2022 Podcasts

Lawyering, Leadership, and Democracy - Public Service

Estevez, Andres; Eze, Adaeze; Violette, Dante

Lawyers have historically played an essential role in expanding access to elections. While the 2018 elections ushered in a record number of women and people of color into public office at the local, state, and national levels, state legislatures also launched efforts to restrict voting access and rights. The barriers facing voters and candidates of color, and threats to the democratic process were highlighted again in 2020, as lawyers played a key role in both expanding access to voting and in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, despite the falsity of their claims.

How are lawyers working to promote diverse electoral representation and ensure broad voting access? Are lawyers mere partisans or do they have a special role in advancing rule of law values in service of democracy? In this episode, the hosts meet with Amanda Litman (Run for Something) and Sam Spital (NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund) to delve into public service, the aftermath of the 2020 election, and the roles that lawyers play in the democratic process.