Broken Law

American Constitution Society
  • 4.8 (99)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Ever feel like the law is stacked against you? It probably is. Broken Law speaks truth to power in discussing how our laws and legal system serve the few at the expense of the many. This is where law meets real life. Hosted by the staff of the American Constitution Society, we reckon with the origins of our legal system, interview people on the frontlines of the progressive legal movement, and chat about necessary legal reforms to restore our democratic legitimacy and improve the lives of all people.

  1. Episode 194: How Close to Autocracy Are We?

    2D AGO

    Episode 194: How Close to Autocracy Are We?

    Kim Lane Scheppele joins Valerie Nannery to discuss how America’s slide into autocracy is similar to and different from autocratic shifts around the world, how far America is on the path to autocracy, and what we can all do to stop the descent.  Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Valerie Nannery, Senior Director of Policy and Program Guest: Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs & Director of the Program in Law and Normative Thinking at the University Center for Human Values, Princeton University  Link: Autocratic Legalism, by Kim Lane Scheppele Link: Trump’s Counter Constitution, by Kim Lane Scheppele Link: The ‘Big Lie’s’ Autocratic Assault on the Rule of Law: Attorneys Can Stop It, by Jim Saranteas Link: Become a Poll Worker Visit the Podcast Website: Broken Law Podcast Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org Follow ACS on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | LinkedIn | YouTube ----------------- Broken Law: About the law, who it serves, and who it doesn’t. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of American Constitution Society 2025.

    58 min
  2. Episode 193: Navigating The Maze of Our Immigration System

    FEB 3

    Episode 193: Navigating The Maze of Our Immigration System

    Lindsay Langholz is joined by ACS San Diego Lawyer Chapter leaders Kevin Gregg and Emily Howe to discuss immigration cases making their way through federal courts, who gets to decide who is an American, what protection citizenship or legal status provides, and what it is like to be on the front lines of defending American democracy. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program Guest: Kevin Gregg, Partner, Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt, P.A. and ACS San Diego Lawyer Chapter Leader Guest: Emily Howe, Principal, Law Offices of Emily E. Howe and ACS San Diego Lawyer Chapter Leader Link: The American adoptees who fear deportation to a country they can't remember, by George Wright Link: Immigration Review Podcast, hosted by Kevin A. Gregg Link: ACS National Convention 2026  Visit the Podcast Website: Broken Law Podcast Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org Follow ACS on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | LinkedIn | YouTube ----------------- Broken Law: About the law, who it serves, and who it doesn’t. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of American Constitution Society 2025.

    45 min
  3. Episode 192: One Year of Trump's Chokehold on Free Speech

    JAN 20

    Episode 192: One Year of Trump's Chokehold on Free Speech

    The rights protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution are essential for the proper functioning of a responsive democracy.  As we mark the end of the first year of the Second Trump Administration, Nora Benavidez joins Lindsay Langholz to take stock of the effects of a year-long assault on free speech and discuss her recent report, Chokehold: Donald Trump's War on Free Speech & the Need for Systemic Resistance. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program Guest: Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights, Free Press Link: Chokehold: Donald Trump’s War on Free Speech & the Need for Systemic Resistance Link: I Counted Trump’s Censorship Attempts. Here’s What I Found., by Nora Benavidez Link: Defending Academic Freedom, Episode 175 of Broken Law  Visit the Podcast Website: Broken Law Podcast Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org Follow ACS on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | LinkedIn | YouTube ----------------- Broken Law: About the law, who it serves, and who it doesn’t. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of American Constitution Society 2025.

    56 min
  4. Episode 191: New Year, New Leadership at ACS

    JAN 6

    Episode 191: New Year, New Leadership at ACS

    Introducing ACS's New President!  Phil Brest joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss his background in judicial nominations, the perspective he brings to his new role, and the political moment we all find ourselves in as he takes the helm at ACS. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program Guest: Phil Brest, President of ACS Link: ACS National Convention 2026  Visit the Podcast Website: Broken Law Podcast Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org Follow ACS on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | LinkedIn | YouTube ----------------- Broken Law: About the law, who it serves, and who it doesn’t. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of American Constitution Society 2025.

    28 min
  5. Episode 190: Defending Immigrant Speech

    12/23/2025

    Episode 190: Defending Immigrant Speech

    From detaining student protesters to threatening to deport rival politicians, President Trump has weaponized the immigration system to suppress dissent. Professor Alina Das and advocate Ramya Krishnan join Taonga Leslie to discuss how these attacks chill speech across the board, examine the unique challenges of defending free speech in the immigration context, and describe how lawyers can resist efforts to silence non-citizens and citizens alike. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Taonga Leslie, Director of Policy and Program for Racial Justice Guest: Alina Das, James Weldon Johnson Professor & Co-Director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic, NYU Law Guest: Ramya Krishnan, Senior Staff Attorney, Knight First Amendment Institute; Lecturer in Law, Columbia Law School Link:  Opinion, AAUP v. Rubio (Judge Young) Link: The First Amendment in Flux, ACS Program Guide Link: Rights Under Attack: DHS Violence Against Journalists, Observers, and Protestors Visit the Podcast Website: Broken Law Podcast Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org Follow ACS on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | LinkedIn | YouTube ----------------- Broken Law: About the law, who it serves, and who it doesn’t. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of American Constitution Society 2025.

    54 min
  6. Episode 189: 'Stand Up Now': Lessons Learned on the Ground in Chicago

    12/09/2025

    Episode 189: 'Stand Up Now': Lessons Learned on the Ground in Chicago

    This fall, the Department of Homeland Security descended on the Greater Chicago area as part of an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign targeting Democratic-run cities.  Scott Sakiyama joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss his experiences organizing and engaging in efforts to combat authoritarian tactics used by federal agents, what activists in other cities can learn from Chicago, and the importance of taking action now. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program Guest: Scott Sakiyama, Oak Park, Ill. Attorney and Activist Link: Oak Park attorney arrested near school says federal agents pointed gun at him, had ‘Chiraq Team 2’ group chat, by Rebecca Johnson  Link: Order and Opinion, Chicago Headline Club v. Noem (Judge Ellis) Link: Volunteer patrols and the PTA at school entrances: How some Charlotte residents are mobilizing amid the immigration crackdown, by Dalla Faheld, Andy Buck, & Dianne Gallagher    Visit the Podcast Website: Broken Law Podcast Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org Follow ACS on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | LinkedIn | YouTube ----------------- Broken Law: About the law, who it serves, and who it doesn’t. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of American Constitution Society 2025.

    46 min
  7. Episode 188: Carrying the Day: Reordering Legal Values Toward Indigenous Rights in Sacred Sites

    11/25/2025

    Episode 188: Carrying the Day: Reordering Legal Values Toward Indigenous Rights in Sacred Sites

    Indigenous communities are often invited to participate in the conversation about access to their sacred sites but rarely do their interests prevail. Time and again, their input is received and yet made subordinate to competing interests from corporate powers, scientific pursuits, and even recreation.  Michalyn Steele joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss how the law could be changed to reorder existing values and give greater weight to Indigenous interests in sacred sites. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program Guest: Michalyn Steele, Marion G. Romney Professor of Law, BYU Law Link: The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act as a Model of Cultural Sovereignty for Protecting Indigenous Sacred Sites, by Michalyn Steele Link: Rethinking Protections For Indigenous Sacred Sites, by Stephanie Hall Barclay and Michalyn Steele  Link:  Indigenous Resilience, by Michalyn Steele Link: Supreme Court spurns Native American religious claim over copper mine on sacred land, by Lawrence Hurley Link: Native American Rights Fund Visit the Podcast Website: Broken Law Podcast Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org Follow ACS on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | LinkedIn | YouTube ----------------- Broken Law: About the law, who it serves, and who it doesn’t. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of American Constitution Society 2025.

    52 min
  8. Episode 187: Trump's Threats of a Third Term and the 22nd Amendment

    11/11/2025

    Episode 187: Trump's Threats of a Third Term and the 22nd Amendment

    President Trump is currently remodeling a house that he does not seem keen to move out of when his lease is up.   Donald Sherman of CREW joins Lindsay Langholz to discuss the threat of Trump seeking a third term, and why in spite of clear constitutional text, history cautions us to take the threat seriously.  They examine the clear text of the 22nd Amendment, the fight over ratification in the states, and why that all matters now. Join the Progressive Legal Movement Today: ACSLaw.org Host: Lindsay Langholz, Senior Director of Policy and Program Guest: Donald Sherman, Executive Director and Chief Counsel, CREW Link: 2 presidential terms, 41 states: the ratification of the 22nd Amendment, CREW Link: Remarks of Rep. Jennings, Congressional Record (852-853) Link: A Third Trump Term Is Not the Charm, by Jamelle Bouie Link: Presidential Term Limits in American History, by Michael Korzi Visit the Podcast Website: Broken Law Podcast Email the Show: Podcast@ACSLaw.org Follow ACS on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | LinkedIn | YouTube ----------------- Broken Law: About the law, who it serves, and who it doesn’t. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of American Constitution Society 2025.

    43 min
See All (195)

4.8
out of 5
99 Ratings

About

Ever feel like the law is stacked against you? It probably is. Broken Law speaks truth to power in discussing how our laws and legal system serve the few at the expense of the many. This is where law meets real life. Hosted by the staff of the American Constitution Society, we reckon with the origins of our legal system, interview people on the frontlines of the progressive legal movement, and chat about necessary legal reforms to restore our democratic legitimacy and improve the lives of all people.

Information

  • Creator
    American Constitution Society
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    195
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Copyright of American Constitution Society 2023.
  • Show Website
    Broken Law

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