

Boom! Lawyered
Rewire News Group's Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy
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.
Produced by Rewire News Group.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 9, 2024 • 29min
Hello Mife, My Old Friend. Junk Science Is Attacking You Again.
Junk science is everywhere surrounding the big medication abortion case the Supreme Court will hear in late March, FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. The junk science is so improper, in fact, that the academic publishers who published studies that were cited by the plaintiffs—and the lower court judge who ruled on it, Matthew Kacsmaryk—retracted them.As Imani says in this week's episode, the Supreme Court may very well rely on a bunch of bozos when it decides to maintain the restrictions on access to abortion that were imposed by Kacsmaryk and the Fifth Circuit. So if the evidence upon which that decision was based is garbage, the Court should rule in favor of the FDA. Right?Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means Boom! Lawyered is 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.

Feb 2, 2024 • 22min
What the Hell Exactly Happened for Abortion in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a ruling this week regarding abortion, and there's been some confusion around it. No, the court didn't find a fundamental right to abortion in the state constitution. However, the justices did pave the way for that possibility as they weighed whether Medicaid must cover abortions in Pennsylvania.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means Boom! Lawyered is 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.

Jan 26, 2024 • 28min
Why Is the Biden Administration Throwing Doctors Under the Bus?
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the Biden administration issued guidance on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) to say that emergency care at Medicare-funded hospitals includes abortion care.So why, when there has been a clear violation of that, did the administration side with the hospital over the patient who needed care and throw doctors under the bus?This week, Jess and Imani get into Jaci Statton's case—the perfect example of what's wrong with relying on EMTALA to enforce abortion rights.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means Boom! Lawyered is 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.

Jan 19, 2024 • 28min
Discrimination Against Trans Kids and Their Parents Is Spreading
Last week, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed Alabama’s gender-affirming care ban to go into effect, and that’s terrible not just for Alabama, but also for Georgia and Florida, both of which are located in the 11th Circuit and have gender-affirming care bans being litigated right now. Hear from Jess and Imani, who've got everything you need to know about Eknes-Tucker v. Ivey and why the ruling is flat out wrong.Mentioned in this episode:This Is the Big Trans Rights Case That SCOTUS Could Hear Next YearThis Case Could End Teens' Birth Control AccessRewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means Boom! Lawyered is 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.

Jan 12, 2024 • 34min
Back in 'Lawyers for Fetuses' Territory
Get ready for an intense season of abortion rights battles at the Supreme Court. Explore the impact of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act and the fight over abortion care after the Dobbs decision. Dive into the ongoing legal battle over Idaho's abortion ban and speculate on the Supreme Court's intentions. Discover the upcoming abortion cases and the potential impact of the national election on abortion rights.

Dec 22, 2023 • 1min
Happy Holidays From Jess and Imani
We'll be back on January 5, 2024. Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means Boom! Lawyered is only made possible with the support of listeners like you! If you can, please join our team by donating here.And sign up forThe Fallout, a weekly newsletter written by Jess that’s exclusively dedicated to covering every aspect of this unprecedented moment.

Dec 15, 2023 • 40min
Making Sense of Texas' BS: It's Special Guest Andrea Grimes!
Reproductive rights journalist Andrea Grimes joins the hosts to discuss the confusing mess of Texas' abortion landscape. They address misconceptions, highlight the importance of informed activism, and discuss the potential consequences of political statements. They also emphasize the significance of abortion discourse and feeling connected to the community.

Dec 1, 2023 • 26min
The Major Trans Rights Case SCOTUS Could Hear Next Year
You'll likely be hearing a lot more about L.W. v. Skrmetti, a trans rights case that the ACLU has requested the Supreme Court takes up.Jess and Imani get into the nuts and bolts of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that allowed Tennessee's gender-affirming ban targeting trans kids to take effect, breaking previous federal court consensus that these bans are unconstitutional. Led by Judge Jeffrey Sutton, a George W. Bush appointee, it was the first decision to let a gender-affirming ban take effect, which has led to a domino effect on other similar bans in the country.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means Boom! Lawyered is 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.

Nov 24, 2023 • 59sec
Special Holiday Message From Imani and Jess!
Jess and Imani will be back the next week for the final three episodes of 2023.Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means Boom! Lawyered is only made possible with the support of listeners like you! If you can, please join our team by donating here.And sign up forThe Fallout, a weekly newsletter written by Jess that’s exclusively dedicated to covering every aspect of this unprecedented moment.

Nov 17, 2023 • 21min
The Originalist Case for Arming Domestic Abusers
Meet Zackey Rahimi, someone who apparently has never met a situation he didn’t try to shoot his way out of, including family, random drivers, and Whataburger.Jess and Imani are back to break down last week's Supreme Court oral arguments in his case, United States v. Rahimi, which boils down to originalism on steroids. As Jess says Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar's oral arguments showed, "If you believe in originalism like, really believe in it with your whole chest, then you also really believe in Christian patriarchy that includes men having dominion over women and children the same way that God has dominion over his creations. That's how you enshrine that kind of dominionist religious belief into legal code. That idea of dominion as a philosophy is the basis of property law—and now it might become the basis of Second Amendment law."Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means Boom! Lawyered is only made possible with the support of listeners like you! If you can, please join our team by donating here.