at liberty podcast

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.

Criminal Law Reform
Tom Morello playing guitar on stage

You may recognize W. Kamau Bell from his multi-Emmy award-winning docuseries United Shades of America, or from his Substack Who’s With Me, or from his commercials for the ACLU. If you're a long-time ACLU supporter,...

A photo of W. Kamau Bell on stage during the ACLU Know Your Rights Bus Tour.

You may recognize W. Kamau Bell from his multi-Emmy award-winning docuseries United Shades of America, from his Substack Who’s With Me, or from his commercials for the ACLU. Bell has worked with us for more...

Activists and people experiencing homelessness gather near tents housing the homeless at an encampment in Echo Lake Park as the city makes plans to evict all the parks encampments in Los Angeles, March 24, 2021.

On April 22, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass, the most significant court case about the rights of people experiencing homelessness in decades. At its core, Grants Pass will...

From the ACLU, this is At Liberty. I'm Kendall Ciesemier, your host. A month ago, we visited one of our favorite spots, the library. You know, at the ACLU, we love a good library. So...

oung Thug performs during the second annual Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on November 9, 2019 in Houston, Texas.

As the gang conspiracy trial of rapper Young Thug and his famed rap collective, YSL, extends past 20 days in Atlanta, we’re bringing you a conversation about the use of rap lyrics in court. Despite...

Demonstrators perform a die-in symbolizing the amount of people dying from AIDS, Monday, August 17, 1992, in Houston. Hundreds of police and gay rights activists clashed outside the Republican National Convention Monday night as protesters sought to block a street near the Astrodome.

October marks LGBTQ History Month, and this week on At Liberty we are honoring the legacy of LGBTQ activism throughout the AIDS epidemic. Throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, AIDS claimed the lives of...

An individual with a sweatshirt featuring faces of the many victims of police violence.

Ten years ago this July, Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza, and Patrisse Cullors tweeted #BlackLivesMatter in the wake of Trayvon Martin’s death. The hashtag helped galvanize a movement calling out the racism that has deeply affected...

This 4/20, we want to talk about a tool that can be used to address the horrific consequences of the war on drugs: clemency. Throughout U.S. history, presidents, and governors have had the power to...

Keeping kids safe is one of our greatest responsibilities as adults. But what if the main tool we use to protect children is actually preventing everyone from getting the resources they need? Every state in...

A portrait of individuals who were part of the Freedom House.

February marks Black History Month, an opportunity to celebrate the contributions Black Americans have made to society, and today we are going to be celebrating that, but before that, given the themes of this episode,...