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Whose Law Is It Anyway?

Whose Law Is It Anyway?

By American Bar Foundation

Whose Law Is It Anyway? explores social issues and legal challenges through conversations with the American Bar Foundation’s award-winning community of researchers and practitioners. Join Matthew Martinez Hannon, the ABF’s temp-turned-staff member-turned-podcaster, as he goes beyond the headlines and into our classrooms, courtrooms, and homes to learn how sociolegal research matters in everyday life.

Note: The American Bar Foundation is an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit research institute. Any of the viewpoints expressed during the podcasts are those of the guests, not the ABF.
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...And Justice for All

Whose Law Is It Anyway?Apr 26, 2021

00:00
01:10:46
Season One Finale: When Law Meets Society
Mar 23, 202234:12
Rule of Law: World Tour

Rule of Law: World Tour

In this episode, we’re covering the rule of law and exploring its relationship with legal professionals and the public around the world. What is the rule of law, and how does it relate to legal freedoms? What role do judges and lawyers have in upholding and defending these legal freedoms? And how are countries held accountable when these freedoms are violated? To answer these questions and cover this extremely relevant topic, we’ll speak with ABF Research Professor Terence Halliday and National Judicial College President Benes Z. Aldana.

Dec 21, 202148:06
Courting Civil Rights
Nov 03, 202101:03:46
Raising the Bar on Diversity

Raising the Bar on Diversity

Despite the increased emphasis on diversity and inclusion within the legal field over the past several years, the legal profession remains one of the least diverse professions in the U.S. According to the American Bar Association’s National Lawyer Population Survey, the past decade has seen little to no growth among people of color in the law. This lack of diversity matters within the legal profession – not just for lawyers, but more importantly for the people who seek legal remedies for their justice problems. What do diversity, equity, and inclusion look like in legal academia and the legal profession? How do individual challenges for underrepresented lawyers affect the law more broadly? And how has the pandemic shaped experiences for women and women of color in the legal profession?

To answer these questions, Matthew sits down with Meera E. Deo, recent ABF Neukom Fellows Research Chair to explore how race and gender impact experiences for legal academics and legal education. Then, he speaks with Jamila M. Hall, ABF Fellow and Partner at Jones Day about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the law and how individual challenges for underrepresented lawyers affect the law more broadly.

Sep 28, 202101:04:37
The Health Equity Variant

The Health Equity Variant

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unusual and extraordinary global medical emergency that is overwhelming healthcare systems, shaping economies, and changing lives. While the pandemic effects are global, it has been particularly devastating to vulnerable and marginalized communities. How did the pandemic impact international health governance and health equity around the world? Was the vaccine rolled out equitably? And, looking beyond COVID, how can we reduce health disparities in the future?

First, Matthew speaks with ABF Research Professor Carol Heimer about how international health law confronts and contends with public health issues. Then, he interviews Reuben Moore and ABF Fellow Miguel Alexander Pozo, executive leaders for Minnesota Community Care, about the impact of COVID-19 in the United States and how we might improve domestic health equity.

Read the full episode transcription: http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/uploads/cms/documents/podcast_4_transcript.pdf

Aug 16, 202158:60
Yes, No, and #MeToo

Yes, No, and #MeToo

The issue of consent to sex has been making headlines in recent years. Whether it’s the #MeToo movement, discourse about rape culture, or simply more open discussions of sexual assault and violence, our evolving understanding of consent has recently been at the forefront of public debate. But how does the law define and regulate consent? How do institutions such as colleges and universities handle training around consent? And how do these institutions handle rape and sexual assault allegations?

In this episode, Matthew Martinez Hannon interviews ABF Research Professor Laura Beth Nielsen about her research studying consent to sex on college campuses. Then, Matthew speaks to UMass Law Professor and ABF Fellow Margaret Drew, who will discuss her focus on domestic violence as a practicing lawyer and in academia. Finally, Matthew interviews Kristina Fluty, Assistant Professor at the Theater School at DePaul University, who also works as an Intimacy Director. All of the guests will touch upon how attitudes toward consent have evolved in recent years, how institutions create rules and handle training around consent, and how laws and regulations respond when consent is violated.

Read the full episode transcription: http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/uploads/cms/documents/episode_3_transcription.pdf

Additional Resources:

· Know Your IX website: https://www.knowyourix.org/

· End Rape on Campus: https://endrapeoncampus.squarespace.com/

· Planned Parenthood Consent and FRIES: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/relationships/sexual-consent


Jun 21, 202101:03:45
Rent (Reform) Is Due

Rent (Reform) Is Due

The United States is facing an affordable housing crisis. Although the past decade has seen a growth in the number of renters in the United States, this growth has been marked by persistent affordability challenges. Rents have dramatically outpaced wage increases, leading to more and more cost-burdened households. And, most recently, COVID-19 has exposed the limited legal protections available for renters.

In this episode, host Matthew Martinez Hannon interviews ABF Research Professor Anna Reosti about her sociolegal research examining the consequences of modern background screening practices for rental housing access. Then, Matthew is joined by Jennifer Litwak, Executive Director of Housing on Merit, a nonprofit organization with the mission to create a bridge to permanent affordable housing for vulnerable populations. Both Anna and Jennifer speak about what access to affordable housing looks like across the country, the obstacles facing low-income renters, and how the pandemic is impacting the way people rent.

Read the full episode transcription: http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/uploads/cms/documents/episode_2_transcription.pdf 

Additional Resources:

May 25, 202101:22:33
...And Justice for All
Apr 26, 202101:10:46