The Promise and Peril of the Legal System

For many people, the court of last resort for their rights is, well, the courts. The legal system. But witnessing the highest courts in the nation strip away our rights begs the question: was this system really set up to protect women?

In this episode, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes is joined by Azaleea Carlea, Legal Director of Legal Momentum, to discuss the U.S. legal system’s potential to protect women, but also its limitations—particularly for marginalized communities.

This is only the beginning! We’ll be back in two weeks with a second episode discussing specific court cases impacting women’s rights in the United States today. In the meantime, be sure to check out our episode, “The Abuse to Prison Pipeline,” featuring Becki Kondkar, founding director of Tulane Law School’s Women’s Prison Project, to hear more about how gender bias shows up in our legal system.

Links:

https://www.legalmomentum.org/

https://www.legalmomentum.org/get-help-form

https://oig.hhs.gov/reports/featured/emtala/

Court cases mentioned in this episode:

Sessions v. Morales-Santana (2017): https://www.oyez.org/cases/2016/15-1191

Brenda Evers Andrew v. Tamika White, Warden (2025): https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-supreme-court/23-6573.html

United States v. Rahimi (2024): https://www.oyez.org/cases/2023/22-915

Guest: Azaleea Carlea has dedicated her career to advancing social justice for underserved communities, with a particular focus on supporting survivors of gender-based violence. She has extensive litigation experience in the NYS Family, Integrated Domestic Violence and Supreme Courts and has supported policy efforts aimed at improving systemic responses to intimate partner violence. Currently the Legal Director at Legal Momentum, the Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, Azaleea oversees the organization’s initiatives on gender-based violence, reproductive rights, and workplace and educational equality.

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Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

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