Planet Lex: The Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Podcast Polymyth Productions

The COVID pandemic precipitated a massive shift in digital infrastructure. Annelise Riles, the Executive Director of the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Studies at Northwestern University, outlines her vision for the United States' role in global engagement, the future of transnational education, and addresses the growing skepticism of the costs of removing the human element.

Nearly 35 years after Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson made sexual harassment unlawful, the EEOC reports that 85% of women have experienced sexual harassment at some point in their career. Tina Tchen, former chief of staff to Michelle Obama and president and CEO of Time’s Up Now and the Time’s Up Foundation, discusses how the law can actually impede progress in critical areas of workplace discrimination, and how businesses and government can more effectively move the needle. 

The 2020 presidential election has already seen unprecedented changes to the process by which votes are cast, tallied, and reported, and, as a result, the U.S. has seen an increased amount of litigation surrounding the election. Michael Kang, the William G. and Virginia K. Karnes Research Professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, is a nationally recognized election law expert. He discusses COVID-19’s looming impact on the upcoming presidential election, the range of election-related litigation already in courts, and whether he thinks America will know election results on November 3.

Emily Kadens, legal historian with a particular focus on medieval and early modern history of commercial law and practice, shares her research on the origins of commercial fraud in England and dispels the myth of a golden age of commerce. 
Fraud is not a modern problem. In this episode of Northwestern Law’s Planet Lex, host Jim Speta is joined by Emily Kadens, Professor of Law, to discuss her new article New Light on Twyne’s Case, one of the oldest English cases still being cited by American courts. Through first-hand research and unprecedented access to Common Pleas writ rolls, she unearths some fascinating details about the complicated history of commercial fraud.

The United States has a long history of religious accommodation. But is it possible to exempt those who object to an anti-discrimination law without defeating the purpose of that law? Planet Lex host Jim Speta is joined in this episode by Andrew Koppelman, John Paul Stevens Professor of Law and author of Gay Rights Versus Religious Liberty: The Unnecessary Conflict, to discuss the intersection of religious freedom and anti-discrimination laws, the recent Supreme Court decision in Bostock v Clayton County, and the road forward in a free society where people radically disagree.

 A criminal record can be an economic life sentence for those attempting to re-enter society. The cost of one year of incarceration of a child exceeds that of a four-year university. Juvenile justice is one of many areas of the law struggling to adapt to COVID-19. In this episode of Planet Lex, host Jim Speta discusses the pandemic’s impact on incarceration with Julie L. Biehl, Clinical Professor of Law, who has served as Director of the Children and Family Justice Center since 2009. She outlines the Center's efforts to release juveniles from prison and speaks about her vision for the future of juvenile justice.