Pantsuits and Lawsuits with Attorneys General Kris Mayes and Dana Nessel

Power protects itself—until someone pulls the thread. We sit down with New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin to unpack how public corruption actually works, why it inflates your bills and weakens your services, and what it takes to hold powerful people to the same laws as everyone else. From the misuse of tax credits to officials running private ventures from public offices, we break down real cases, hard lessons, and the reforms that followed.
 
 We talk candidly about the pressure that comes with prosecuting the well connected: claims of “weaponization,” media megaphones used against prosecutors who can’t respond, and the Supreme Court decisions that narrowed federal corruption tools. That’s where state attorneys general step up. Platkin explains the history behind New Jersey’s strong anti-corruption statutes, while Nessel shares Michigan’s recent overhaul of opaque earmarks—forcing sponsors to testify and face specific votes. These aren’t abstract fixes; they’re working guardrails that deter the next scheme.
 
 The conversation turns to the hidden “corruption tax”: dark money washing through politics, utility influence that distorts rates and reliability, and FOIA gaps that breed suspicion. We explore practical solutions with broad public support: banning stock trading for officials with enforcement power, tough financial disclosures, cooling-off periods to slow the revolving door from elected official to lobbyist, robust public financing to elevate small donors, and a sustained push to overturn Citizens United. If the system looks rigged, trust dies; if the rules are clear and enforced, trust returns dollar by dollar.
 
 If you care about honest government, pocketbook fairness, and the health of democracy, this one matters. Listen, share with a friend, and tell us the first anti-corruption reform you want to see in your state. And if you believe this work should continue, subscribe, leave a review, and help more people find the show.

A district spoke, and power stalled. When voters in Arizona’s 7th chose Adelita Grijalva, the oath never came—leaving more than 800,000 people without a voice for 50 days. We take you inside the legal fight to end the delay, the constitutional questions it raised, and the very real ways a shutdown and a locked office can silence a community that did everything right at the ballot box.

Adelita shares the ground truth: pro forma sessions that swore in others but not her, long security lines without the member’s pin, no email or phones, and a stack of constituent cases with nowhere to go. From veterans benefits and immigration emergencies to Social Security help, the gears of government froze for an entire district. We talk through why that matters far beyond Arizona—because if a Speaker can pause representation, every voter is one procedural tactic away from losing their seat at the table.

We also dig into the bipartisan outrage, from conservative legal voices to longtime progressives, and why a simple, automatic swearing-in rule could prevent abuse regardless of which party holds the gavel. Then we connect the dots to the Epstein files and a discharge petition designed to force transparency, centering survivors’ rights over partisanship. Adelita explains the push for full disclosure, accountability for anyone implicated, and how Congress can reclaim its role while honoring separation of powers.

If you care about fair representation, clean process, and real services reaching real people, this story matters. Hit play, learn what changed, and see what comes next. If the conversation resonates, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find it.

A quiet revolution is happening in state courtrooms and attorney general offices across the country, and in this episode of Pantsuit and Lawsuits our guest co-host New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin pulls back the curtain on how it works. We talk about how New Jersey moved from participant to leader in multistate litigation, protected food benefits for millions, and delivered three straight years of record-low gun violence—roughly 750 fewer people shot compared with the year before he took office. The focus isn’t speeches about “the rule of law.” It’s families who feel safer, kids who get dinner, and residents whose rights still mean something when those in power become reckless.
 
We walk through the mechanics that keep complex cases moving through leadership transitions, why some of the most consequential fights against federal overreach happen at the state level, and how bipartisan coalitions can still form around tech accountability and consumer harms. Then we zoom out: reported abuses at the border, no-warrant intrusions, and a chilling effect on pro bono representation. Platkin reframes the Bill of Rights as a living shield—First, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment protections that apply on real streets, to real people, right now.
 
We don’t dodge the Supreme Court. From Bruen to Dobbs to presidential immunity, we parse what these decisions mean for public safety, reproductive rights, and equal accountability. Yet the advice isn’t despair—it’s strategy. Lower courts remain vital. Records matter. Clear narratives win. Long-term fixes, from campaign finance reform to constitutional amendments, deserve a real push if we want a democracy that can stand up to concentrated power and money.

Power concentrates in silence, and lately the silence is spreading. We unpack a sweeping pressure campaign against the First Amendment—on campuses, in briefing rooms, on city streets, and across shrinking newsrooms—with an unflinching look at how intimidation, lawsuits, and funding threats are changing the way America speaks and learns.

From protest crackdowns to new restrictive policies at the Pentagon, we trace how best practices are abandoned and dissent turned into a risk calculation. We talk about national outlets that can lawyer up, local stations that can’t, and why even a single settlement can send a chilling message across the entire industry. Veteran reporter Mary Jo Pitzl joins us to explain how newsroom economics, algorithmic incentives, and headline gamesmanship can reshape coverage, nudging editors toward safe choices and audiences toward confusion. Her decades of experience on the beat have made one thing clear: when institutions accept control over who asks questions and what gets printed, the public will never get the answers they deserve.

We also follow the pressure beyond media. Universities juggle academic freedom against the threat of defunding, law firms face retaliation for their clients, and nonprofits fear hosting events that could draw political ire. These choices create a quiet chill—self-censorship that never makes headlines but erodes civic life all the same. We share concrete steps to push back: collective action among schools and firms to spread the legal risk, smarter support for local journalism and public broadcasting, and a recommitment to rigorous reporting over viral bait.

Free speech isn’t self-executing; it survives because people use it. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. Then tell us: where are you seeing the chill, and how should we fight it together?

A hard truth sets the tone: gun violence is now the leading cause of death for kids and teens in America. As parents, we share the fear that comes with lockdown texts and campus alerts; as attorneys general, we break down how states can act when the window opens and how those wins ripple upward. From there, we dig into what actually works—red flag laws, safe storage, and other common sense reforms—and why politics still manages to stall simple, popular solutions.
We’re joined by Emma Brown, executive director at Giffords, who brings clear evidence and a coalition mindset. She explains how ERPOs give law enforcement a narrow, court-supervised tool to temporarily separate dangerous individuals from firearms, and why departments that once opposed ERPOs now rely on them. We look at the data linking safe storage to fewer youth deaths and the real-world impact of free gun locks distributed by police and pediatricians. We also confront the rise of ghost guns and conversion devices—unserialized parts and forced-reset triggers that undercut tracing, evade basic safeguards, and raise the risk for officers and communities. 
The conversation is frank about the political headwinds: organized lobbying and industry immunity that keep Congress trailing behind public opinion—even when over 90% of the country supports universal background checks. Yet there’s a roadmap. State progress builds the case for federal action, especially when tragic events focus the nation’s attention and coalitions are ready with proven models. The takeaway is practical and urgent: educate the public about ERPOs, normalize safe storage, back law enforcement on ghost guns, and make the most of every opportunity to pass reforms that protect kids without infringing responsible ownership.
If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who cares about safer communities, and leave a review to help more people find it. Your voice helps turn common sense into common practice.