This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes trial, a Tennessee case where science and religion squared off in court — and the whole country tuned in. This week, the ACLU’s Daniel Mach joins Kamau to discuss the landmark trial, how it shaped our contemporary understanding of religious freedom in the United States, and what the Constitution actually says about the separation between church and state.

One note is that this episode was recorded just before a court ruled that an Arkansas law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools is unconstitutional. This is a victory for religious freedom. It is also a reminder that this freedom is increasingly under threat. To learn more about this case and others like it, visit aclu.org

Daniel Mach is the director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

Our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell. This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

After 104 days in detention, Mahmoud Khalil is home. And this week, we’re honored to have him join us in studio for his first extended conversation with the ACLU. He and Kamau reflect on Mahmoud’s time in ICE custody, the importance of people power, and how he’s settling back into life in New York — from attending a widely publicized comedy show to spending quiet moments with his family.

Our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell. This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Gotham Production Studios in NYC.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

It’s because of the First Amendment that we have a right to protest abuses of power, advocate for our neighbors, and defend our privacy. But what does the U.S. Constitution actually say about freedom of speech? This week, the ACLU’s Emerson Sykes joins Kamau to break down this fundamental right. We cover everything from why free speech issues aren’t always First Amendment issues to why 1A rights don’t mean much if they don’t protect everyone—including people and groups we don’t agree with.

Our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell. This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

This past weekend, an estimated 5 million folks across the country protested Trump's attack on our rights. And if you asked anyone in the crowd why they showed up—and who they showed up for—they’d likely have an answer. Today, W. Kamau Bell is joined by three activists—Ash Lazarus Orr and Stephen and Hobbes Chukumba—who are showing up for LGBTQIA+ rights. Listen in as they discuss how they’re navigating Trump’s escalating abuses of power, what trans rights have to do with reproductive and racial justice, and how they’re finding joy this Pride month.

A note from the At Liberty team: just after recording this episode, we received a ruling on U.S. v. Skrmetti. You can learn more about the decision, and the latest on Orr v. Trump, at aclu.org:

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/transgender-us-passport-holders-granted-temporary-relief-in-challenge-to-trump-gender-marker-policy

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-lambda-legal-respond-to-supreme-court-ruling-in-u-s-v-skrmetti

This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA. Our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

June is a time to honor and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s also a month when the Supreme Court has historically made pivotal decisions for LGBTQIA+ rights. This week, Co-Director of the ACLU's LGBT & HIV Project Chase Strangio joins W. Kamau Bell to reflect on the 10-year anniversary of marriage equality with Obergefell v. Hodges, how that case bears on the pending U.S. v. Skrmetti decision, and what it looks like to show up for trans youth and their families in this critical moment.

For more information on Skrmetti and actions you can take, head to action.aclu.org. While you’re there, take the pledge to support trans youth and sign the petition to defend trans freedom:

action.aclu.org/petition/defend-trans-freedom

action.aclu.org/petition/take-pledge-support-trans-youth-now

This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA. Our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

It may be graduation season, but here on At Liberty, class is still in session—and this week, we’re exploring students’ right to learn. Since the Trump administration took office, schools across the country have faced book bans, funding cuts, and a rollback in civil rights protections. This week, ReNika Moore—Director of the ACLU's Racial Justice Program—joins W. Kamau Bell to discuss what’s at stake for K-12 and higher education institutions, and why equal access to education must be protected.

Want to make your voice heard? Head to action.aclu.org/send-message/save-department-education

This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz and Gwen Schroeder for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA. Our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

We talk a lot on At Liberty about knowing our rights, but since Donald Trump returned to office, where do those rights stand? This week, the ACLU’s National Legal Director Cecillia Wang joins Kamau to make sense of Trump’s first 100 days, from the more than 140 executive orders he signed to the more than 100 legal actions the ACLU has filed since January. Plus, listeners share their questions on immigration rights, freedom of speech, and how we can stay prepared for what’s ahead.

This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz and Gwen Schroeder for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA. Our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

End-to-end encryption. Burner phones. Biometric authentication. Our technology is more advanced than ever, but what does that mean for our digital footprints—and how our data is tracked, whether we’re crossing a US border or at home? This week, we’re exploring our right to digital privacy and how protecting our data can help protect our freedom of speech and expression. This conversation was made to be leaked.

Esha Bhandari is deputy director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. And Daniel Kahn Gillmor is a Senior Staff Technologist for the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.

At Liberty is a production of the ACLU, and hosted by W. Kamau Bell.

This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz and Gwen Schroeder for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA. Special thanks to David Boyer and KALW.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

You know that phrase “born on the wrong side of the tracks”? Well, there’s something to it: highways, roads, and sidewalks across America have, for decades now, been racial and economic dividers. And these thoroughfares don’t just reflect inequality—they continue to play an active role in it.

This week, W. Kamau Bell is joined by Deborah N. Archer and Sister Helen Jones for a conversation about transportation infrastructure in the United States, and what a safer, more equitable system could look like.

Deborah N. Archer is President of the ACLU, and a tenured professor and associate dean at New York University School of Law. She’s also the author of the new book Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality.

Sister Helen Jones is a community organizer and activist in the Watts neighborhood of Southern California.

At Liberty is a production of the ACLU, and hosted by W. Kamau Bell.

This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz and Gwen Schroeder for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

Mahmoud Khalil is a recent Columbia University graduate, activist, soon-to-be father, and U.S. green card holder. On March 8, he was unlawfully detained because of his speech in defense of Palestinian human rights. On this week’s episode of At Liberty, host W. Kamau Bell is joined by two members of Khalil’s legal team—the ACLU’s Ben Wizner and Baher Azmy from Center for Constitutional Rights—to discuss why his case should raise alarm bells for anyone who cares about free speech.

Ben Wizner is director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. Baher Azmy is the legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

At Liberty is a production of the ACLU, and hosted by W. Kamau Bell.

This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz and Gwen Schroeder for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA.

At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.