Boom! Lawyered

Reason bans! D&E bans! Pre-viability bans! TRAP laws! And a landmark Supreme Court case. 2020 is shaping up to be a wild ride for abortion rights in the United States. In our final Boom! Lawyered episode of 2019, Imani and Jess map out everything worth following in the year ahead.

Today, the Supreme Court declined an appeal challenging a Kentucky law that forces doctors to show and describe ultrasound images before performing an abortion—even if patients avert their eyes or ask the doctor to stop. In this emergency episode, Jess and Imani explain what this means for the First Amendment and abortion rights in Kentucky and around the country.

June Medical Services v. Gee could upend over four decades of abortion rights precedent when the case goes before the U.S. Supreme Court in March. That's because, as part of their decision, the justices will rule on whether abortion providers can sue on behalf of their patients. Imani and Jess explain why this is a big deal and how the Court is likely to decide.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone tried to perform an abortion while committing arson or burglary? Ohio lawmakers have, and they've proposed a massive new ban to deal with that hypothetical—and a whole lot more. Jess and Imani break down a 723-page bill that will leave your jaw on the floor.

When is a ban not a ban? When it's a deadline! Imani and Jess dive into the absurd arguments that Arkansas is making in the hopes that its pre-viability abortion ban will stick. Will the courts buy these new claims? Are other states following suit? B!L answers those questions and more. 

Imani and Jess debunk the latest frontier in junk science: "abortion reversal." As more states pass laws forcing doctors to promote this myth, the courts continue to step in and block them. But if more people don't recognize the bad-faith claims underlying "abortion reversal," that could change—and sooner than we might think.

During recent Supreme Court arguments about trans rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, one of the justices appeared to buy into the idea of "bathroom panic." That may not seem surprising—except that the justice in question was Sonia Sotomayor. Imani and Jess explain what happened, where Justice Sotomayor went wrong, and why "bathroom panic" arguments don't hold up under scrutiny.

There's only one abortion clinic left in Kentucky, and by law its doctors must place ultrasound images in the patient’s view and read a state-mandated script. Recently, the ACLU filed a petition on behalf of the clinic asking the Supreme Court to step in. Imani and Jess explain the forced ultrasound law, its harms, and how the Roberts Court could protect—or devastate—the free speech rights of providers if they take the case.

This morning, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the three cases that will ultimately decide whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects gay and trans employees from employment discrimination. Jess attended the arguments and then joined Imani for a breakdown of the most important moments. Jess then interviews Claudia Trevor-Wright about the experience of being arrested during Court-related protest actions.

Friday morning, the Supreme Court announced it was taking June Medical Services v. Gee. In this emergency episode of Boom! Lawyered, Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy discuss why this is a direct threat to reproductive rights and the value of legal precedent. For more, please read: Supreme Court Takes First Abortion Rights Case With Kavanaugh on the Bench Boom! Lawyered: Standing Edition