
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

Apr 8, 2021 • 36min
Everything You Need to Know About Georgia Voter Suppression
Jess and Imani explain three of the most alarming pieces of legislation introduced anywhere in the United States:-The voter suppression legislation in Georgia, which might be even more outrageous than most folks realize.-A new abortion ban in Texas, which goes even farther than your typical effort to criminalize health care.-The anti-trans bill in Arkansas, which is poised to take effect despite a veto from Governor Asa Hutchinson.Can somebody stop this ride? We'd like to get out now.Boom! Lawyered is made by Rewire News Group, a nonprofit media org. That means your support plays a huge role in making the show possible. If you can, please donate at https://rewirenewsgroup/boomgive

Apr 1, 2021 • 36min
Biden Plans to Give the Courts a Much-Needed Kick in the Pants
President Joe Biden's recent slate of judicial nominees are more than a breath of fresh air—they represent a serious step forward in building a more just legal system. And we need good judges now more than ever because state legislatures around the country are trying to pass some terrible laws. For example, an alarming new bill in Arkansas could strip trans kids of necessary health care.Meanwhile, the Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has more anti-choice shenanigans up his sleeve. What is his procedural maneuver, and will it work? Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy break down all of this and more on Boom! Lawyered.If you enjoy Boom! Lawyered, please consider supporting us! We're a media nonprofit so your donations are essential to making this podcast possible. https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boomgive

Mar 18, 2021 • 27min
Reacting to the Atlanta Shootings
On this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Imani and Jess talk about the increasing violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, the importance of allyship in its wake, and how racist stereotypes against the AAPI community are also fueling new anti-choice legislation. In a bit of good news, the Biden administration's getting serious about new judicial nominees and the candidates being vetted should inspire hope.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, and that means Boom! Lawyered is funded in no small part by listeners like you. If you can, please support us at https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boomgive.

Mar 11, 2021 • 27min
Arkansas Woos Amy Coney Barrett With a Very Bad Ban
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill Tuesday that would ban all abortions in the state except those deemed a “medical emergency.” If it takes effect in August as planned, it'll be the most restrictive abortion ban in the country. Fortunately, legal challenges should be on the way. But is that what they want?In better news, the COVID-19 stimulus package has a lot of health-care goodies in it, and the Biden administration is out to undo Betsy DeVos' damage to campus sexual assault protections when she was the education secretary. Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy cover all of this and more on this episode of Boom! Lawyered.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit, which means listeners like you make Boom! Lawyered possible. If you can, support us at https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boomgive!

Mar 4, 2021 • 26min
Remember When We Could Hug?
One year ago today, Jess Pieklo and Imani Gandy were on the steps of the Supreme Court for the oral arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo. Since then, everyone's lives—and the Supreme Court itself—have been turned completely upside down. On this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Jess and Imani reflect on everything that's changed and what lies ahead.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit, so your support makes this podcast possible. If you can, please support us so we can keep this wild ride going. https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boomgive

Feb 25, 2021 • 21min
Supreme Court Election Conspiracies and Abortion Cases
Justice Clarence Thomas has gone full election truther. And if that's not enough to make you sweat, the most conservative Supreme Court of our lifetimes just took on its first abortion rights case of 2021. Oh, and a Virginia school district is going back to court because apparently they're that desperate to discriminate against trans kids. On this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imany Gandy explain how progressives are fighting back on all of these fronts.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media org, and that means we rely on support from listeners like you to make Boom! Lawyered. If you can, please consider helping us produce this show by donating here!

Feb 18, 2021 • 37min
How to Bankrupt the Proud Boys
The impeachment trial was going so well! Alas, the Democrats managed to tie themselves into knots and fumble away the narrative. But all is not lost, thanks to a creative lawsuit that invokes the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. Meanwhile, the Biden administration took some bold steps to rescue the Affordable Care Act from a Supreme Court disaster while 30 (!) states are gearing up to attack abortion rights and trans kids. So it's all a bit of a roller-coaster. On this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Imani Gandy and Jessica Mason Pieklo will help you try and hang on.If you enjoy Boom! Lawyered, please consider supporting us at https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boomgive! As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep the content flowing.

Feb 4, 2021 • 28min
Put Imani Gandy on the Bench, You Cowards
This week, the nation reckoned with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's terrifying account of the insurrection at the Capitol. Democrats also discussed plans to un-bleep the courts, but will they go far enough? And the Department of Justice signaled a major sea-change on immigration. Imani Gandy and Jessica Mason Pieklo help you make sense of all of these topics and more in this latest episode of Boom! Lawyered. Listen now!If you'd like to support Boom! Lawyered, please do at https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boomgive.

Jan 28, 2021 • 38min
Nuke the Filibuster?
The filibuster was created by accident. Now, it's one of the most controversial and crucial components of our clunky mess of a government. But is it a good thing or a bad thing? On this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy dig into whether the filibuster helps or hurts progressives in the long run, how to work around it, and whether those workarounds offer any path to stronger abortion protections.If you'd like to support Boom! Lawyered, please do so at https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boomgive.

Jan 21, 2021 • 31min
Hey Joe, It Feels Good to Say the 'A' Word
On day one of his White House term, President Joe Biden made big moves to protect LGBTQ and undocumented folks, called out the dangers of white supremacy, and more. It was a helluva start! But there was one minor kerfuffle at the end of the day. On this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Imani Gandy and Jessica Mason Pieklo break down the moments to celebrate and explain why Biden and his surrogates should unapologetically proclaim their support for abortion access.To support Boom! Lawyered, please donate at https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boomgive.