Boom! Lawyered

The new Supreme Court term doesn't start until October, so why has the Court been issuing important rulings while it's supposed to be on break? In this Office Hours episode of Baby Boom! Lawyered, Imani Gandy answers a listener's question about the shadow docket, the emergency track where some of the Court's most consequential decisions get made all year. They’re decided quickly—and often with no explanation at all. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

Disparate impact may sound boring. It isn't. It's the rule the Supreme Court established in 1971 to catch discrimination that doesn't announce itself. Fifty-four years later, the EEOC, acting on Trump's executive order, walked away from that standard. Then the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel went further, declaring disparate impact liability under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act unconstitutional. The new requirement: prove the employer intended to discriminate, which sounds neutral until you notice who can actually produce that proof. A white employee suing over "reverse discrimination" has a paper trail sitting right there — the employer's own DEI policy. Black workers rarely, if ever, get that paper trail; they'd have to read a hiring manager's mind. Imani Gandy breaks down how the law built to stop discrimination got rewired to shield it in this Imani Explains It All episode of Baby Boom! Lawyered. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

On Wednesday Louisiana asked the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the abortion drug mifepristone from being mailed to patients by reinstating a rule that says you have to show up in person to get it. But if it wins, Louisiana told the three-judge panel, it doesn't want the rule change to go into effect immediately, because Louisiana doesn't trust the Supreme Court would let that restriction stand. Meanwhile, the FDA showed up to oppose Louisiana in court but wouldn't answer a single question about its own rule. So the abortion pill manufacturers (who are now party to the mifepristone lawsuit) ended up defending the agency's rule instead. Imani Gandy breaks down what actually happened at this week's oral argument in Louisiana v. FDA , why one judge called Louisiana's own strategy "self-defeating," and why the FDA's silence in that courtroom should worry you more than anything Louisiana said there. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

A pill doesn't care about state lines. Louisiana does—apparently a lot. Welcome to the first-ever episode of Baby Boom! Lawyered. Imani Gandy gets into Louisiana v. FDA , the case that could result in a ban on mailed mifepristone for everyone, not just Louisianans. There's a standing fight, a Supreme Court dissent where Clarence Thomas called mifepristone manufacturers a "criminal enterprise," and a very predictable outcome coming from the Fifth Circuit. Oral arguments are Sept. 9. Get into the case with Gandy. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

Roe v. Wade was never enough. Reproductive justice advocates have been saying that for decades. So why did so much of the reproductive rights movement organize itself around protecting Roe anyway? In this solo episode, Imani Gandy explores how legal arguments became the center of the fight for abortion rights, what got lost in the process, and why public health researchers and reproductive justice advocates were often telling a different story. From Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' anti-abortion roadmap in Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky to the public health findings of the Turnaway Study, this episode asks what happens when a movement builds itself around a court decision—and what is left when that decision is gone. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

Imani and Jess are off this week, but before the Supreme Court issues its birthright citizenship ruling in Trump v. Barbara , revisit this conversation with Pregnancy Justice President Lourdes Rivera on how the movement trying to deny citizenship to some children born in the United States is also working to grant constitutional rights to embryos and fetuses. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

In this episode, Imani and Jess unpack the Supreme Court’s order on mifepristone access and explain where it fits in the Trump administration’s crusade to redefine motherhood nationwide. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

In this episode, Imani and Jess unpack the historic attack on voting rights from the Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais and explain what’s next from the Court on the fight to block mifepristone access. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

The Supreme Court closed out arguments for the term this week. Jess and Imani are out, but this episode showcases all the biggest cases of the term. Stay tuned for deep dives on the decisions coming up in future episodes. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

Imani and Jess are off this week, but in this episode republished from 2025, Imani and Jess discuss a new school launched in Colorado that’s designed to erase the separation of church and state in public education. They also explain why the conservative legal movement could finally succeed in getting taxpayers to fund religious schools. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

In this episode, Imani and Jess unpack the conservative legal movement’s latest attacks on medication abortion, from courthouses to state legislatures across the country—including efforts to categorize mailing pills as “drug trafficking.” Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

In this episode, Imani and Jess dive into the Supreme Court’s conversion therapy decision, birthright citizenship oral arguments, and rumours that President Donald Trump has his eye on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for his next Supreme Court nomination. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

The most informed progressive public in American history is watching a fascist takeover in real time. In her first solo episode, Imani Gandy wants to know why. From Black Twitter to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act dying in the Senate twice, she builds the argument—and then pokes holes in it herself. She doesn't have a clean answer. That's why she's asking. Correction: In this episode I state that New York cut a billion dollars from the police budget — they pledged to cut a billion but ultimately cut approximately half a million. I also state that Los Angeles boosted its budget by 3 percent after cutting 150 million — the actual increase was closer to 6 percent. The broader point stands: both cities reversed course. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

In this episode, Imani and Jess break down the latest anti-trans decision from the Supreme Court, Mirabelli v. Bonta and explain how the conservative legal movement is rewriting parental rights law from the shadow docket of the Supreme Court. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . Imani’s column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles , is back in 2026! Sign up for her newsletter here to read it first, and listen to Imani’s new podcast, B*tch, Listen, here . Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

In this episode! Imani and Jess spill the tea on the recent Supreme Court drama, from infighting among the justices in the Trump tariff decision, to retirement rumours, and why it is more than political theater when the president attacks the independence of the judiciary. Expert Repro Journalism that Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . Imani’s column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles , is back in 2026! Sign up for her newsletter here to read it first, and listen to Imani’s new podcast, B*tch, Listen, here . Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

In part two of her series on true crime and disability, Imani Gandy interviews Dateline correspondent Josh Mankiewicz about true crime as a machine that decides whose stories get told—and whose don’t. From missing Black women, to missing and murdered Indigenous people, to the near invisibility of disabled victims, they talk about what true crime shows—and what it leaves out. Because attention itself is a form of power. (And yes, there’s a Bill Hader moment.) Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . Imani’s column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles is back in 2026! Sign up for her newsletter here to read it first. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

In this episode, Imani and Jess walk through the current legal threats to medication abortion access and explain how the national abortion landscape could be reshaped entirely by spring. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . Imani’s column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles is back in 2026! Sign up for her newsletter here to read it first, and listen to Imani’s new podcast, B*tch, Listen, here . Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

Imani and Jess are off this week, but in this episode republished from 2024 they explain the spurious new legal arguments underpinning the conservative push to end birthright citizenship. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today . Imani has relaunched her column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles . Sign up for our newsletters here to read it first, and listen to Imani’s new podcast, B*tch, Listen, here . Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

In this episode, Imani Gandy and Jess Pieklo unpack the federal charges brought against Black journalists and advocates in connection to an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church. Correction - In this show we refer to Don Lemon as "from CNN" when he is a former CNN journalist. See the referenced Lourdes Rivera Episode Here! Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today . Imani has relaunched her column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles . Sign up for our newsletters here to read it first, and listen to Imani’s new podcast, B*tch, Listen, here . Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.

True crime is everywhere—but crimes against disabled people are rarely treated as “true crime” at all. Imani Gandy talks with disability justice advocate Vilissa Thompson about why disabled victims are erased from true crime, how ableism shapes which stories get told, and what ethical storytelling requires when disability is involved. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today .Imani has relaunched her column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles . Sign up for our newsletters here to read it first. Going on a long roadtrip and want Imani and Jess to accompany you? 🚗 Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/boom-lawyered/id1282116646 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/110tPZQY3WD2mkq6EYqZf1 -- See you on the tubes! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rewirenewsgroup.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rewirenewsgroup/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rewirenewsgrp Threads: https://www.threads.com/@rewirenewsgroup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rewire-news-group/ -- Follow Jess and Imani: Jess on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hegemommy.bsky.social Jess on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hegemommy/?hl=en Imani on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/angryblacklady.blacksky.app Imani on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angryblacklady/?hl=en Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what’s at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a member today . B*itch, Listen now has its own dedicated feed on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and wherever else you get your podcasts. If you already subscribe to Boom! Lawyered, sign up for B*tch, Listen so you won't miss it.