Boom! Lawyered

The Missouri Abortion Ban You Didn’t Hear About

This week, a federal court blocked Missouri’s multi-week gestational ban. But did you know that another restriction banning abortions based on the race, sex, or Down syndrome diagnosis of a fetus was allowed to take effect? On this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy explain the faulty logic of these bans and how this decision paves the way for more trouble down the road.

How John Roberts Helped Trump Defund Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood recently announced it will withdraw from the federal family planning program known as Title X because of President Donald Trump’s domestic "gag rule." In this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Imani Gandy and Jessica Mason Pieklo explain this crisis and how Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts helped lay the foundation for it.

Trump Judge Approves Manslaughter Charges for Pregnancy Loss

Recently, the ultra-conservative 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated an involuntary manslaughter charge against a Native woman from Sisseton, South Dakota. That charge is based on allegations that she ingested illegal drugs while pregnant, resulting in the death of her newborn. Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy explain why this decision is an alarming escalation of the anti-choice efforts to establish fetal personhood and punish people for their pregnancy outcomes.

There Are Concentration Camps for Kids at the Border. Is Any of This Legal?

Last week, a Department of Justice lawyer stunned the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals when she argued that it is “safe and sanitary” to confine immigrant children for indefinite periods of time without basic needs like soap or toothbrushes. In this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy explain the legal framework meant to protect these children and how the Trump administration intends to dismantle it.

This Case Could Define Transgender Rights for a Generation

Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that policies targeting transgender people are sex-based discrimination that must meet heightened scrutiny to be constitutional. In this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Imani Gandy and Jessica Mason Pieklo evaluate this important—but qualified—win for transgender rights and what it means for those rights in the future.