MAKE the CASE

Latest Episodes:

How White Supremacy is Driving Trump's Immigration Policy Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

What happens when the government considers America a country club for which they control membership and not a democracy that is supposed to welcome all? Join Emi MacLean, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Northern California, in a discussion about the repercussions of a recent Supreme Court ruling and the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform.

Episode Guest: Emi MacLean, senior attorney at the ACLU of Northern California

Host: Carmen King, senior communications strategist, ACLU of Northern California

Production Credits:

Produced by the ACLU of Northern California

Executive Producer: Candice Francis

Producer: Jarrod Sport

Senior Producer: Joanne Jennings

Senior Editor: Tammerlin Drummond

Digital Media Producer Virginia Reinhart

Music by Renzo Gorrio

Art Design: Annabelle Ison

Administrative Specialist: Kevin Fonseca

LEARN MORE:

Temporary Protected Status - ACLU of Northern California

The Fight is Not Over: Clear the Path to Legal Status - ACLU of Northern California

After This Supreme Court Term, We're Doubling Down on America's Founding Promise

Mullin v. Dahlia Doe - ACLU of Northern California

Garro Pinchi, et al. v. Noem, et al. - ACLU of Northern California

Immigrants' Rights - ACLU of Northern California

The Death of a Young Haitian's American Dream | The New Yorker

Vallejo Badge Bending: A Terrifying Case of Police Misconduct Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

What happens when police fail to honor the code to serve and protect? Avi Frey, deputy director of the ACLU of Northern California's Criminal Law & Immigration Project, discusses the Vallejo police badge bending scandal and the ACLU lawsuit that forced the city to release its hidden investigation into officers accused of bending the tips of their badges to mark killing a civilian in the line of duty.

Episode Guest:

Avi Frey, deputy director of the criminal law & immigration project at the ACLU of Northern California

Host: Carmen King, senior communications strategist, ACLU of Northern California

Production Credits:

Produced by the ACLU of Northern California

Executive Producer: Candice Francis

Producer: Jarrod Sport

Senior Producer: Joanne Jennings

Senior Editor: Tammerlin Drummond

Digital Media Producer Virginia Reinhart

Music by Renzo Gorrio

Art Design: Annabelle Ison

Administrative Specialist Kevin Fonseca

Learn more about our police accountability work:

ACLU, Open Vallejo win release of badge bending report

City of Vallejo Releases Sanitized Report On Police Officers' Badge-Bending Ritual - ACLU of Northern California

ACLU Calls on Vallejo City Council to Authorize Independent Investigation of City Attorney's Office in Wake of Serious Misconduct Allegations - ACLU of Northern California

ACLU, Family Members Whose Loved Ones Died in Police Shootings, Will Rally Thursday in West Sacramento to Call for Decertification Investigations of Vallejo Police Officers - ACLU of Northern California

Safety Through Mass Surveillance is an Illusion Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

What can go wrong when a private company builds a nationwide mass surveillance network that records billions of license plate scans per month? Nick Hidalgo, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Northern California, examines dubious claims that Flock cameras fight crime—and the consequences of tracking millions of people as they go about their daily lives.

Host: Carmen King, senior communication strategist, ACLU of Northern California

Episode Guest:

Nick Hidalgo, senior attorney with the ACLU of Northern California democracy, speech and technology program

Production Credits:

Produced by the ACLU of Northern California

Executive Producer: Candice Francis

Producer: Jarrod Sport

Senior Producer: Joanne Jennings

Senior Editor: Tammerlin Drummond

Digital Media Producer Virginia Reinhart

Music by Renzo Gorrio

Art Design: Annabelle Ison

Administrative Specialist: Kevin Fonseca LEARN MORE: Activist Toolkit here: Get Flock Cameras Out of Your Community - ACLU of Northern California Lawsuit discussed in the episode here: SIREN, et al. v. City of San Jose, et al. - ACLU of Northern California

Voting Rights: The Myth of Voter Fraud Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

How do you distinguish a rule that promises election security from a rule that protects the people already in power? In this inaugural episode of MAKE the CASE, Abdi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California, discusses attacks on free and fair elections in California and nationwide, and how the ACLU is working to defend this critical constitutional right.

Host: Carmen King, senior communication strategist, ACLU of Northern California

Episode Guest: Abdi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California

Production Credits:

Produced by the ACLU of Northern California

Executive Producer: Candice Francis

Producer: Jarrod Sport

Senior Producer: Joanne Elgart Jennings

Senior Editor: Tammerlin Drummond

Digital Media Producer: Virginia Reinhart

Music: Renzo Gorrio

Art Design: Annabelle Ison

Administrative Specialist: Kevin Fonseca

Learn more about your voting rights and our ACLU voter protection work:

Voting Rights - ACLU of Northern California

Join Californians for Voting Rights in saying NO on Prop 39.

Introducing MAKE the CASE Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of a lawsuit or public policy that changes lives, informs opinion, and instigates debate? How do ACLU lawyers and advocates gear up to fight for civil liberties and civil rights?

Find out on our new podcast MAKE the CASE with Carmen King, where we delve into some of the most consequential questions of our time. We go behind the headlines to help listeners understand what's at stake, why the ACLU gets involved, and who could be affected when the outcome will shape how people are treated under the law for years to come.

New episodes every week starting October 6th. Listen to MAKE the CASE wherever you get your podcasts.