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It's almost election season in California, and 2026 marks the 25th anniversary since the introduction of the California Voting Rights Act, a law intended to eliminate electoral systems that dilute the voting power of racial minorities. Since the CVRA took effect in 2003, the Act transformed California's electoral systems. But did it create fair representation for people of color? Berkeley Law students Zachary Griggy and Jonah Smith join Source Collect to discuss their student Note, Beyond District Lines: Rethinking the California Voting Rights Act's Promise of Fair Representation, published in Volume 114 in August 2026. This episode was recorded in August 2026. Host, Script, and Production: Davis Rich (Volume 115 Podcast Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor) Introductory Quote: Judge Thelton E. Henderson

While wild animals—from horses roaming the free range to seals, sea lions, and walruses—are a beloved part of American culture and identity, the federal agencies that protect these animals must also kill them. To prevent overpopulation and intrusion onto other wildlife, these agencies must conduct “removals,” i.e. coordinated and deliberate killings of animals. This responsibility that creates an inherent tension between preserving ecological collectives and protecting the well-being of individual animals underlies Professor Natalie Jacewicz’s piece, "Crafting a New Conservationism." On today's episode, Professor Jacewicz—an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law—joins us to unpack agency decision making in the field of environmental law and conservationism. Through insights gleaned from analyzing over one hundred National Environmental Policy Act reviews, Professor Jacewicz proposes a new conservationism, suggesting changes to conservation-based removals that agencies could adopt to further maximize the well-being of animals. This piece was published in Volume 113 in August 2025. Guest: Natalie Jacewicz (Assistant Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law) Host, Script, Transcript: Juliette Draper (Volume 114 Podcast Editor) Production: Jonah Smith (Volume 115 Senior Technology Editor); Petra Hilton (Volume 115 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and Performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor) Introductory Quote: Judge Thelton E. Henderson

In response to school shootings executed by minors in America, prosecutors are pursuing charges—not just against the perpetrators, but—against the parents of these shooters, especially when their children have access to guns under their supervision. In this episode, Professor of Law Cynthia Godsoe and Assistant Professor of Law Shanta Trivedi discuss their recent piece, Parenting as a Crime, which unpacks why these prosecutions are legally unsound and largely driven by public pressure and emotion. In drawing upon their experiences as former attorneys in the juvenile and child welfare/family policing systems, Professor Godsoe and Trivedi discuss why prosecuting parents will, if anything, make children and society feel less safe. This episode was recorded in September 2025. Host, Script, Transcript: Juliette Draper (Volume 114 Podcast Editor) Production: Jonah Smith (Volume 115 Senior Technology Editor); Petra Hilton (Volume 115 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and Performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor) Introductory Quote: Judge Thelton E. Henderson

Algorithms shape our modern world, determining everything from which ads we might see on Instagram to who is afforded access to credit. But what decisions go into the development of these algorithms? Professor Fanna Gamal, Assistant Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law, noticed that developers often exclude race and racial proxy variables as an input when creating machine learning algorithms. Prof. Gamal's latest article in the California Law Review, "The Algorithmic Racial Proxy," discusses the difficulty of defining what a racial proxy is, and the implications of allowing those who develop machine learning algorithms to decide. today's episode, Prof. Gamal joins Source Collect to discuss her article. This episode was recorded in April 2026. Host, Script, and Production: Davis Rich (Volume 115 Podcast Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor) Introductory Quote: Judge Thelton E. Henderson

To explain to us how institutional academic freedoms implicate corporate rights—and how Harvard could have leveraged these corporate rights in its 2025 lawsuit over the Trump Administration’s funding freeze—Michael Banerjee, a graduate of Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. Candidate in Jurisprudence and Social Policy at UC Berkeley Law, joins us today to talk about his piece, “What Harvard’s Lawsuit Should Have Said.” This piece was published as an online Article on August 4, 2025. This episode was recorded in September 2025. Host & Script: Juliette Draper (Volume 114 Podcast Editor) Transcript: Davis Rich (Volume 115 Podcast Editor) Production: Jonah Smith (Volume 115 Senior Technology Editor); Petra Hilton (Volume 115 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor) Introductory Quote: Judge Thelton E. Henderson

After beginning his second term in office on January 20th, 2025, President Trump has launched an unprecedented assault on large private law firms in the US. Fondly referred to as "Big Law" by lawyers and law students alike, these law firms have adopted different strategies to respond to executive orders and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission actions. To break down how Big Law is grappling with the administration's assault, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Florida, Levin College of Law, Christopher Hampson, and Assistant Professor of Law at Michigan State University, College of Law, Elise Maizel, join us to discuss their article, Ethics and Independence in Trump's War on Big Law. Authors: Christopher Hampson (Associate Professor of Law at the University of Florida, Levin College of Law); Elise Maizel (Assistant Professor of Law at Michigan State University, College of Law) Host & Script: Juliette Draper (Volume 114 Podcast Editor) Transcript: Juliette Draper (Volume 114 Podcast Editor); Adrianna Vaca (Volume 114 Publishing Editor) Production: Carsten Felicitas Grove (Volume 114 Senior Technology Editor); Maya Parthasarathy (Volume 114 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor) Introductory Quote: Judge Thelton E. Henderson

In this episode, we will discuss the duties that Americans owe—and perhaps over time have ceased to owe—the state. Once central to the American constitutional tradition, civic duties like shoveling snow, repairing roads and fighting overseas have faded from our conception of communal obligations. Yet as society evolves, so too do civic duties. To correct the narrative that civic duties are a fixed part of our historical tradition, Daniel Rice, an Assistant Professor of Law at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, joins us to unpack his article, Civic Duties and Cultural Change. Author: Daniel Rice, Assistant Professor of Law, UNC Chapel Hill Host/Script/Transcript: Juliette Draper (Volume 114 Podcast Editor) Production: Carsten Felicitas Grove (Volume 114 Senior Technology Editor); Maya Parthasarathy (Volume 114 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor) Introductory Quote: Judge Thelton E. Henderson

In 2023, the Supreme Court decided Mallory v. Norfolk, Southern Railway Company, which held that consent remains a method of establishing personal jurisdiction independent of the minimum contacts test, first introduced by International Shoe Company v. Washington. On the surface, this decision resolved ambiguities in personal jurisdiction doctrine. But, to explain to us how Mallory failed to consider the many complexities underlying consent to personal jurisdiction, Scott Dodson, a Distinguished Professor of Law at UC San Francisco, joins us to discuss his article, The Complexities of Consent to Personal Jurisdiction. Author: Scott Dodson, Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Law San Francisco Host; Script; Transcript: Juliette Draper (Volume 114 Podcast Editor) Production: Carsten Felicitas Grove (Volume 114 Senior Technology Editor); Maya Parthasarathy (Volume 114 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor) Introductory Quote: Judge Thelton E. Henderson

Violence in the Administrative State by California Law Review

People usually think that all tax agencies do is ensure tax laws are followed. But for decades, the IRS has regularly facilitated immigration raids. These raids target employees even as the IRS investigates their employers’ potential tax violations. What can this state of affairs teach us about agency overreach? And what alternate paths could better align the IRS’s efforts with its mission? In this episode, UC Davis School of Law Professor Shayak Sarkar discusses his research on the IRS's underappreciated role in immigration enforcement. Author: Shayak Sarkar, Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law Host: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Script: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Interview: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor); Shivank Singh (Volume 113 Associate Editor) Transcript: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Technology Editors: Sandeep Stanley (Volume 113 Senior Technology Editor), Emily C. Welsch (Volume 113 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor)

Traffic courts resolve over half of the cases in the U.S. legal system. These cases are easy for some defendants to handle by paying a fine, but they can have devastating effects for those with fewer means. And despite the key role these courts play in funding state judicial branches and other state and local programs, they have not been comprehensively studied in decades. What’s going on in traffic courts? And what can they teach us about the legal system more broadly? In this episode, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law Professor Justin Weinstein-Tull explains his research on traffic courts. Author: Justin Weinstein-Tull, Professor of Law, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law Host: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Script: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Transcript: Shivank Singh (Volume 113 Associate Editor); Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Technology Editors: Sandeep Stanley (Volume 113 Senior Technology Editor), Emily C. Welsch (Volume 113 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor)

The U.S. carceral system disproportionately harms racial minorities and people living in poverty. Penal abolitionist frameworks have helpfully reframed the conversation to foreground those harmful social consequences. But how do those consequences affect our understanding of work, and particularly work that is both criminalized and undertaken in order to survive? In this episode, Indiana University Maurer School of Law Professor Yvette Butler explains her concept of survival labor and why it should be included in our general understanding of work. Author: Yvette Butler, Associate Professor of Law, Indiana University Maurer School of Law Host: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Script: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Technology Editors: Sandeep Stanley (Volume 113 Senior Technology Editor), Emily C. Welsch (Volume 113 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor)

Immigration adjudications regularly use information from the criminal legal system to justify a discretionary denial of relief or benefits, even when charges have been dismissed. This practice faces little scrutiny due to the assumption that adjudicators are merely importing facts already found by the criminal system. But what if this practice actually constitutes “hidden factfinding”? Sarah Vendzules, a Senior Staff Attorney at the Office of the Appellate Defender in New York City, uncovers this hidden factfinding and offers a framework that could rein it in. Author: Sarah Vendzules, Senior Staff Attorney, Office of the Appellate Defender Host: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Script: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Technology Editors: Sandeep Stanley (Volume 113 Senior Technology Editor), Emily C. Welsch (Volume 113 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor)

For more than a century, the United States has restricted Tribal governments’ powers over criminal law. It has diminished Tribal jurisdiction and imposed adversarial approaches on Tribal courts. But recently, some Tribal courts have begun to embrace Indigenous-based restorative justice models. UCLA School of Law Assistant Professor Lauren van Schilfgaarde discusses how these models are strengthening both Tribal courts and Tribal jurisdiction more broadly. Author: Lauren van Schilfgaarde, Assistant Professor, UCLA School of Law Host: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Script: Peter Mason (Volume 113 Podcast Editor) Technology Editors: Georgiana Soo (Volume 112 Podcast Editor), Sandeep Stanley (Volume 113 Senior Technology Editor), Emily C. Welsch (Volume 113 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor)

Each year, Child Protective Services investigates over one million families. Every investigation includes a room-by-room search of the family home, as well as the threat of the state’s coercive authority to remove children from their families. CUNY School of Law Professor Tarek Z. Ismail discusses how these investigations have evaded traditional Fourth Amendment scrutiny. Author: Tarek Z. Ismail, Associate Professor, CUNY School of Law Host: Georgiana Soo (Volume 112 Podcast Editor) Script: Peter Mason (Volume 112 Associate Editor) Technology Editors: Georgiana Soo (Volume 112 Podcast Editor, Al Malecha (Volume 112 Senior Technology Editor, Kiana Harkema (Volume 112 Technology Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor)