely discussed the Big Lie with her husband—a sitting Supreme Court justice—while urging Trump administration officials to not accept the 2020 election results?! And will the Democrats do anything about it?Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered is only made possible by 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.Articles mentioned in this episode:An Abortion Guide for People With EndometriosisWhat We Lose in the Endo Community When the Most Privileged Voices Are the Loudest

Mar 24, 2022 • 20min
Ketanji Brown Jackson Hearing, Day Three—Celebrating Joy Amid the Nonsense
Join co-hosts Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy in a special reaction episode of Boom! Lawyered as they discuss the main takeaways from the day three of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing: Republicans are willing to pander to the lowest of the lows, and they're coming for all of our rights. It's pretty dark. But Jess and Imani are following the lead of Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and celebrating joy in this historic nomination.This episode was recorded prior to more info being released on the rest of the confirmation process. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) has said he wants the full Senate vote to occur before the chamber breaks. Here’s how the schedule is expected to play out:March 28 — Senate Judiciary Committee will consider her nominationApril 4 — The committee will vote to send Jackson’s nomination to the full SenateApril 8 — Senate breaksRewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that Boom! Lawyered—especially rapid reaction episodes like this one—is only made possible by 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.