SLU LAW Summations Saint Louis University School of Law

With an election case involving who is on the ballot headed to the United States Supreme Court and various others bubbling to the surface, this election season promises to be filled with excitement. Between voter access, gerrymandering cases, elected officials pushed out of their district these are certainly unprecedented times. In this episode we are joined by election law expert Josh Douglas. Professor Douglas spent this past fall semester as a visiting professor here at SLU LAW. He is also currently back at his home institution of Rosenburg College of Law at the University of Kentucky. Professor Douglas is also the host of the new podcast, Democracy Optimist.

Nearly every day we see a new headline about a labor union in the news. From the recent Writers Guild agreement to the ongoing United Auto Workers strike and the numerous health care walk outs; labor unions are once again changing the game in the workplace. Why the influx in strikes in the labor movement? What does this mean for the future of labor in the United States? In this episode we are joined, once again by Professor Michael Duff. He is a former labor lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board and is a faculty member in the William C. Wefel Center for Employment Law.

The Supreme Court decision banning race-conscious college admissions that was handed down over the summer has rocked higher education and has forced colleges and universities across the country to examine their processes. But the implications of this case go far beyond campus. The decision has unleashed a new wave of political and legal attacks against corporate America’s anti-discrimination policies. Are our hard-fought DEI initiatives in the workforce the next target? What does this mean for educators and employers? In this episode we are joined by Professor Marcia McCormick, the director of the William C. Wefel Employment Law Center, and Belinda Dantley, the assistant dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the law school.

Earlier this year, the United States Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision in the voting rights case of Allen v Milligan. To the surprise of voting rights advocates across the country, the Court decided that the Alabama’s redistricting plan violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Just today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the decision, handing a defeat to Alabama Republicans for the second time in three months. The case concerns the redistricting of Alabama’s seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The challengers argued that when drawing the map, the state had illegally packed Black voters into a single district, minimizing the number of districts in which Black voters can elect their chosen candidates. We have Professor Anders Walker here to talk through this case with us. Professor Walker teaches Constitutional Law and American Legal History among other courses. For this episode, assistant producer Edna Besic, a 3L at SLU LAW, will join as a co-host.

As a country, we are still grappling with the impact of the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health decision. There is no community of professionals more impacted than the medical professionals that treat women on a regular basis. In this episode we are joined by Professor Molly Wilson, an expert in law and psychology who holds a Ph.D. in psychology in addition to her J.D. She also serves the law school as the associate dean for research and engagement.

Labor unions seem to be having a moment. That is at least according to a recent Gallup poll that shows US approval of labor unions at the highest point since 1965. The latest approval figure comes amid a burst of 2022 union victories across the country,with high-profile successes at major American corporations such as Amazon and Starbucks. The National Labor Relations Board has even reported a 57% increase in union elections petitions filed during the first six months of fiscal year 2021. To dig into the labor law issues that this brings us, we turn to Professor Michael Duff. Professor Duff joined the SLU LAW faculty this fall and is the co-director of the William C. Wefel Center for Employment Law. He is an expert in labor law having had a previous career as a labor lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board in Philadelphia and Minneapolis.