This week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a Mississippi abortion case in its next term. The case seeks to ban abortions past 15 weeks and challenges the Roe v Wade decision that allows abortion before the fetus is viable outside the womb, generally viewed by doctors as between 24 and 28 weeks. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Jennifer Dalven. In her role as Director of the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project, Dalven oversees and directs the ACLU’s litigation, state advocacy, and communications work on issues affecting access to reproductive health services. That work runs the gamut from legal challenges to laws that would ban abortions and shut down women’s health centers to initiatives to stop state legislatures from passing further restrictions on access to reproductive health care to communications strategies to move public opinion and galvanize supporters. Media includes: Huffington Post, NBC, CNN.
For a second week, Israel bombarded Gaza, killing at least 219 Palestinians. Rockets launched by Hamas have killed 12 Israelis. To discuss, we FEATURE Rebecca Gould. Gould is a writer, translator, and scholar specializing in the politics of race and culture, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union, and in the intersection between the law and the humanities. She has conducted research and written about Palestine, Syria, Iran, Tajikistan, Chechnya, and the Republic of Georgia. Media includes: Prospect Magazine, OpenDemocracy, The Progressive.
The CDC has said that vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks, outdoors or indoors. The announcement has been met with criticism, as many—including National Nurses United— believe that it is too soon to make the announcement. Less than half of Americans have been vaccinated and unvaccinated people may take advantage of the announcement. To discuss, we FEATURE Donna A. Patterson. Patterson has published scholarly articles on pharmaceutical markets, women pharmacists and Ebola in the Journal of Women’s History, Anthropologie et Santé, Journal of Global Health Reports and the Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved. Her forthcoming publications include articles on “Small State, Big Impact: Delaware’s COVID-19 Response” for the World Medical and Health Policy Journal. In addition, she has talked about the implications of emerging COVID-19 policy and response in events hosted by Arizona State University and the University of London. Media includes: Slate, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Foreign Policy, The Appeal.
Kim Potter, the officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, will appear in court. Potter is charged with second-degree manslaughter. To discuss, we FEATURE Melanie E. Bates. Bates is the Principal of Melanie Bates Consulting, LLC, a Washington, DC-based consultancy specializing in local government relations, criminal justice reform, and communications. She has a strong passion for criminal justice reform and believes it is incumbent upon our society to ensure that every person, regardless of socioeconomic status, has access to quality legal representation. Media includes: The Nation, D.C.ist, Rolling Out.
Joel Greenberg, a former friend and associate of Matt Gaetz, has pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges that include sex trafficking a minor. To discuss, we FEATURE Taina Bien-Aimé. Bien-Aimé is the Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. CATW is the first and oldest international non-governmental organization dedicated to ending trafficking in women and girls and related forms of commercial sexual exploitation as practices of gender-based violence. Media includes: Bloomberg News, Salon, The Economist, Time, ABC, CNN, BBC.
A wildfire in Pacific Palisades in Southern California has been 23% contained. Fires are unusual for this time of year, but experts are predicting a particularly brutal 2021 fire season because of dry conditions caused by climate change. To discuss, we FEATURE Tamara Habib. Habib is an entrepreneur focused on reengineering disaster recovery. She has 12 years of experience in emergency management and disaster response and recovery. Her career has spanned roles that include working as an Emergency Management Technician, responding to local and national disasters with the American Red Cross and consulting major cities on disaster planning and recovery. Media includes: Forbes, Chicago Tribune, NPR.
In an effort to make voting more difficult, Republicans are pursuing harsh penalties for poll workers who commit errors. To discuss, we FEATURE Maya Contreras. As a lifelong advocate, Contreras’s focus has been on Voting Rights because all paths to policy begin with access to the ballot box. On the road to equity, dominant political narratives that stem from domestic policy inhibit civic participation. Contreras deconstructs these narratives exposing their origins and purpose in order to dismantle their power for her audiences. Media includes: DAME Magazine, France24, PBS.
AT&T will be spinning off WarnerMedia to merge it with Discovery. To discuss, we FEATURE Shirley Staples Carter. Carter joined the University of South Carolina as Professor and Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications in July 2003. Previously, Carter served as Professor and Director of the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University in Kansas. A seasoned journalism and mass communication educator and administrator, Carter has also served as chair of mass communication departments at Norfolk State University in Virginia, the University of North Florida, and assistant professor of journalism and director of the multicultural journalism program at Louisiana State University. Extensive media experience.
The House has passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which looks to counter the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans during the pandemic. President Biden is expected to sign it into law later this week. To discuss, we FEATURE Karin Wang. Wang is the Executive Director of UCLA School of Law's David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. In that role, she heads the nation’s leading academic program focused on training the next generation of lawyers working in nonprofit, advocacy, and government sectors. Previously, she was the Vice-President of Programs & Communications for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, the nation’s largest legal organization for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Media includes: The New York Times, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times.
The New York State Attorney General has announced that their probe into the Trump Organization has expanded and will now be a criminal and civil investigation. To discuss, we FEATURE Anne Voigts. Voigts specializes in appellate litigation before all levels of state and federal appeals courts. As a partner in our Appellate, Constitutional and Administrative Law practice, she represents clients in appellate litigation in a wide variety of criminal and civil matters. She also frequently advises trial teams on legal issues and motion practice, before, during and after trial, and counsels clients on rapidly changing, complex legal issues. Extensive media experience.
May is Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To commemorate, we FEATURE Grace Huang. Huang is the Policy Director at the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence. For 25 years, she has advocated on behalf of domestic and sexual violence survivors and immigrants. Previously, Huang led the policy program at a statewide domestic violence organization, coordinating the organization’s advocacy on state & federal legislation & court policies. She also previously practiced immigration law, as well as represented low-income individual in a civil legal aid organization. Media includes: The Atlantic, The Hill, Huffington Post, NBC News.
Alicia White
Liz Theran
