Democracy & Destiny with Ciara Torres-Spelliscy podcast teaser

This is the debut of Democracy & Destiny, first aired on WBAI NYC June 21, 2025 featuring an interview by law Prof Ciara Torres-Spelliscy of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse about The Scheme. This show is based on the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press 2024. It discusses money in politics, corruption, convicted ex-Senator Robert Menendez, January 6th, dark money, the SAVE Act, the Federalist Society and the U.S. Supreme Court including Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta and Citizens United v. FEC. Also includes the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle.

Democracy & Destiny EP 1 with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse WBAI version

This includes a discussion of the alleged campaign finance crimes by Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX and Alameda and the convictions for ex-Congressman George Santos. It also includes an interview with Larry Lessig about technology policy, AI, disinformation, the Facebook whistleblower, money in politics, the attempt to overturn SpeechNow, Citizens United v. FEC and American democracy. Also includes the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle with a shoutout to Ani DiFranco. This show is based on the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press 2024.

Democracy & Destiny EP 2 Professor Larry Lessig WBAI version

This episode includes reading from the Supreme Court's new corruption case Kousisis v. US, an excerpt of Corporatocracy, and an interview with Professor Richard Hassen of UCLA Law School and the Safeguarding Democracy Project. Professors Hasen and Torres-Spelliscy discuss NY v. Trump, Georgia v. Trump, Trump v. US aka the presidential immunity decision, McDonnell v. US, Rucho v. Common Cause, Shelby County v. Holder, Brnovich v. DNC, Bush v. Gore, McDonnell v. United States, Buckley v. Valeo among other election law topics such as whether lawyers who tried to overturn the 2020 election should be disbarred. This also includes the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle. This show is based on the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press 2024.

Democracy & Destiny EP 3 with Professor Rick Hasen WBAI version

This episode discusses prosecution of a group who defrauded public schools, the FirstEnergy Scandal in Ohio including Larry Householder, and an interview of lawyer Lisa Graves of True North Research. She talks about the role of dark money, Barre Seid, and Leonard Leo in tilting the American judiciary to the right and the role of Hoffeller in tilting legislatures to the right and the impact on the 2020 Census litigation New York v. Department of Commerce and Citizens United v. FEC.  Also features the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle.This show is based on the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press 2024.

Democracy & Destiny EP 4 with Lisa Graves WBAI Version

This episode includes discussion of the exoneration of civil rights icon Bayard Rustin for his arrest in North Carolina for integrating a bus and his punishment on a chain gang, as well a the practice of convict leasing, and the long history of civil death including the loss of voting rights which dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. Professor Atiba Ellis speaks about  Supreme Court cases  the exceptions to the 13th Amendment and 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution  which allow for felony disenfranchisement for returning citizens to this day especially in Florida despite the adoption of Amendment 4. Mentions Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, Hunter v. Underwood, Richardson v. Ramirez, Farrakhan v. Gregory, Hayden v. Pataki.  Also features the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle. This show is based on the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press 2024.

Democracy & Destiny EP 5 with Professor Atiba Ellis WBAI Version

This episode of Democracy & Destiny focuses on money in politics including an interview with CREW's Robert Maguire, an expert on following the money in campaign finance. This includes discussion of Citizens United v. FEC, spending in the 2020 election, 2022 election, and 2024 election, and explanations of dark money, Super PACs, multiple campaign finance scandals and the corporate support of the Sedition Caucus in Congress after January 6th. This show includes a government contractor involved in a bribery scheme that included Super Bowl tickets. Also features the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle as well as mentions of SBF, Duncan Hunter's pet rabbits, and Senator Menendez's gold bars. This show is based on the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press 2024.

Democracy and Destiny EP 6 with CREW's Robert Maguire WBAI version

In this episode Ciara Torres-Spelliscy interviews Professor Jennifer Taub who hosts Jen Taub Live on Youtube. They talk about her organization of the Tax March in Trump's first term, the Supreme Court's Citizens United v. FEC case, Trump v. US aka the presidential immunity decision, the pardon power, Trump's pardons of January 6th participants, dismissal of Mayor Eric Adams corruption prosecution, the deployment of troops to Los Angeles, the selling of crypto Trump meme coins and stable coins in exchange for White House tours for the highest bidders in an auction, as well as SpeechNow v. FEC and white collar crime. Professor Taub talks about the concept of the dual state, regulatory ruin and Project 2025. This show includes the discussion of the 1MDB scandal including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jho Low, Goldman Sachs, "The Wolf of Wall Street," a Piscasso, a Monet, a Basquiat, Brando's Oscar, and Pras Michel of the Fugees.  Includes the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle. This is based on a chapter of the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press.

Democracy & Destiny EP 7 with Professor Jennifer Taub WBAI Version

In this episode ProfCiara talks with lawyers Andrew Warren and Matt Newton about Florida politics, the ghost candidate scandal, and governor DeSantis's firing of Andrew Warren from his elected position as a state prosecutor in Tampa, which two federal courts ruled was unconstitutional under the First Amendment. This discussion also includes the problem of dark money in Florida elections, FPL and the good work of Florida papers like the Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, and Miami Herald in unearthing the ghost candidate story which led to multiple criminal convictions. Covers legal cases State of Florida v. Artiles, State of Florida v. Fogelsong, State of Florida v.  Iannotti, Warren v. DeSantis and Bond v. Floyd. This episode notes the Ninth Circuit in USA v. Holmes upheld the conviction of Elizabeth Holmes for her fraud at Theranos. Features the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle. This is based on a chapter of the NYU Press book Corporatocracy.

Democracy and Destiny EP 8 with Andrew Warren & Matt Newton WBAI Version

In this Episode ProfCiara Torres-Spelliscy talks to Slate Amicus Supreme Court reporter Dahlia Lithwick. They talk about the 2024-2025 U.S. Supreme Court term, the birthright citizenship national injunction case (Trump v. CASA Inc.), the presidential immunity case (Trump v. United States), United States v. Wong Kim Ark, Roe v. Wade, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby as well as legislation such as the Lily Ledbetter Act and the Respect for Marriage Act  Includes a discussion about the fight over ESG at corporations including what they should do about climate change, how corporations pretend to care about social issues like gay rights, diversity and reproductive freedoms, and the power of consumer boycotts.  Includes the guilty plea from a woman who bribed a juror in the Feeding Our Future trial. Also includes the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle. This is based on chapter of the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press.

Democracy & Destiny EP 9 with Dahlia Lithwick WBAI Version

In this episode ProfCiara talks to Stephen Richer the former head of elections in Maricopa County Arizona. Mr. Richer ran elections in Arizona's biggest county in 2020.  A lifelong Republican, Richer received death threats for standing up for election integrity against the Big Lie. This episode also talks about violence and threats of violence in the midterm election, the Richer v. Lake lawsuit, and the Cyber Ninjas fraudit. Includes the adventures of @ProfCiara's Labradoodle. This is based on a chapter of the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press. 

Democracy & Destiny EP 10 with Stephen Richer WBAI Version

In this Episode ProfCiara talks to historian Heather Cox Richardson about how she started Letters from an American, American history, Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth, Reconstruction, the 14th Amendment, the Enforcement Acts, including the KKK Act, voting rights, as well as American and German dark money corporate support of the rise of the Nazi Party and fascism including those charged at Nuremberg like Krupp, Flick and IG Farben as well as Henry Ford. Also references new developments in Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman's legal cases about alleged voter suppression in Detroit and other black majority cities. Includes the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle. This is based on a chapter of the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press.

Democracy & Destiny EP 11 with historian Heather Cox Richardson WBAI Version

In this episode ProfCiara talks with CREW's Donald Sherman about seeking legal and constitutional consequences for the January 6th Insurrection at the Capitol using the 14th Amendment's Section 3 aka the Insurrection Clause or Disqualification Clause in Cawthorn v. Circosta, Cawthorn v. Amalfi, White v. Griffin, Griffin v. New Mexico, Anderson v. Griswold and Trump v. Anderson. Discusses updates on former Speaker of the Ohio House Larry Householder's criminal conviction for his participation in the FirstEnergy Scandal in Ohio being upheld on appeal. Includes the adventures of @ProfCiara's Labradoodle. Based on a chapter from the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press.

Democracy & Destiny EP  12 with Donald Sherman

In this episode Brennan Center fellow @ProfCiara talks to Brennan Center lawyer Marina Pino about money in politics and the solution of public financing for elections in New York City, New York State, Seattle and elsewhere. They discuss the history of Watergate that led to the Presidential Public Financing System, the Supreme Court's upholding public financing in Buckley v. Valeo and Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett as well as the harm the Supreme Court wrought in Citizens United v. FEC with a shoutout to the Barbie movie for covering Citizens United in its opening credits. This also discusses the latest development in the Buffalo Billions Scandal in U.S. v. Aiello a remand from Percoco v. U.S. and Ciminelli v. U.S. cases in which the Supreme Court continued its trend of deregulating corruption. Includes the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle. This is based on a chapter in the book of Corporatocracy published by NYU Press.

Democracy & Destiny EP 13 with Marina Pino WBAI Version

In this episode Prof Ciara talks to Lisa Gilbert of Public Citizen about reforms that would help our democracy including those that were in legislation that failed to pass Congress which would have addressed voting rights, dark money, gerrymandering. They talk about improvements in securities law that could help voters post Citizens United v. FEC to know the sources of corporate money in politics.  Also includes discussion of a recent Second Circuit decision about FIFA bribery case United States v. Lopez (2d Cir. 2025). Featuring the adventures of @ProfCiara's labradoodle. Based on a chapter from the book Corporatocracy published by NYU Press.

Democracy & Destiny EP 14 with Public Citizen Lisa Gilbert WBAI Version

This is the new podcast by Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social

Popular tracks by Democracy & Destiny with Ciara Torres-Spelliscy