SideBar: Optimism In Action - Conversations with Lawyers & Leaders Inspiring Positive Change

When Religious Ideology and Public Health Collide - We All Lose! with Wendy Parmet

The COVID pandemic exposed weaknesses in our public health system and exposed the lack of trust in science and government. The change in the Supreme Court’s interpretation of public health law has been equally startling . . . overturning 100+ years of public protection by granting religious ideology priority over science. Northeastern University Law Professor Wendy Parmet also serves as the Faculty Director of the university's Center for Health Policy and Law and is the author of Constitutional Contagion: Covid, the Courts and Public Health.

Are Lies and Liars Protected by the First Amendment? with Jeff Kosseff

Professor Jeff Kosseff, author of "Liar in a Crowded Theater: Freedom of Speech in a World of Misinformation" examines and defends constitutional protection for false speech. "It's the listener and the reader who gets to choose, not the Government!" says Jeff. His warning is that "Once we give away our freedom of speech, we are unlikely to get it back." Jeff is also the author of "The United States of Anonymous: How the First Amendment Shaped Online Speech" and "The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet."

Why Does the US Criminalize Legal Immigration? with Cesar García Hernández

Nationally recognized immigration law expert, Professor Cesar García Hernández of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law talks about the intersection of criminal and immigration law, including the rights of migrants in the criminal justice system, immigration imprisonment, and race-based immigration policing.

The Best Beloved Thing is Justice! with Lisa Kloppenberg

Professor and Dean Emerita Lisa Kloppenberg, author of The Best Beloved Thing is Justice: The Life of Dorothy Wright Nelson, discusses her mentor, colleague, and friend. Judge Nelson was a true trailblazer for women in the legal profession. She was one of only two women in her class at the UCLA School of Law and one of the first 14 female tenure-track law professors in the United States. She became one of the first women to lead an American law school as Dean of USC Gould School of Law and later became a distinguished jurist on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. An inspiring story shared by a nationally renowned scholar in her own right, Santa Clara University School of Law Professor and Dean Emerita Lisa Kloppenberg.

Has this Supreme Court Lost Its Balance? with NPR Legal Correspondent Nina Totenberg

Supreme Court Correspondent Nina Totenberg discusses her fifty-year career as a reporter covering some of the most important Supreme Court decisions of our time. As a front-row witness to history, with unique access to Supreme Court Justices and Washington D.C. policymakers, Nina joins SideBar cohosts Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick to discuss the importance of building relationships - with the Court - within the Court - and most importantly, with the public. Along with Susan Stamberg, Cokie Roberts, and Linda Wertheimer, Nina was one of the "Four Mothers of National Public Radio" who laid the foundation of one of the most respected news organizations in America.

Is the Supreme Court Amassing Unconstitutional Power? with Stephen Vladeck

Professor Stephen Vladeck author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic, discusses how the Supreme Court has dramatically expanded the use of the little-known - and poorly understood - "Shadow Docket" to approve unconstitutional voting processes, abortion bans, restrictive immigration policies, and expanded religious liberties. Vladeck is a CNN Supreme Court analyst and cohosts an award-winning national security law podcast.

Why Do We (Still) Fail to Respect Women Under the Constitution? with Julie Suk

Professor Julie Suk, author of After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do About It, discusses the legal and economic framework in the United States that fails to fairly recognize and value women's work. Unfortunately, the U.S. remains a leader in unequal pay, no pay, inadequate support for childcare, healthcare, and social services, and irregular parental leave policies and protections. Professor Julie Suk explains how other countries have enacted constitutional protections and inclusive lawmaking processes that result in more equitable outcomes for women that result in benefits to all members of society. Professor Suk challenges us to consider correcting deficiencies in our federal constitution that would enhance equality, improve the economy, and enrich our democracy.

Has America Abandoned the Promise of a Multi-Racial Democracy? with Dr. Peniel Joseph

After 200 years of racial and ethnic struggle, including the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Era, and Black Lives Matter, where are we now in the effort to achieve the promise of a multi-racial democracy? Dr. Peniel Joseph helps us to understand this struggle and describes our current political environment in a historical context. He holds a joint professorship at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the History Department in the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also the founding director of the LBJ School's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy and the Associate Dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Joseph is the author of seven books, most recently The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the 21st Century which won the 2023 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.

Was the Constitution Ever Really Color-Blind? with Damon Hewitt

Damon T. Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, discusses Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina and the Supreme Court’s direction on affirmative action. Hewitt explains what Brown v. Board of Education got wrong, exposes the logical fallacy behind the idea that a diversity rationale should have an endpoint, and offers insights on what higher education institutions should do in response to the Court’s decision.

Police Reform is NOT the Answer, Only Community Reform Will Create Lasting Change, with Dr. Thaddeus Johnson

Dr. Thaddeus Johnson, former police officer, Senior Fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University, discusses his research and unique insights on empowering citizens to create safer communities. Public safety requires more than police reform, it requires community reform and in this wide-ranging and motivating conversation, Dr. Johnson details the steps communities can take to reduce crime, increase police accountability, and rebuild trust.