Democracy Now! 2026-07-01 Wednesday

Summary

Democracy Now! — July 1, 2026 Episode Summary

Overview

This episode of Democracy Now!, hosted by Amy Goodman, offers in-depth coverage of landmark Supreme Court rulings impacting birthright citizenship, transgender athletes’ participation in sports, and mail-in voting; analyzes their societal and political implications; and explores the current fight for reparations in Evanston, Illinois. Featuring expert guests, activists, and personal stories, the episode highlights the ongoing struggle for civil rights, voting integrity, and racial justice during a pivotal time in American history—the nation’s 250th anniversary.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship (00:19; 14:41)

• Decision: The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, rejected President Trump’s attempt to abolish birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented or non-permanent resident immigrant parents, reaffirming the 14th Amendment.
  • Key Justices John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh joined liberals in majority.
  • Trump's executive order, issued his first day back in office, is struck down.
• Historical Context:
  • Mae Nye Leung (Columbia University historian) explains the ruling’s significance, emphasizing how the 14th Amendment broke the link between citizenship and race, aiming for a multiracial democracy:
    • "It’s extremely important because... it puts a brake on President Trump’s insane drive against immigrants to drive people out of the country and to deny them any rights while they’re here." (17:04)
  • She recounts history of exclusions post–Civil War and how birthright citizenship was previously tested with Chinese and Black Americans.
• Quotes:
  • Chief Justice Roberts: “Citizenship then and now was the right to have rights, to freely participate in our political community... We keep that promise today.” (07:49, 15:15)
  • Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (08:14): "I am a citizen by birthright. I am an American. And every single person in this country, if you're born here, you're an American. Period. No exceptions." (08:14)
  • Norman Wong (Wong Kim Ark’s grandson): “Birthright citizenship is not just a legal principle. It’s a statement about who we are as a nation.” (22:48)
• Trump’s Reaction: Condemns the decision but vows to continue the fight in Congress (15:58; 16:20).
• Analysis:
  • Mae Nye Leung warns Justice Kavanaugh’s opinion could allow Congress to revive the issue legislatively, though she sees this as unlikely to succeed (18:03).
  • The ruling is celebrated as a protection against constitutional chaos and discrimination (Mae Nye, 17:04–19:37).

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2. Supreme Court Upholds State Bans on Trans Athletes (00:54; 27:13)

• Decision: Justices unanimously affirm states’ rights to ban transgender girls and women from competing in women’s and girls’ sports (Idaho and West Virginia). They split 6-3 on the constitutional question, with the majority finding no violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection clause.
• Guest: Chase Strangio (ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project)
  • Clarifies the ruling is narrowly focused on the context of sports and built on an interpretation of Title IX prioritizing sex assigned at birth (28:04).
  • "If the Court is offering a constrained reading of these statutory protections and constitutional protections, it’s going to impact everyone, not just trans people.” (28:04)
  • Highlights that these cases are part of broader attacks to push trans people out of public life (29:38).
  • Stresses the small number of athletes affected, using the example of 15-year-old Becky Pepper Jackson, who was the only trans athlete impacted in West Virginia (31:42; 32:40).
• Plaintiff’s Story:
  • “Being able to compete alongside my peers was really fun for me... When my mom told me about the fact that I wouldn’t be able to play the sports that I love, I was devastated.” – Becky Pepper Jackson (30:39)
• Memorable Moment:
  • Strangio on the small number affected: “There is Becky in West Virginia and there’s one athlete in Idaho. So that’s two people.” (32:40)
• Response: ACLU vows to continue fighting in the courts and urges public mobilization for civil rights (33:49).

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3. Supreme Court Protects Mail-In Voting Grace Periods (01:04; 34:47)

• Decision: By a 5-4 margin, the Court upholds a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted for five days following, preserving voters’ access despite postal delays.
  • Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Barrett join liberals in majority (35:01).
• Guest: Ari Berman (Mother Jones voting rights correspondent)
  • Frames it as a rare victory for voting rights and a setback for Trump, who sought stricter mail-in voting limits (37:04).
  • Warns of increased efforts by Republicans to restrict mail-in and accessible voting via legislation like the SAVE Act.
• Analysis:
  • Berman explains widespread GOP use of mail-in voting and cites studies disproving voter fraud claims (38:38).
  • Trump continues to push SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote, restrict registration, and end mail-in voting—potentially disenfranchising millions, including Republican constituencies (41:00).
• Quote:
  • Ari Berman: “It really is a MAGA fever dream of all the worst things that President Trump wants to do on voting in one bill... it would disenfranchise tens of millions of voters if it became law.” (41:00)
• Campaign Finance Ruling:
  • The Court (6-3) strikes down limits on party-candidate coordination, fueling more dark money politics (42:20).
  • Justice Kagan dissents: “The Court ushers back in the same opportunities for quid pro quo corruption that the contribution limits were meant to check.” (42:20)
  • Berman: “More billionaire money is going to flood the system... The Supreme Court has put its thumb on the scale to help Republicans in the midterms because Republicans have more money in these party committees than Democrats do right now.” (43:12)

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4. Reparations Fight in Evanston, Illinois (01:19; 46:17)

• Background: Evanston launches a first-of-its-kind municipal reparations program offering up to $25,000 for Black residents affected by historical housing discrimination, funded through donations and local cannabis taxes.
• Challenge: The Trump DOJ intervenes in a lawsuit to block reparations, arguing it’s unconstitutional race discrimination (46:17).
  • Assistant AG Harmeet Dhillon: “Simply handing out money based on race... it’s illegal.” (46:17)
• Guest: Justin Hansford (Howard Law professor, reparations advocate)
  • Reviews Evanston’s extensive research and targeted approach, citing city admissions of redlining, and the tailored nature of remedy (48:39, 50:21).
  • Argues DOJ’s position misreads legal precedent and Supreme Court guidance, likening the use of civil rights laws to block reparations as “using what was designed to shield as a weapon.” (50:21)
  • Hansford emphasizes reparations as justice: "I believe that reparations is what justice will look like in the 21st century, all across the world, because it is a way to provide deterrence in a world that is in desperate need of it." (57:36)
• Reaction:
  • Robin Rue Simmons, who spearheaded the program, says the lawsuit aims to intimidate other local efforts (52:00).
  • Hansford highlights generational loss and the movement’s growing national and international momentum (53:57–56:55).
  • Danny Glover, actor and activist (plays a clip from 2021), on local efforts: “Imagine how that resonates beyond Evanston, Illinois. Imagine the kind of discourse... about reparation." (56:18)
• International Context: Ghana leads a successful UN resolution for global reparations; U.S. votes "no" alongside Israel and Argentina, but momentum is building worldwide (57:36).

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Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

On Birthright Citizenship

• Chief Justice Roberts (07:49, 15:15): “Citizenship then and now was the right to have rights, to freely participate in our political community."
• Mae Nye Leung on history: "The importance of [the 14th Amendment] is that it broke the tie between citizenship and race... That is the legacy." (20:14)
• Norman Wong: "Birthright citizenship... affirms that America is not defined by blood rights or exclusion, but shared values and equal rights." (22:48)

On Trans Athlete Bans

• Becky Pepper Jackson (student plaintiff): "Being able to compete... taught me teamwork. I made a lot of friends, but most of all, I just had fun..." (30:39)
• Chase Strangio (ACLU): "We’re talking about an incredibly small number of athletes... Here we are demonizing them when we have serious problems in this country." (32:40)

On Mail-In Voting

• Ari Berman: "Oregon votes completely by mail. Washington votes completely by mail... There’s no evidence of voter fraud from mail voting." (38:38)

On Reparations

• Justin Hansford: "The effort to bring a lawsuit to stop this particular program is meant to send a message... I want to send a message also and say... we are fighting back." (53:59)
• Danny Glover: "Imagine the kind of discourse... by ordinary citizens about reparation." (56:18)

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Important Timestamps Guide

| Segment | Start Time | Key Guest(s) | Focus | |-----------------------------------------|------------|--------------------------|------------------------------------------------------| | Birthright Citizenship SCOTUS Ruling | 00:19 | Mae Nye Leung, Norman Wong | Landmark Supreme Court case and history | | Trans Athlete Ban Ruling | 27:13 | Chase Strangio | Breakdown & personal stories | | Mail-In Voting Ruling & Voting Rights | 34:47 | Ari Berman | Decision, implications, SAVE Act, dark money politics| | Evanston Reparations Fight | 46:17 | Justin Hansford | DOJ challenge, context, local & global perspectives |

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Tone and Language

The episode maintains Democracy Now!’s signature tone: rigorous journalistic inquiry, advocacy for marginalized communities, empathy for personal stories, and unyielding scrutiny of government and corporate power. Speakers combine analysis, history, and firsthand testimony to inform and inspire action.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode captures a moment of tension and transition in American democracy—between exclusion and equality, between old injustices and new possibilities. It’s a must-listen for those following civil rights, voting battles, reparations advocacy, and the ever-evolving fight over the meaning of who belongs in America.

Transcript

[Amy Goodman]

From New York. This is democracy now.

[Activist or Community Organizer]

This is a fight of who belongs and who this administration wants to erase. And we won't let them do that. This victory is not the end. It is not the beginning. But it's a reflection and a pause.

[Amy Goodman]

The Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship. President Trump says he'll go to Congress. Next. We'll speak to Columbia University historian Mae Nye. Then, in a loss for the civil

[Narrator/Reporter]

rights of transgender Americans, the court upholds

[Amy Goodman]

state bans on trans athletes participating in

[Narrator/Reporter]

women and girls sports. We'll get reaction from the ACLU's Chase Strangio.

[Amy Goodman]

Then the Supreme Court upholds mail in ballots. But Trump continues to fight for Congress to pass the SAVE act, which could disenfranchise millions of voters.

[Narrator/Reporter]

We'll speak to Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman.

[Amy Goodman]

And finally, ahead of July 4th, we'll talk about the fight over reparations in Evanston, Illinois, with Howard law professor Justin Hansford.

[Justin Hansford]

After the city of Evanston established a reparations commission in 2015 that was one of the most influential around the country, the Donald Trump Department of Justice has sought to kill it. But here on the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding, we know that racial justice actually requires us to repair the injustices of the past.

[Narrator/Reporter]

All that and more coming up.

[Amy Goodman]

Welcome to Democracy now, democracynow.org, the War and Peace Report.

[Interviewer or Host]

Amy.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I'm Amy Goodman. In Venezuela, the confirmed death toll from last week's devastating twin earthquakes is nearing 2,000 people, though that number is expected to soar. On Tuesday, NASA researchers set a review of satellite images along the coast of La Gaira, near the epicenter of the June 24 earthquake, showed more than 58,000 buildings damaged or destroyed. Tens of thousands of people are still missing one week after the quake struck, with fading that rescue teams will find remaining survivors trapped in the rubble. The United nations warns displaced survivors are likely to face hunger and the spread of disease as the quakes have escalated. Venezuela's already dire humanitarian crisis, caused in part by harsh U.S. sanctions. Even before the earthquakes, aid groups estimate nearly 8 million people in Venezuela were already in need of urgent humanitarian support. The World Food program's appeal for $50 million to provide food assistance to some 500,000 people in Venezuela over the next three months.

[Amy Goodman]

Indirect technical talks between US And Iranian

[Narrator/Reporter]

teams got underway in Qatar today after Iran's top negotiator said his nation would not enter further high level negotiations until the US Meets the terms of its memorandum of understanding with Iran. Mohammed Bakarba spoke on Iranian state television.

[Mohammed Bakarba]

Even now that we are negotiating with America, we are not negotiating with a friend. We are negotiating with an untrustworthy enemy who will definitely take action against us whenever they find the opportunity. In truth, a person can negotiate well only if they are also prepared for war.

[Amy Goodman]

Iran's guarantee of free passage through the

[Narrator/Reporter]

Strait of Hormuz is only valid for 60 days and that Iran would never give up its rights to control the waterway under any circumstances. He called the strait Iran's greatest instrument of power. Following those remarks, Iran's navy said a commercial container ship ran aground in shallow waters as it tried to circumvent the normal shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened to bomb Iran for a third time. Despite the Trump administration's apparent efforts at diplomacy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Tuesday with Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, telling his forces they would continue their occupation as long as Hezbollah poses a threat.

[Amy Goodman]

It was his first visit to Lebanon

[Narrator/Reporter]

since Israel invaded its northern neighbor March 2. Israeli attacks on Lebanon since then have killed over 4,000 people and have continued despite the US ceasefire with Iran, which requires Israel stop bombing Lebanon and withdraw its forces.

[Amy Goodman]

In Washington, D.C. the House of Representatives

[Narrator/Reporter]

Tuesday rejected a War Powers resolution seeking to limit President Trump's authority to involve U.S. forces in Israel's war on Lebanon.

[Amy Goodman]

The measure was brought by Michigan Congresswoman

[Narrator/Reporter]

Rash Shida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American serving in Congress. It was rejected on a vote of 189 to 235 after 22 Democrats joined most Republicans voting against it.

[Amy Goodman]

The United nations is calling on donors

[Narrator/Reporter]

to fill a $100 million gap in funding for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said millions of Palestinians are at risk due to the shortfall, as well as Israel's massive restrictions on UNRWA's ability to work in the occupied palest Palestinian territories.

[Amy Goodman]

This comes as Israeli media is reporting

[Narrator/Reporter]

the Trump created so called Board of Peace will soon begin managing humanitarian shelters in Gaza.

[Amy Goodman]

The newspaper Israel Hayom reports the first site will open near Rafah within weeks and will be policed by a multinational

[Narrator/Reporter]

force armed with so called less lethal weapons. The report also stated Israel's military will continue expanding its control beyond the so called yellow line agreed to in the US brokered October ceasefire. Israel continues to violate the agreement on a daily basis.

[Amy Goodman]

Republicans controlling the House Rules Committee have

[Narrator/Reporter]

refused to allow a floor vote on a bipartisan amendment seeking to block the integration of the US And Israeli militaries.

[Amy Goodman]

The proposed U S Israel Defense Technology

[Narrator/Reporter]

Cooperation Initiative would accelerate U S Israeli technology sharing, co production of weapons systems and partnerships on the military use of artificial intelligence, biotechnology and more. An amendment by California Democrat Ro Khanna and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie would have removed the initiative from the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.

[Amy Goodman]

Congressmember Khanna spoke out Tuesday after Republican

[Narrator/Reporter]

leaders refused to make the amendment eligible for debate.

[Amy Goodman]

This is unconscionable.

[Speaker on SAVE Act or Republican Representative]

They're not even giving us a vote on the amendment.

[Ari Berman]

Thomas and I will continue to fight

[Amy Goodman]

to make sure we don't compromise American sovereignty. The supreme court, in a 6 to 3 ruling Tuesday, rejected President Trump's attempt to abolish birthright citizenship, a right that's

[Narrator/Reporter]

enshrined into the 14th Amendment of the U.S. constitution.

[Amy Goodman]

Trump signed an executive order on his

[Narrator/Reporter]

first day back in office that declared children born in the US to undocumented people or immigrant parents without permanent status would no longer be granted U.S. citizenship.

[Amy Goodman]

Conservative justices John Roberts Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh joined the three liberal justices in opposing Trump. Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the decision,

[Narrator/Reporter]

quote, citizenship then and now was the

[Amy Goodman]

right to have rights to freely participate

[Narrator/Reporter]

in our political community.

[Amy Goodman]

The framers of the 14th Amendment extended that promise to every freeborn person in this land.

[Narrator/Reporter]

We keep that promise today. Unquote. Immigrant rights advocates gathered at the steps of the Supreme Court. This is Illinois Democratic Congressmember Delia Ramirez,

[Amy Goodman]

who's the daughter of Guadalup

[Delia Ramirez]

I am the proud, proud daughter of Maria Elvira Ramirez Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant who crossed the border pregnant with me. I am a citizen by birthright. I am an American. And every single person in this country, if you're born here, you're an American.

[Norman Wong]

Period.

[Amy Goodman]

No exceptions.

[Delia Ramirez]

Am I right?

[Amy Goodman]

We'll have more on this story after

[Narrator/Reporter]

Headlines with Columbia University professor historian Mae Nye, also a birthright citizen. In another major Supreme Court decision, justices ruled states can prohibit transgender student athletes from competing in women's and girls sports teams, upholding bans. In Idaho and West Virginia, justices ruled unanimously that the state bans do not violate Title 9, the federal law against sex discrimination in education. They split six to three over whether the trans athlete bans are unconstitutional, with the conservative majority finding they do not run afoul of the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection clause. The ruling was lauded by President Trump,

[Amy Goodman]

who said on social media.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Big win. Senior counsel for ACLU's LGBTQ and HIV Rights project, Joshua Block, said in a statement, quote, this is a heartbreaking ruling.

[Amy Goodman]

The reality is that the equality of

[Narrator/Reporter]

transgender women and girls takes nothing away from, in fact promotes the equality of all women and girls. We'll have more on this story with the ACLU's Chase Strangio in a major ruling on campaign finance, the Supreme Court has struck down a federal law that limited the amount of money that political parties can spend in coordination with a candidate for Office. In their 6 to 3 ruling, the

[Amy Goodman]

court's conservative justices wrote that coordinated expenditure limits violate the First Amendment. In a dissenting opinion, Justice Elena Kagan wrote, quote, the court ushers back in the same opportunities for quid pro quo corruption that the contribution limits were meant

[Narrator/Reporter]

to check, she wrote. This comes as a new report by Public Citizen finds cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, big

[Amy Goodman]

Tech and online betting corporations have collectively spent $294 million to influence federal elections

[Narrator/Reporter]

in this election cycle.

[Amy Goodman]

That's more than half the record $517

[Narrator/Reporter]

million that corporations have reported spending so far.

[Amy Goodman]

In Colorado, 29 year old democratic socialist

[Narrator/Reporter]

and first time congressional candidate Melat Quiros

[Amy Goodman]

has defeated 15 term incumbent Congresswoman Diana

[Narrator/Reporter]

DeGette in the first congressional district primary. Quiros appears to have carried more than half of all votes in the three way race to represent the Denver based district.

[Amy Goodman]

She won despite a flood of dark

[Narrator/Reporter]

money spent to quash her campaign while

[Amy Goodman]

supporting deget's reelection that included funds indirectly funded by the super PAC operated by

[Narrator/Reporter]

the American Israel Public Affairs Committee into

[Amy Goodman]

outside spending groups including Pro Choice Majority Action. Milot Kiro spoke to his supporters at a raucous victory party Tuesday evening.

[Melat Quiros]

Will not wait to take the fight to Donald Trump and the oligarchy. We will not wait. We will not wait to abolish ISIS and pass Medicare for all. We will not wait to put an end to the politics of the past, to get big money out of our politics and to reject corporate pacts at aipac. And no, we will not wait to end the genocide in Palestine.

[Amy Goodman]

Also on Tuesday, Colorado Democratic Senator John Hickenlooper survived a strong primary challenge from progressive State Senator Julie Gonzalez, who was

[Narrator/Reporter]

backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. In immigration news, hundreds of thousands of immigrant children facing deportation orders are having to represent themselves in court. That's according to the Vera Institute of

[Amy Goodman]

Justice and Dropsite News, which looked at

[Narrator/Reporter]

federal immigration data that showed more than 400,000 immigrant children have been forced to appear in court without legal representation.

[Amy Goodman]

In related news, a federal court in Denver, Colorado is the latest to oppose

[Narrator/Reporter]

the Trump administration's efforts to indefinitely imprison immigrants, most of whom have no criminal

[Amy Goodman]

records, without access to a bond hearing. This is at least the fourth time

[Narrator/Reporter]

a federal court has rejected Trump's mass detention policy. Advocacy groups have filed a complaint on behalf of dozens of immigrants who were deported from the United States to Ghana and then returned to their countries of origin despite their fears they could face torture or persecution.

[Amy Goodman]

The complaint was filed with West Africa's top human rights court, accusing Ghana's government

[Narrator/Reporter]

of complicity with the Trump administration and deporting the immigrants, some to the countries

[Amy Goodman]

they had fled to and others left

[Narrator/Reporter]

stranded in third countries to which they had no ties.

[Amy Goodman]

The complaint involves 27 of at least

[Narrator/Reporter]

60 immigrants who've been deported to Ghana since September under Trump's so called third country agreements.

[Amy Goodman]

And thousands of people rallied in different

[Narrator/Reporter]

regions of South Africa for another round of anti immigrant demonstrations Tuesday. Vigilante violence against African immigrants has soared across South Africa in recent months, driving many people to flee in fear. Thousands of immigrants, most from Zimbabwe and

[Amy Goodman]

Malawi, have requested consular support to evacuate

[Narrator/Reporter]

South Africa as they're living in constant fear of violent harassment on the streets and attacks on their businesses by xenophobic groups.

[Amy Goodman]

Among their targets is Princess Ajay, who

[Narrator/Reporter]

grew up in South Africa. Since moving from Ghana as a toddler, she's been sleeping on the streets outside a government office in Durb since May when an anti immigrant mob broke into her hair and beauty salon and looted

[Princess Ajay]

it was awake because we don't know when they're going to attack us again. They've been here twice, so we don't know when they're going to attack us again. So we can't all sleep. Some people sleep for a few hours. You wake up, we also have to sit and watch. I can't pay my rent in the shop. I can't pay my rent at home. I can't feed my child. I can't feed my family. Everything just went zero. My whole life just went zero.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And those are some of the headlines.

[Amy Goodman]

This is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and Peace Report.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I'm Amy Goodman.

[Amy Goodman]

We begin today with a landmark Supreme Court ruling rejecting President Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship. In a 6 to 3 ruling, the justices upheld birthright citizenship, reaffirming the principle

[Narrator/Reporter]

that children born on U.S. soil are

[Amy Goodman]

American citizens, a right enshrined in the

[Narrator/Reporter]

14th Amendment of the U.S. constitution. The ruling strikes down price President Trump's executive order from his first day back

[Amy Goodman]

in office last year that declared children born in the US to undocumented people

[Narrator/Reporter]

or Immigrant parents without permanent residency would no longer be granted U.S. citizenship.

[Amy Goodman]

Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the decision, quote, citizenship then and now was the right to have rights to freely participate in our political community.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The framers of the 14th Amendment extended

[Amy Goodman]

that promise to every freeborn person in this land. We keep that promise today. Conservative Justices John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett

[Narrator/Reporter]

and Brett Kavanaugh joined the three liberal

[Amy Goodman]

justices in opposing Trump. But Justice Kavanaugh wrote he would strike down the executive order based on federal law, not the Constitution.

[Narrator/Reporter]

In their dissents, conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch And Samuel Alito Jr. Called

[Amy Goodman]

the decision a serious mistake that would

[Narrator/Reporter]

open the door to so called birth tourists.

[Amy Goodman]

President Trump, who followed the case closely, even attended part of the oral arguments in person, said on social media, quot the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, which is too bad for our country, but we can easily make it up in

[Narrator/Reporter]

Congress through legislation with the support of the president that has now been determined. During this process, Congress should start today to work on ending expensive and unfair

[Amy Goodman]

to our country birthright citizenship. They will have my complete and total support, the president wrote. Well, for more on this momentous decision

[Narrator/Reporter]

and long history of struggle over birthright

[Amy Goodman]

citizenship, we go to Southern Maryland where

[Narrator/Reporter]

we're joined by a birthright citizen.

[Amy Goodman]

Mae Nye Leung, family professor of Asian American Studies and professor of history at Columbia University, author of several books, including the award winning Impossible Illegal Aliens and

[Narrator/Reporter]

the Making of Modern America.

[Amy Goodman]

Professor Nye, welcome back to democracy. Now start off by talking about the significance of the Supreme Court ruling upholding birthright citizenship.

[Mae Nye Leung]

Thank you, Amy, for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. This is a very important ruling. It upholds a constitutional principle that was set inafter the Civil War that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens of the U.S. it's extremely important because not only in upholding the Constitution, it puts a brake on President Trump's insane drive against immigrants to drive people out of the country and to deny them any rights while they're here.

[Amy Goodman]

So talk about exactly what this means for people. You yourself, is that right? A birthright citizen?

[Mae Nye Leung]

Yes, my parents are immigrants.

[Amy Goodman]

So talk about what this means at this point. And President Trump almost now not skipping a beat in saying, okay, we'll just go to Congress then.

[Mae Nye Leung]

Well, Justice Kavanaugh opened that door for him. Unfortunately, what it means right now is that despite all of the decisions and rulings and support for the Supreme Court for his program of mass deportations, ending immigration, ending asylum, ending temporary protective status, all of these measures against immigrants this would have been the culmination of that campaign to deny birthright citizenship to the children of undocumented and temporary migrants. So it puts a brake on that agenda, and it also avoids, I think, what would be chaos in this country if that were to go into effect.

[Amy Goodman]

Explain what you mean with Justice Kavanaugh opening the door. And also talk about the House speaker saying that they would take this up, although, of course, he dismissed Congress once again early yesterday.

[Mae Nye Leung]

Well, I think it's extremely unlikely that Congress could even pass such legislation. Maybe they could get some votes in the House where they have not been able to in the past. I don't think it could ever pass the Senate and would have to go through the Supreme Court again to see if it was constitutional. So I think it's a pipe dream. But this is a path that Trump will take to keep the issue alive and to keep fighting and to keep up his rhetoric against immigrants, especially people of color.

[Amy Goodman]

Professor Nye, you wrote a piece earlier this year for the Economist headlined america is a Nation of Immigrants with a History of exclusion. As we go into this 250th anniversary

[Narrator/Reporter]

of the birth of the United States,

[Amy Goodman]

can you talk about that history? What form the exclusion has taken? Are there moments where xenophobia recedes and where it, like this moment today, to

[Narrator/Reporter]

say the least, rears its ugly head?

[Mae Nye Leung]

You know, all the discussion we're having right now about the 14th amendment is really important for us to remember, because it isthe importance of it is that it broke the tie between citizenship and race. And it laid the possibilityindeed the principle that America is a multiracial democracy, not just for white people, not just for whites and blacks, but for all people. And that is the legacy of the Civil war and the 14th Amendment. Now, what happened, though, after the ratification of the 14th Amendment is that there were moves in the south to retake the south for white supremacy. And this was by and large supported by the Supreme Court in many decisions that eviscerated the meaning of citizenship for the freed black people. And this, as we know, culminated in 1896 with the Plessy decision, which which created the legal fiction of separate but equal and enshrined segregation into the Constitution. Now, Wang Kim Art the decision that upholds birthright citizenship is just two years after three years after Plessy. So we have to ask what happened in between those two times? And as the Supreme Court eviscerated the 14th Amendment for black people, it also upheld Chinese exclusion laws, laws that refused naturalization to Chinese people, laws that said, Chinese could be deported without any due process whatsoever. And so we have simultaneously going on in the Supreme Court an evisceration of black civil rights and a strong exclusionary agenda aimed at Chinese. But actually put into the foundations of our immigration policy. These exclusions are potentially used against all immigrants. So these are part of the long struggle to reinterpret the 14th Amendment so that it mainly serves corporations. You know, we have the emergence of the corporation as a legal person with rights under the 14th amendment. So people are dropped to the background, and we have the power of business and money now taking, taking over the rights of the 14th Amendment.

[Amy Goodman]

I want to go to the grandson of Wong Kim Ark, Norman Wong, who celebrated the Supreme Court decision upholding birthright

[Narrator/Reporter]

citizenship in San Francisco.

[Norman Wong]

Wong Kim Ark's victory ensured that people like me and millions of others would be recognized as fully American, not as outsider in the country of our birth. His case transformed the 14th Amendment from the words on paper into living promise. Today, that promise is still being tested. Birthright citizenship is not just a legal principle. It's a statement about who we are as a nation. It affirms that America is not defined by blood rights or or exclusion, but shared values and equal rights. This is Wong Kim's arc legacy. This is my legacy. It is our legacy.

[Amy Goodman]

As we wrap up Professor Nye, the significance of who Norman Wong's grandfather was. And as we move into July 4th, as everyone is celebrating history, what that

[Narrator/Reporter]

history is all about,

[Mae Nye Leung]

You know, Wong Kim Arkand that statement by his descendant is a wonderful statement about the principle of birthright citizenship. But let's be reminded that why did the Supreme Court uphold birthright citizenship in 1898 at a time when it was rolling back civil rights for black people? I think one of the things in the ruling of Wong Kie Mark that is important is that they said, if we deny birthright citizenship to Chinese Americans, we deny it to all the Europeans and their descendants in this country. And they had their eye on the fact that immigration was on an uptick from Europe in the 1880s and 1890s, and they wanted to protect those people. Today we have a very different country, and it's not just Europeans and their children who enjoy birthright citizenship, but the children of all immigrants. And that is a different country today. And that difference is what the president and his administration is trying to attack.

[Amy Goodman]

Mei Nai Leung family Professor of Asian American Studies professor of History at Columbia

[Narrator/Reporter]

University author of a number of books, including Impossible Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America.

[Amy Goodman]

Coming up The Supreme Court upholds state bans on trans athletes in women's girls,

[Narrator/Reporter]

women's and girls sports.

[Amy Goodman]

We'll speak with the ACLU's Chase Strangio. We'll also talk to Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman about the Supreme Court ruling on mail in ballots and President Trump's continuing to push for the Save America Act.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Stay with us.

[Interviewer or Host]

You look great to me. Some say look like you folks. But me, I never met your father. On the roof ahead.

[Amy Goodman]

Been watching Small Things by Cassie Velaza. This is Democracy Now. Democracynow.org I'm Amy Goodman. In another major Supreme Court decision, justices

[Narrator/Reporter]

ruled states can prohibit transgender student athletes from competing in women's and girls sports, upholding bans. In Idaho and West Virginia, justices ruled unanimously the state bans don't violate Title 9, the federal law against sex discrimination and education.

[Amy Goodman]

They split six to three over whether

[Narrator/Reporter]

the trans athlete bans are unconstitutional, with the conservative majority finding they do not run afoul of the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection clause.

[Amy Goodman]

The ruling was lauded by President Trump, who said on social media.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Big win.

[Amy Goodman]

Senior counsel for the ACLU's LGBTQ and

[Narrator/Reporter]

HIV Rights Project, Joshua Block said in a statement, quote, this is a heartbreaking ruling.

[Amy Goodman]

The reality is that the equality of

[Narrator/Reporter]

transgender women and girls takes nothing away from and in fact promotes the equality of all women and girls, unquote.

[Amy Goodman]

For more, we're joined by Chase Strangio,

[Narrator/Reporter]

co director of the ACLU's LGBTQ and HIV project.

[Amy Goodman]

In December of 2024, Chase made history

[Narrator/Reporter]

as the first openly trans attorney to present oral arguments at the US Supreme Court. He joins us here in New York.

[Amy Goodman]

Welcome back to Democracy.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Explain these two Supreme Court rulings.

[Chase Strangio]

Yeah, so I think it's important for people to understand just one big picture point here, which is that we have before the Supreme Court this decision about trans athletes participation in sports. And the Court is making a ruling on both Title ix, which is the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, and the Equal Protection Clause. And of course, this is a precedential legal system. So if the Court is offering a constrained reading of these statutory protections and constitutional protections, it's going to impact everyone, not just trans people. And so I just want to start with that. And then on the Title IX piece of the ruling with sports, Congress passed an additional statute called the Javits Amendment, which does give a lot more leeway when it comes to the ways in which sports can be regulated. And so the Court confined its Title IX ruling to the context of sports and in essence, since said that if we accept the premise that sex means sex assigned at birth, that this is a potentially reasonable way to manage the context of sports, which are zero sum. It's a very narrow Title IX ruling on equal protection. We have the split in the court, in essence saying that it doesn't violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Again, we're dealing with the 14th Amendment before this court to exclude categorically trans women and girls from. From women's sports. And that is obviously a devastating ruling, but again, very much cabin to the context of sports.

[Amy Goodman]

Put this into the broader context of

[Narrator/Reporter]

intensifying attacks against the trans community and other decisions by the Supreme Court.

[Chase Strangio]

Yeah, I mean, I think we have to understand the way in which sports in particular was being used as a way to vilify trans people with two ultimate objectives, both from the Trump administration and from states around the country. The first is that there is an effort that we're seeing escalate to push trans people out of public life, out of our schools, out of our workplaces. And sports was hopefully going to be the wedge that conservatives used for a broad legal ruling that legitimized those efforts. And also, especially from the Trump administration, we're seeing attacks on trans people and as immigrants as part of the administration's central goal of expanding executive power and increasing the legitimacy of the Trump administration's authority over every aspect of our bodily autonomy in everyday life.

[Amy Goodman]

I want to turn to one of

[Narrator/Reporter]

the plaintiffs in the case.

[Amy Goodman]

This is Becky Pepper Jackson of West Virginia speaking when she first filed her lawsuit. At the time, she was just 11 years old.

[Becky Pepper Jackson]

I first tried out for a school sport my sixth grade year for cross country. Everyone in my family is runners, so it was nice to get help from them. I originally wanted to try out for the long distance team because that's what I had known and loved from cross country and running with my family. But my coach told me that if I were to just go for long distance, I wouldn't have made the team because it was much more competitive during track season. So she encouraged me to try shot putting, discus, which, as it turned out, I really loved. Being able to compete alongside my peers was really fun for me because. Because it taught me teamwork. I made a lot of friends, but most of all, I just had fun, and that's all I wanted to do. When my mom told me about the fact that I wouldn't be able to play the sports that I love, I was devastated. I asked my mom what my options were, and they said that we could talk to the ACLU and lamb illegal. And that's when we filed our lawsuit with them.

[Amy Goodman]

Becky Pepper Jackson is now a 15 year old high school sophomore. She recently won first place in the

[Narrator/Reporter]

shot put at the state high school

[Amy Goodman]

track and field championships and came in fourth in a discus competition. In May, the state governor criticized her win, writing on social media, quote, the state track and field championship confirms the fundamental unfairness of letting boys compete in girls sports, unquote Quote Becky Pepper Jackson

[Narrator/Reporter]

is believed to be the only person

[Amy Goodman]

in the entire state the ban applies to.

[Narrator/Reporter]

If you can respond to who Becky

[Amy Goodman]

is and the significance of this and this issue of the focus on going after trans athletes. I heard Illinois Governor Pritzker yesterday saying about the Supreme Court ruling, we have three trans athletes that this effects of over 100,000 athletes.

[Chase Strangio]

Yeah, we're talking about an incredibly small number of athletes. There is Becky in West Virginia and there's one athlete in Idaho. So that's two people. And again, Becky was 11 years old when she filed her lawsuit. She transitioned before she ever went through puberty. In 2021 when that lawsuit was filed, the rhetoric was very much about this so called unfairness, was about going through an endogenous typical male puberty. Well, guess what? Becky never went through that puberty. Becky has all the typical characteristics of someone assigned female at birth. And she was terrible at running. She could not make the team and was told you should become a thrower. She works hard sheevery single day and here she is being demonized just for trying to participate with her friends.

[Amy Goodman]

And as we wrap up, can you talk about the other athlete, Lindsay Hickox in Idaho?

[Chase Strangio]

Lindsay Hickox also, she wanted to play on a club intramural team in college. We're talking about the least competitive context you could imagine. And she just wanted to be a part of her collegiate experience. Both Becky and Lindsey just wanted to be part of teams. And here we are demonizing them when we have serious problems in this country.

[Amy Goodman]

So where do you go from here,

[Narrator/Reporter]

Chase, with your work?

[Chase Strangio]

We continue to fight. Look, these are devastating rulings from the Supreme Court both this term and last term. And yet in the lower courts we're still achieving important victories that are delaying some of the most egregious harms from the Trump administration's attack on trans people. So in and out of the courtroom, we keep fighting. But we need people to understand that their freedom is bound up in ours will affect them too. And so if we aren't mobilizing together, then we're going to get these constrained interpretations of our civil rights protections, and ultimately that's going to serve the Trump administration's objectives to ultimately make all of our lives more constrained and less free.

[Amy Goodman]

Chase Strangio, co director of the ACLU's

[Narrator/Reporter]

LGBTQ and HIV project.

[Amy Goodman]

In December of 2024, Chase made history

[Narrator/Reporter]

by becoming the first openly trans attorney

[Amy Goodman]

to present oral arguments at the US

[Narrator/Reporter]

Supreme Court for United States v. Scrametti.

[Amy Goodman]

This is Democracy Now. Democracynow.org I'm Amy Goodman.

[Narrator/Reporter]

In another major Supreme Court ruling this

[Amy Goodman]

week, justices voted 5 to 4 to uphold a Mississippi law that allows mail in ballots to be counted up to five days after an election as long

[Narrator/Reporter]

as they're postmarked by Election Day.

[Amy Goodman]

A ruling overturning the law could have seen hundreds of thousands of voters disenfranchised in future elections due to postal delays or because they live in remote rural locations. A New York Times review of the 2024 election found at least 725,000 such ballots. Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the liberal justice to make the majority. The ruling is a blow to President Trump, who sought to limit voting by mail, even though he himself votes by mail. While promoting conspiracy theories about mail in ballots.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Monday, President Trump criticized the court's decision.

[Speaker on SAVE Act or Republican Representative]

Well, because of the mail in ballot ruling, which was a little bit surprising, gives people more time to vote illegally. Less than. But the SAVE act is even more important. And that's the right you have to be a citizen of our country, okay? You have to show you're a citizen of our country called citizenship or that was a ruling that was, I think it was very detrimental to honest elections.

[Amy Goodman]

In his dissent, Justice Alito echoed some of President Trump's rhetoric linking mail in voting with election fraud. He wrote, quote, today's decision leaves open opportunities for voter fraud that may further

[Narrator/Reporter]

undermine Americans faith in the integrity of this country elections.

[Amy Goodman]

Diverse sources have recognized that mail in ballots increase the potential for fraud, he said. For more, we're joined by Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones. His latest article is headlined In A Rare Blow to the Supreme Court, Just Saved Mail in Voting. For now, another recent piece, how Democrats

[Narrator/Reporter]

can Still Win the redistricting war by 2028.

[Amy Goodman]

Ari, welcome back to Democracy now. Start off with the the Supreme Court upholding mail in voting.

[Ari Berman]

Well, hi Amy. Thank you for having me back on the show. It was a rare victory for voting rights and a rare victory for voting rights against Donald Trump. And basically what the Supreme Court did is it upheld these grace periods for mail ballots so that if your ballot is postmark marked by Election Day, it can be counted. In the case of Mississippi, up to five days earlier, the laws vary in different states. But just to contradict what President Trump said, it's not delaying the election. The election is still taking place on Election Day. It's just giving people more time for their votes to be counted if there are things like postal delays, which we saw in 2020. And so it was a big deal because a ruling the other way could have disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of voters and injected chaos into the midterms. And so that's not going to happen now. It was still very disturbing, however, to hear Justice Alito and four of the conservative justices really echo a lot of Trump's lies about mail voting and claim that mail voting leads to voter fraud, which every study shows it does not. And so, even though this was a victory for voting rights, my fear is that this is going to embolden Republicans to double down on their efforts to try to get rid of mail voting, including, including the Save America Act. Trumps a sweeping voter suppression bill, which he seems desperate to go to any lengths to try to pass.

[Amy Goodman]

I mean, Oregon votes completely by mail, is that right, Ari?

[Ari Berman]

Yeah. Oregon votes completely by mail. Washington votes completely by mail. California uses mail voting in large numbers. Lots of Republican controlled states use mail voting in large numbers. Alaska, for example, Utah, for example. There's study after study after study that shows that mail voting is safe and secure. And a lot of Republicans use mail voting in places like Florida, in places like Arizona. Trump himself has voted by mail, most recently in a special election in the spring. And so basically, Republican, smart Republican strategists don't want to end mail voting. But the fact is that President Trump is obsessed with this issue. He blames mail voting for the reason why he lost in 2020, even though that's not actually why he lost. And so mail voting is just one of a number of different options that people have to vote. You can vote by mail, you can vote early if you still want to vote the traditional way, you can vote in person on Election Day. And giving voters those options is what leads to increased voter turnout. There's no evidence of voter fraud from mail voting. And it's really just unfortunate that not just the president, but justices on the Supreme Court are now echoing so many of these MAGA lies about male voting.

[Amy Goodman]

In the wake of the Court's ruling, President Trump again pushed for the passage of the SAVE Act. He Posted on social media, quote. There's only one reason to oppose cheating, he said. And he goes on to say, in a time when there is a powerful communist movement taking place in our country, one more dangerous in World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, September 11th. All Democrats, Democrats and our five Republican Senate holdouts must vote to save our country. He said. He has also called passing the SAVE Act a national emergency. Of course, what he's talking about, in what is more dangerous than 9, 11 and World War I and World War II and Pearl harbor, are Democratic socialists winning in this country. But can you explain what the SAVE act is even as Speaker Johnson just dismissed the House, House of Representatives?

[Speaker on SAVE Act or Republican Representative]

Yeah.

[Ari Berman]

So the entire SAVE act is predicated on a lie, which is that there's widespread voter fraud in elections, which there is not. And specifically that noncitizens are voting in large numbers in elections, which is demonstrably untrue. And so the entire thing is based on a lie. But it would do a number of things. It would not just require a voter ID to cast a ballot, which 21 million Americans don't have a current driver's license, but it require, for example, proof of citizenship to register to vote. So you'd have to have a passport or a birth certificate to be able to register to vote. These are things that people don't carry around with them on a regular basis. It would make voter registration much more difficult. You'd have to register to vote at an elections office, which means that you can no longer register to vote online or by mail or at the DMV or all the places that people normally register. It has been expanded to essentially end mail in voting, which would disenfranchise millions of voters. So it really is a MAGA fever dream of all the worst things that President Trump wants to do on voting in one bill. And I think there's a reason why it hasn't passed even a Republican controlled Congress. Cuz even a number of Republicans believe this goes too far. And by the way, it would hurt a lot of Republican constituencies as well. Rural voters, voters who vote by mail, voters who have changed their names and their birth certificate is different than their other documents. They could all be disenfranchised as well. So this, this bill is predicated on a lie, but it would disenfranchise tens of millions of voters if it became

[Amy Goodman]

law in a major ruling on campaign finance. As we wrap up Ari, the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that limited the amount of money that political parties can spend in coordination with a candidate for office. It was a 6 to 3 ruling. The court's conservatives wrote coordinated expenditure limits violate the First Amendment. But Justice Elena Kagan Rules wrote the court ushers back in the same opportunities for quid pro quo corruption that the contribution limits were meant to check, unquote. This comes as a new report by Public Citizen finds cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, big tech and online betting corporations have collectively spent nearly $300 million to influence federal elections in this election cycle alone.

[Ari Berman]

Ari well, what it means is it's a continuation of the Citizens united decision from 2010 that gave billionaires far more power to spend unlimited sums in money. And the cost of campaigns has skyrocketed since then. And this is going to give billionaires even more influence in the political process because now they're going to be able to give money directly to parties. They can give a lot more to parties than they can give to candidates. And that money is going to be routed back in support, support of candidates. And so if you're a billionaire that wants to have a big impact, you not only can give to a super pac, now you can give millions of dollars to a political party, and that's essentially going to support candidates, whereas before there were limits on how candidates could coordinate with these parties. And so more dark money is going to flood the system. More billionaire money is going to flood the system. This is another way that the Supreme Court, Supreme Court has put its thumb on the scale to help Republicans in the midterms because Republicans have more money in these party committees than Democrats do right now. And they said this violates the First Amendment. But what's going to happen is it's going to lead to more outright corruption. If you're an Elon Musk, for example, that wants to have influence on an administration, you're now going to have another avenue in which you can donate tens of millions of dollars and that's going to now directly support political candidates. And so it's just another distressing example of how the Supreme Court has flooded the system with more billionaire dark money.

[Amy Goodman]

Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones, will link to your pieces. Among them, in a rare blow to Trump, the Supreme Court just saved mail in voting for now. Coming up on this 250th anniversary of the United States, we talk about about the fight over reparations in Evanston, Illinois, and how that fits into this look back at history. We'll speak to Howard Law professor Justin Hansford.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Stay with us, Sam.

[Amy Goodman]

Hi. Fly by the late great pianist and composer Randy Weston to see his music, listen to it and watch our interview. You can go to democracynow.org this is democracy Now.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I'm Amy Goodman.

[Amy Goodman]

The Department of Justice is attempting to sabotage a major victory for reparative justice in Evanston, Illinois that compensates victims of historic housing discrimination. In 2021, the Evanston City Council agreed to pay black residents and their descendants reparations up to $25,000 for property down payments, mortgages and other related fees, making it the first US City to adopt such a measure. For decades, black residents of Evanston were subjected to redlining and other forms of housing discrimination which prevented them from obtaining bank loans to purchase property. The reparations program is being funded through donations and revenue from a local tax on recreational marijuana sales. But last month, the Trump administration joined a lawsuit filed by the conservative advocacy group Judicial Work Watch attempting to halt the program, claiming its race based criteria are unconstitutional. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division said in a statement, quote, there are sound ways for a city to remedy past discrimination or direct resources to its most vulnerable citizens and neighborhoods. Simply handing out money based on race, however, is not the answer. It's race discrimination, pure and simple, and it's illegal, he says. Said defenders of Evanston's reparations program are fighting back. And ahead of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, racial justice advocates are looking at Evanston as an opportunity to redress historical grievances. For more, we go to Bethesda, Maryland, where we're joined by Justin Hansford, Howard University law professor, scholar, activist, founding director of the Ogletree Reparative Bar Association. He's been on the front lines of the legal battle for reparations, is the author of Jailing a the Unjust Trial and Conviction of Marcus Garvey. Professor Hansford, welcome back to Democracy Now. Put what's happening in Evanston in the context of this 250th anniversary of the United States.

[Narrator/Reporter]

United States,

[Danny Glover]

sure.

[Justin Hansford]

Happy to be here. Amy. Well, what's happening in Evanston right now is a trend sweeping the country. We have over 20 cities, five states, California, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Washington. Also Massachusetts is on the rise. Cities and states around the country starting to explore the concept of reparative justice. And that includes looking at the sweep of history in their city, in their town, in their state, and trying to find a way to make things right and pursue racial justice. Here in Evanston, we saw one of the more groundbreaking examples of that we had a city that did the research and did an investigation, found itself guilty of engaging in redlining zoning deed restrictions that confined Black residents from 1919 to 1969 in just one part of the town, ultimately resulting in them being dispossessed from opportunities to gain equity and build wealth throughout half of the 20th century. And so the city decided to create a program to provide redress for those people to the tune of $25,000 for direct descendants. And now the Department of Justice, justice is seeking to intervene in a lawsuit that wants to stop people from making things right in that city.

[Amy Goodman]

And how do you respond to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division? She said there are sound ways for a city to remedy past discrimination. This isn't one of them essentially,

[Justin Hansford]

right? Well, it's a. A misreading of the record. She implies that people are just giving out reparations on the grounds of race. But we saw here that there was a report done, an impact study that actually we at the Howard University Thurgood Marshall center helped to produce that showed specifically in detail that this was an intentional campaign that the city was involved in in, and the city admitted to those facts. And the city itself is tying very specifically a remedy to the harms that it found in that report. And if you look at Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard, the 2023 Supreme Court case, even though that case sought to end diversity programs, it very explicitly said that you can seek to remedy past harm if you detail the specific harms in a report that allows you to narrowly tailor the remedy to those harms. So what we're seeing here is another situation where the 14th Amendment and the Fair Housing act, which is what the government is using to try to say that this program is illegal and unconstitutionalthese things that were part of the effort to reconstruct our country after the Civil War. Some of the great, greatest racial justice tools in our 250 year history in the United States are being used as a sword against us. What was designed to shield people from racial injustice is now being used as a weapon. So it's a terrible way to bring in the 250th anniversary.

[Amy Goodman]

Robin Roos Simmons, who spearheaded Evanston's reparations program and now chairs the Evanston Reparations Committee, criticized the Trump administration efforts, saying, quote, this lawsuit is designed to intimidate and discourage other communities that are beginning their process of reparations inspired by what Evanston has done. Simmons added, trump's lawsuit is, quote, an attack on the revived hope that black communities have felt having a path through a hyper local process to reparations, unquote. In 2021, Democracy now spoke to Robin Roos Simmons, who was then an Evanston City Council member. She explained what Evanston achieved for black residents impacted by historic housing discrimination.

[Robin Rue Simmons]

What we passed on this last Monday was the first disbursement or the first remedy which is going to be in the form of a housing remedy. $25,000 direct benefits to eligible black residents, residents for home equity, home wealth acquisition or purchase, any type of improvement, but something that will build wealth through home equity. And I have to say that in 2002, under the leadership of Judge Lionel Jean Baptiste, who was the second ward alderman at the time, our city passed a resolution in support of HR40. So we've been working towards this for some time in Evanston.

[Amy Goodman]

So that's Robin Roos Simmons and Professor Hansford. If you can also put this in the context of President Trump at this point refusing to sign off on a bipartisan housing bill since housing is such a critical issue for people across this country now, that is different from what's happening in Evanston, at least at this point.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He is

[Justin Hansford]

right. Well, you know, it's all connected because we know that throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century, housing has been the primary way that families have built wealth. And we are in a country where there is a 10 times as much wealth in the white community as there is in the black community. And that's not there through luck or hard work or through intelligence. But that gap is a result primarily of this type of dispossession on the grounds of housing. And you have stories of Evanston like the stories of Lewis Weathers, who is a Korean War veteran who came back in 1959 ready to buy a home for his family, but was forced into this contract that ensured that he would never actually own his home, never actually build equity, never ever have an opportunity to build equipment, wealth. And now this program is allowing his son to inherit at least some type of remedy where the son might have inherited a home equity, been able to help build generational wealth. Now there is an effort, at least by the city to make things right for that family. And that's just an example of what could be happening and will be happening all across the country. And I just want to just add really quickly that what Robin Rue Simmons said, and we, we feel that she is essentially one of the leaders of this reparations movement, the Rosa Parks, if you will, of this movement. The effort to bring a lawsuit to stop this particular program is meant to send a message to programs in cities, in states around the country that this is something that is dangerous or illegal. I want to send a message also and say that we have your business at the Ogletree Reparations Bar Association. We are fighting back. We're building an army of lawyers to fight these battles. We want to make sure that everyone knows that it is constitutional to pursue reparations in the United states under the U.S. constitution.

[Amy Goodman]

I want to go back again a few years to 2021, when we spoke to the actor and activist Danny Glover, who served on the National African American reparations commission. In 2019, he testified before the House of Representatives in favor of reparations. This is Danny commenting on the reparations effort in Evanston.

[Danny Glover]

I mean, we can't tell you how. I mean, there's no way to express how significant this is. It's part of this, the multiplicity of expression by local communities. I mean, and we talk about this on a local level. Imagine how that resonates beyond Evanston, Illinois. Imagine the kind of discourse that happens, the discussions in community by ordinary citizens about reparation.

[Amy Goodman]

So that's the legendary actor Danny Glover. It's just been revealed today, publicly on the Today show show, that he's been living with Alzheimer's for a number of years. For people to see all our interviews with Danny, you can go to democracynow.org, but Professor Hansford, if you can comment on what he says. And as we wrap up in this last minute, to also put it in a global perspective, Ghana has recently introduced a UN resolution calling for reparations throughout the diaspora. Diaspora for the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade.

[Justin Hansford]

That's correct, Amy. And that resolution received over 123 yes votes in support of the reparations movement. Fifty some odd countries stood to the side and only three countries voted no. Those countries being the U.S. israel and Argentina. So what we're seeing right now is a global consensus that this is the right thing to do. And when reparations for many years has been seen as some sort of marginal radical program. The truth of the matter is, when you look at the world, what is radical is the effort to try to try to fight these programs, to try to turn back the clock and to try to ignore the inevitability of history. And I actually, in addition to what Danny Glover said, I want to also assert that I believe that reparations is what justice will look like in the 21st century. All across the world because it is. AIt's a way to redefine for our people what it means to do the right thing. It's a way to provide deterrence in a world that is in desperate need of it. And we need to move forward with this program expeditiously.

[Amy Goodman]

Justin Hansford, Howard University law professor on

[Narrator/Reporter]

the front lines of the legal battle for reparations. Thank you for being with us.

[Amy Goodman]

Tune into our July 3rd special with and happy birthday to ISIS Phillips. I'm Amy Goodman.