In 2020, the United States held its first presidential election in a pandemic. It was expected that nationwide voting by mail would cause issues, but few expected a partisan fight over access to voting during a pandemic. Elisabeth Frost is a partner at Perkins Coie, which has the oldest political law department in the country. She specializes in litigation that involves the political practice. On this episode, she discusses the election and the role lawyers must play in safeguarding American democracy in the immediate fight against voter suppression.

DISCOVERY presented by UW Law

No time to sit on the sidelines

Since George Floyd's murder this past summer, dozens of bills have been introduced at the Washington Legislature intending to increase accountability and transparency among police forces. ACLU of Washington attorney Enoka Herat has worked on many of them, including two landmark pieces of legislation that address police tactics and use of force. On this episode, she talks about the ways in which activism shaped the state's current legislative agenda, and she discusses roles lawyers play in abolishing police violence through work at the legislative level.

From Paper to Policy

Over the past four years, members of America's business community have taken increasingly stronger steps in opposition of divisive policies, actions and rhetoric of the Trump presidency. That footfall became heaviest following the 2020 election and Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Now with states across the country seeking to enact more restrictive voter suppression laws, Professor Jeffery Sonnenfeld discusses the history of corporate social responsibility in America and the sky-high expectations of corporations to serve as leaders for social change.

A Flag in the Sand

Yakama Nation v. Klickitat County involves a dispute that dates back 150 years and encompasses issues central to Tribal sovereignty in Washington state. Revolving around the status of tract of land on the Yakama Reservation's southern boundary, the case calls in to play a legal framework that has been a pillar of U.S. Indian law for centuries. When you throw ​in a SCOTUS ruling with major potential implications, the conversation gets even more complicated. On a new episode of DISCOVERY, attorney Ethan Jones joins UW Law to discuss current issues, their history and potential outcomes as the case makes its way through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Diminishing Returns

Data is one of the world's most valuable commodities, and every second companies are collecting lots of it. With so much information available, open data offers limitless opportunities to benefit the greater public. Figuring out how to license it effectively, however, has proved tricky. Steven Mortinger knows this particularly well: At IBM, he has been on the cutting edge of all things IP for decades. He discusses the current state of and potential futures for open data licensing in 2021 and beyond.

In Defense of Data

Oregon Measure 109 is a landmark piece of legislation that creates a legal market for psilocybin-assisted therapy in the state — the first of its kind anywhere in the United States. On this episode, hear from Dave Kopilak, the law's primary drafter, who shares insights into what it takes to put together a successful ballot measure centered in such an uncharted field of the law.

Legalizing Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy

The Japanese American incarceration during World War II is a black eye on U.S. history. In the four decades that followed, activists and community leaders waged what was ultimately a successful campaign for redress and reparations on behalf of those who were sent to the internment camps. On this episode, Professor Margaret Chon discusses how the reparations campaign built on groundwork laid during the Civil Rights Movement, and she explores how the decadeslong drive informs today's fight for racial justice in America.

Redress, Reparations and the Fight for Racial Justice

California v. Texas is a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court that is the first major challenge to the Affordable Care Act since the appointment of the court's newest justice. Over the past decade, the ACA has been surprisingly resilient despite constant legal battles — and this one certainly won't be the last. Health law expert Joan Altman has been on the front lines in Washington since the law's earliest days. She sheds light on what went down at oral arguments and discusses what we can infer from the justices' commentary.

Health Care is Complicated

DISCOVERY is a podcast presented by the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle, WA, featuring distinguished guests discussing today's biggest social, political and legal issues. Episodes focus on a diverse mix of legal and legal-adjacent topics through intimate conversations with experts, speakers and leaders from around the globe. For more, visit law.uw.edu/podcast.