About this podcast
Rights This Way is a podcast from the New York Civil Liberties Union (the ACLU of New York State) focused on the civil rights and liberties issues that impact New Yorkers most. Through interviews and lively conversations with experts inside and outside the NYCLU, we discuss the legal and policy implications of some of the most important issues facing our state.
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Episodes
The newest 20 of 49 episodes
- How Police Hoard Our DNA in Rogue Databases · 49 min · Season 5 Episode 10Over more than a decade, the NYPD has collected the genetic material of 34,000 people – generally without their consent – in its rogue, illegal DNA database. The people ensnared…
- How Do We Put the Brakes on Flock and License Plate Readers? · 31 min · Season 5 Episode 9There is burgeoning and justified nationwide outrage over automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs. These ubiquitous and invasive devices are singlehandedly destroying any…
- Kicking This Anti-Protest NYPD Unit to the Curb with Walter Masterson · 28 min · Season 5 Episode 8With Donald Trump waging war on free speech and ICE officers killing people in broad daylight, our right to protest is more important than ever. But too often when New Yorkers…
- Why Prison Visits Make Families Stronger and Communities Safer · 31 min · Season 5 Episode 7The impact of a person’s incarceration reaches far beyond the confines of their cell. Children lose parents. Families lose a breadwinner and struggle to meet their needs…
- How AI is Invading NYC Schools · 31 min · Season 5 Episode 6AI is everywhere, including in our schools. But what does the rapid deployment of AI mean for the 900,000 students in New York City’s public schools? What are the guardrails in…
- Keeping ICE Out of the World Cup with Paola Mendoza · 23 min · Season 5 Episode 5The World Cup is supposed to be a time when billions of people across the planet join together to celebrate their love for the global game of soccer. It’s a moment for people of…
- Inside the Struggle Against Anti-Protest ‘Buffer Zone’ Laws · 27 min · Season 5 Episode 4After months of backroom dealing, Gov. Hochul touted what she called her “buffer zone legislation” which threatens to chill protest and other forms of free speech near houses of…
- How to Make Universal Child Care a Reality with Mamdani’s Child Care Czar · 47 min · Season 5 Episode 3Today’s soaring cost of living and staggering wealth inequality cast a spotlight on the longstanding need for universal child care. Too many families find themselves in an…
- What’s Causing New York’s Lead Crisis? With Shannon Burkett · 42 min · Season 5 Episode 2Lead is in the walls and water of an untold number of places New Yorkers live, go to school, work, and visit. Its life-altering impacts pose a potential danger to everyone in our…
- Mamdani, Hochul and the Future of New York with Christina Greer · 46 min · Season 5 Episode 1Perhaps no dynamic defines politics in New York State and New York City in 2026 more than the relationship between Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Mayor needs the…
- How We Win the Battle for the Soul of the University with Professor Katherine Franke · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 10President Trump is waging war on free speech and academic freedom. And too often, colleges and universities have waved the white flag. Over and over, places of higher education…
- Inside the Right-Wing Plot to Ban Books with NYT Bestseller Kalynn Bayron · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 9A legion of far-right activists is determined to purge school libraries of books they don't like. A huge percentage of the books they want to get rid of are about race or racism…
- SCOTUS Undermined Trans Rights: How Do We Protect Them in NY · 42 min · Season 4 Episode 8In its recent decision in the case, United States v. Skrmetti, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming medical care does not violate the…
- Mahmoud Khalil in His Own Words · 39 min · Season 4 Episode 7On this episode, we hear from Mahmoud Khalil. Mahmoud is a lawful permanent resident who was kidnapped by the Trump administration and held in detention because of his advocacy…
- What is Copaganda, and How do We Fight It? · 25 min · Season 4 Episode 6We might not realize it, but we are swimming in a sea of what this episode’s guest calls Copaganda. The way media outlets decide what stories to cover, which experts to quote…
- Trans Athletes, Trump, and the Right to Play Sports · 33 min · Season 4 Episode 5Some of us might think that the fight for trans people’s right to play sports is new. But a recent book, “The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern…
- What are the Stakes of Mahmoud Khalil’s Case? · 39 min · Season 4 Episode 4The Trump administration has made clear that if you dare to disagree with the president, you will be punished. That was the message when ICE agents illegally arrested and…
- We Know How to Solve the Mental Health Crisis. Will We Actually Do it? · 1 h 9 min · Season 4 Episode 3It happens like clockwork. A person suffering from serious mental health problems is accused of a heinous and tragic crime committed against a stranger. Then the calls come from…
- How Can NY Protect Immigrants From Trump? · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 2The Trump Administration has stoked widespread fear in immigrant communities across New York and around the country. Through immigration raids, and a non-stop barrage of…
- The Case for Open Borders · 46 min · Season 4 Episode 1It seems like ancient history, but it actually wasn’t that long ago when – during the first Trump administration – large protests featured signs that read “no kids in cages” and…
