NCRCR Interview Series

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NCRCR Interview Series

A regular examination of the court cases that shape and affect our lives.

Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

This month, NCRCR spoke with Jenny Yang, Partner at Cohen Milstein and counsel for plaintiffs in Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the largest civil rights class action lawsuit in U.S. history. Listen in as they discuss the potential impact of this much-anticipated Supreme Court ruling on gender and employment discrimination. Transcription here.

Flores-Villar v. United States

Sandra Park, Staff Attorney with the ACLU Women's Rights Project, spoke with Tricia Perry about the Flores-Villar v. United States case regarding differences in the ability of men and women to confer U.S. citizenship on their children born abroad. Listen in as they discuss the potential impact of the case on gender and citizenship rights. Transcription here.

The Ban on Islamic Law in Oklahoma

Muneer Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations spoke with Tricia Perry about the recent ballot initiative in Oklahama, where voters approved a measure prohibiting state courts from considering international and Islamic ("Sharia") law. Listen as they discuss the potential impact of the law and pending legal challenges. Transcription here.

AT&T Mobility v. Concepción

Suzette Malveaux of Catholic University of America spoke with Tricia Perry about the AT&T Mobility v. Concepción case on class action arbitration in California. Listen in as they discuss the significant impact this ruling may have on our access to justice, civil rights and consumer protections. Transcription here.

Disability Advocates Inc. v. Paterson

Roger Bearden of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest spoke with Tricia Perry about the Disability Advocates Inc. v. Paterson case on the placement of people with mental disabilities in adult homes. Listen in as they discuss recent developments in state housing policy. Transcription here.

Lower Court Nominations

Tricia Perry spoke with Nan Aron of Alliance for Justice and Debra Fitzpatrick of The Infinity Project about the delay in confirming judges to federal trial and appeals courts. Listen in as they discuss the partisan conflict in the Senate and its impact on our judicial system. Transcription here.

Perry v. Schwarzenegger

Chris Stoll of the National Center for Lesbian Rights spoke with Tricia Perry about the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case challenging California's Proposition 8. Listen in as Stoll discusses recent developments in the court battle for marriage equality. Transcription here.

The Kagan Nomination

Tricia Perry spoke with Alan Jenkins of The Opportunity Agenda and Sammie Moshenberg of the National Council of Jewish Women about Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court. Listen in as they highlight the importance of this week's confirmation hearings. Transcription here.

Legal Challenge to Arizona SB1070

Victor Viramontes at MALDEF spoke with Tricia Perry about about his organization's recent legal challenge to the controversial new Arizona immigration law, filed in conjunction with the ACLU and NILC. Listen in as Viramontes talks about the plaintiffs and legal issues involved in the case. Transcription here.

Legal Challenges to Health Care Reform

Doug Kendall, Founder and President of the Constitutional Accountability Center, spoke with Tricia Perry about recent legal challenges to health care reform. Listen in as Kendall talks about the concept of federalism and whether or not the new legislation is within the bounds of the US Constitution. Transcription here.

Lewis v. City of Chicago

Josh Civin, Associate Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, spoke with Tricia Perry about the Lewis v. City of Chicago case involving racial discrimination in the hiring of firefighters. Listen in as Civin talks about the upcoming Supreme Court ruling that will decide if a district court's unappealed finding that an employer discriminated against over 6,000 African American job applicants can be dismissed on a procedural technicality about whether the applicants filed their lawsuit in time. Transcription here.

Salazar v. District of Columbia

Jane Perkins, Legal Director at the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), spoke with Tricia Perry about the Salazar v. District of Columbia case regarding Medicaid provisions. Listen in as Perkins discusses the ongoing legal battle to ensure access to health care for children in low-income communities. Transcription here.

Implicit Bias

Rachel Godsil, professor at Seton Hall School of Law and founding board member of the American Values Institute, spoke with Tricia Perry about how discrimination can persist in a society that seeks to treat all people equally. Listen in as Godsil explains the concept of implicit bias and the role it may play in the justice system going forward. Transcription here.

Connecticut v. American Electric Power

Bruce Myers, Senior Attorney at the Environmental Law Institute, spoke with Tricia Perry about the recent decision in the Connecticut v. American Electric Power case. Listen in as Myers talks about how the court system is weighing in on issues of global warming. Transcription here.

Nelson v. Norris

Tricia Perry spoke with ACLU attorneys Elizabeth Alexander and Amy Fettig about the recent ruling in the Nelson v. Norris Supreme Court case. Listen in as Alexander and Fettig discuss the fight to end the practice of shackling imprisoned women during childbirth. Transcription here.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

Tricia Perry of the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights spoke with legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky about the recent re-argument of the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case in the Supreme Court. Listen in as Chemerinsky explains the potential impact of this ruling on our civil rights. Transcription here.

The Civil Rights Impact Of Sonia Sotomayor's Confirmation

The Campaign spoke this week with Cesar Perales, Former President and General Counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, about Justice Sonia Sotomayor's historic confirmation. Mr. Perales served with Justice Sotomayor during her tenure as a member of PRLDEF's board. He provides excellent insight into the hearing's meaning for civil rights and the continuing politicization of the judiciary. Transcription here.

Ashcroft v. Iqbal

For the inaugural episode of the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights interview series, we spoke with Alex Reinert, an Assistant Professor of Law at the Cardozo School of Law, who argued the recent case Ashcroft v. Iqbal before the Supreme Court. The Court's 5-4 decision has several troubling civil rights implications, and made it significantly tougher for citizens to hold government officials responsible for misconduct. Listen in as Professor Reinert explains the full impact of the Court's decision. Transcription here.