At Liberty is a weekly podcast that explores the most pressing civil rights and civil liberties questions of our time. Catch new episodes on Thursday at 9am ET.
all episodes
August 30, 2018
Criminalizing Schoolkids
Many of the children who are presently gearing up for a new school year are also preparing to face police on a daily basis. The numbers of cops in schools is growing, which often means that instead of a detention or a timeout, routine misbehavior can result in arrest and...
Criminalizing Schoolkids Many of the children who are presently gearing up for a new school year are also preparing to face police on a daily basis. The numbers of cops in schools is growing, which often means...
August 23, 2018
Since When Is Every Immigrant A Criminal?
President Trump often demonizes entire immigrant groups, referring to Mexican people as “rapists” and undocumented immigrants as “animals.” Yet statistics show that immigrants, both undocumented and otherwise, are actually less likely to commit crimes than the average U.S. citizen. How did our American political conversation start to conflate immigrants with...
Since When Is Every Immigrant A Criminal? President Trump often demonizes entire immigrant groups, referring to Mexican people as “rapists” and undocumented immigrants as “animals.” Yet statistics show that immigrants, both undocumented and otherwise, are actually less likely to commit crimes than...
August 16, 2018
A Nation in Love With Locking People Up
The United States sends more people to prison or jail than any other nation in the world. Donald Trump pledged to be tough on crime, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions has pushed to reinvigorate the war on drugs. They're contributing to the mass incarceration crisis, but they didn't create it. It's the result of decades of criminal policies...
A Nation in Love With Locking People Up The United States sends more people to prison or jail than any other nation in the world. Donald Trump pledged to be tough on crime, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions has pushed to reinvigorate the war on drugs. They're contributing...
August 8, 2018
Lessons From Charlottesville
On Aug. 12, 2017, a group of white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia. The day was a disaster, with violence in the streets and Heather Heyer murdered by a man who drove his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters. The ACLU of Virginia had represented Jason Kessler, the march organizer,...
Lessons From Charlottesville On Aug. 12, 2017, a group of white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia. The day was a disaster, with violence in the streets and Heather Heyer murdered by a man who drove his car into a...
August 2, 2018
How to Fight an Algorithm
It seems like artificial intelligence is everywhere these days — in our homes, in our cars, in our offices, and of course online. Government decisions, too, are being outsourced to computer code. In one Pennsylvania county, for example, welfare services use digital tools to assess the likelihood that a child...
How to Fight an Algorithm It seems like artificial intelligence is everywhere these days — in our homes, in our cars, in our offices, and of course online. Government decisions, too, are being outsourced to computer code. In one Pennsylvania...
July 26, 2018
America’s Criminalization of Blackness
In recent months, Black Americans have had the cops called on them for things like waiting in Starbucks, entering their own dorm rooms, moving into their own apartments, and barbecuing in a public park. Why are these stories making waves now, and what do they say about being Black in...
America’s Criminalization of Blackness In recent months, Black Americans have had the cops called on them for things like waiting in Starbucks, entering their own dorm rooms, moving into their own apartments, and barbecuing in a public park. Why...
July 19, 2018
Desmond Meade and Dale Ho on Restoring the Right to Vote
The 14th Amendment, ratified exactly 150 years ago, promises equal protection to everyone. But it’s also used to strip the right to vote from millions of Americans who have been convicted of felonies. How did this happen, and who’s affected? Desmond Meade talks to At Liberty about his campaign that...
Desmond Meade and Dale Ho on Restoring the Right to Vote July 19, 2018
Desmond Meade and Dale Ho on Restoring the Right to Vote
Desmond Meade and Dale Ho on Restoring the Right to VoteThe 14th Amendment, ratified exactly 150 years ago, promises equal protection to everyone. But it’s also used to strip the right to vote from millions of Americans who have been convicted of felonies. How did...
July 12, 2018
Patrisse Cullors on a Lifetime of Activism and the Founding of Black Lives Matter
On the eve of the five-year anniversary of the creation of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors discusses the life that led her to co-found one of the most consequential racial justice movements of our time. She talks about the evolution of the organization since its inception, what it’s like to...
Patrisse Cullors on a Lifetime of Activism and the Founding of Black Lives Matter July 12, 2018
Patrisse Cullors on a Lifetime of Activism and the Founding of Black Lives Matter
Patrisse Cullors on a Lifetime of Activism and the Founding of Black Lives MatterOn the eve of the five-year anniversary of the creation of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors discusses the life that led her to co-found one of the most consequential racial justice movements of our time....
July 5, 2018
ACLU Legal Director David Cole on the Supreme Court's Uncertain Future
An eventful Supreme Court session just came to a close. This year, the court handed down major decisions on partisan gerrymandering, warrantless searches and seizures, union dues, the religious rights of business owners, and the Trump administration's notorious travel ban — to name a few. But the most consequential news...
ACLU Legal Director David Cole on the Supreme Court's Uncertain Future July 5, 2018
ACLU Legal Director David Cole on the Supreme Court's Uncertain Future
ACLU Legal Director David Cole on the Supreme Court's Uncertain FutureAn eventful Supreme Court session just came to a close. This year, the court handed down major decisions on partisan gerrymandering, warrantless searches and seizures, union dues, the religious rights of business owners, and the...
June 28, 2018
Lee Gelernt on a Major Victory for Immigrant Families
Lee Gelernt has been fighting Trump’s family separation policy since early this year, months before it became the subject of national outrage. Thousands of children remain separated from their parents, despite the president’s executive order purporting to end the practice. Just hours before taping this interview, a federal judge issued...
Lee Gelernt on a Major Victory for Immigrant Families June 28, 2018
Lee Gelernt on a Major Victory for Immigrant Families
Lee Gelernt on a Major Victory for Immigrant FamiliesLee Gelernt has been fighting Trump’s family separation policy since early this year, months before it became the subject of national outrage. Thousands of children remain separated from their parents, despite the president’s executive order...