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#TalkRadio – December 16: The Long Arm of the Past: The Misdeeds of the Roberts’ Supreme Court of the United States and The Maryland Lynching Report
December 16: The Long Arm of the Past: The Misdeeds of the Roberts’ Supreme Court of the United States and The Maryland Lynching Report
The nonpartisan “Igniting Change Radio Show with Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq.” program will be aired from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Radio One’s WOL 1450 AM in the Washington, DC metropolitan area as well as nationwide on WOLDCNEWS.COM and Barbaraarnwine.com.
Please note, during the show there are 3 hard stop commercial breaks at 12:13 PM Eastern Time, 12:28 PM ET and 12:43 PM ET.
SPEAKERS:
Attorney Lisa Graves: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Eastern Time
Lisa Graves, author of Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights, is a nationally recognized expert on right‑wing influence over the federal courts. She previously served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, Chief Counsel for Nominations for Senator Patrick Leahy on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Deputy Chief of the Article III Judges Division for the U.S. Courts. Graves is currently the Executive Director of True North Research, Co-founder of Court Accountability, President of the Board of the Center for Media and Democracy, and a trustee of the Park Foundation. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Slate, TIME, The Hill, The Nation, In These Times, and The Progressive, and she co‑hosts Legal AF on the MeidasTouch Network, writes the Grave Injustice column on Substack, and co‑hosts The Five 8 ½ webcast on YouTube. You can follow her on Substack at https://substack.com/@thelisagraves, watch her on YouTube’s The Five 8 ½ at https://www.youtube.com, and listen to her on MeidasTouch’s Legal AF at https://www.meidastouch.com. Learn more and get the book: https://www.withoutprecedent.info/about
Chris Haley: 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM Eastern Time
A nephew of Roots author, Alex Haley, and descendant of Kunta Kinte, Chris grew up with a unique fascination for American history. After pursuing his own professional studies in the field, Chris’ knowledge of the past helps illuminate the present for his colleagues, and audiences. As Director of both the “Study of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland” at the Maryland State Archives Research Department and the Utopia Film Festival in Greenbelt, Maryland, Mr. Haley has served on many prestigious boards in the world of African American genealogy as well as in the Arts. They include the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, Historic London Town Foundation, Jake Savage Foundation, Annapolis Arts Alliance Foundation and the Annapolis Film Festival among others. Chris is well respected as a speaker at numerous venues throughout the United States where he has spoken on themes such as African American history, self-empowerment and genealogy. He earned his B.A in English, and Drama minor at The University of Maryland – College Park, and resides in Landover, Maryland. Chris is also an author of several books including “Why”, “Your Buddy: A Childhood Journey”, “Fists and Rainbows”, “Obsessions”, “Until The Right One Comes Along”, and. “If You Love Me”, and “When Did I Know I Was Black”. See his work and learn more on his website: https://www.chrishaleyspeaks.com/historian.html
Dr. David O. Fakunle: 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM Eastern Time
Assistant Professor, School of Community Health and Policy at Morgan State University; David Olawuyi Fakunle, Ph.D. is a “mercenary for change,” employing the necessary skills and occupying the necessary spaces to help strengthen everyone divested from their truest self, particularly those who identify as Black, Indigenous and/or a Person of Color. David serves as Assistant Professor of Public and Allied Health at the Morgan State University School of Community Health & Policy, Associate Faculty in Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and formerly as Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine. David’s interests include stressors within the built environment, manifestations of systemic oppression, and the utilization of arts and culture to cultivate holistic health through humanity, justice, equity and ultimately, liberation. Additionally, David has applied artistic and cultural practices such as Black storytelling, African drumming, singing and theater in the proclamation of truth for over 25 years, collaborating primarily with organizations in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region. Among many affiliations, David is co-founder and CEO of DiscoverME/RecoverME, an organization that utilizes the African oral tradition to empower use of storytelling for healing and growth, previously served as Executive Director of WombWork Productions, a Baltimore-based social change performing arts company, currently serves as Director of the T.E.A.C.H. (Transforming Equity through Arts, Culture & Health) Department at The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, and serves as Chair of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the first state-level commission in the U.S. dedicated to chronicling and bringing justice to racial terror lynchings. Education: Ph.D. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2018), Department of Mental Health; Baltimore, Maryland; B.A. The University of Maryland, College Park (2009), Departments of Psychology and Criminology & Criminal Justice; College Park, Maryland; See his publications here: https://www.morgan.edu/school-of-community-health-and-policy/about/dr-david-o-fakunle
INTRODUCTION:
Hi Igniters For Change! The Igniting Change Radio Show on Tuesday, December 16th, 2025, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time, entitled “The Long Arm of the Past: The Misdeeds of the Roberts’ Supreme Court of the United States and The Maryland Lynching Report”, will be live with Radio Show Co-Hosts and Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Co-Leaders Attorneys Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. and will feature special guests Attorney and Author Lisa Graves; Historian and Filmaker Chris Haley; and, Dr. David O. Fakunle, Chair of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (MLTRC)
For the first half of the show, guest Attorney Lisa Graves will discuss her newly released book, Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights. Her book presents a devastating critique of the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts. The central contention is that Roberts has led the Court to orchestrate a sharp, reactionary shift in legal thought, resulting in what the author terms the “most corrupt and corrupted Supreme Court in American history”. This fundamental transformation, allegedly supported by wealthy backers, is blamed for generating sweeping legal decisions that have radically curtailed voting rights, encouraged extreme political gerrymandering—the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a specific party, incumbent, or group—and eliminated the constitutional protection of reproductive autonomy. (Graves, 2025, Bold Type Books)
Graves argues compellingly against the public image of Roberts as a neutral figure committed to judicial continuity; instead, the book portrays him as a “reactionary politician in robes” actively dismantling fundamental rights. Drawing on the author’s extensive professional background working on judicial issues across all three branches of the federal government, the book provides an authoritative analysis of these perceived changes. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse praises Graves as a “dazzlingly brilliant sleuth” for exposing how Roberts and other conservative justices supposedly manipulated the Constitution to serve “shadowy billionaire extremists”. The work culminates by detailing a thorough plan for comprehensive judicial reform intended to counteract the divisive, discriminatory, and anti-democratic consequences of the Roberts Court. (Graves, 2025, Bold Type Books)
During the second half of the show, Igniting Change will be joined by guests Chris Haley and Dr. David O. Fakunle to discuss the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (MLTRC) final report. The MLTRC is notable for establishing the first state-sponsored body in the United States dedicated to investigating and documenting the history of racial terror lynchings, initially authorized in 2019 through House Bill 307 (Maryland State Archives, 2019, Maryland State Archives). This mandate was later expanded by subsequent legislation, including House Bill 297 in 2021 and Senate Bill 478 in 2023 (Maryland State Archives, 2019, Maryland State Archives). The comprehensive final report, formally revised on December 9th, 2025, meticulously documents the history of at least 38 documented victims of racial terror lynchings that occurred between 1854 and 1933 (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2025, Maryland State Archives p. 36, para. 1). The MLTRC officially defines a racial terror lynching as “the unlawful killing of an African American by white mob violence, often with the apparent complicity of state and local officials, intended to incite racial terror and subservience to white supremacy” (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2025, Maryland State Archives, p. 34, para. 1).
A central finding drawn from the Commission’s rigorous six-year effort is that these brutal acts “were not isolated acts of violence; they were part of a system designed to enforce an unfounded racial hierarchy, White power, through fear” (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2025, Maryland State Archives, p. 13, para. 1). The report emphasizes that every victim was summarily denied due process—the fundamental right guaranteeing fair legal treatment—and the presumption of innocence (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2025, Maryland State Archives, p. 15, para. 2; p. 36, para. 1). Historically, the accusations, particularly those alleging rape, often deliberately masked other motivations such as controlling Black prosperity or covering up consensual relationships that violated anti-miscegenation laws (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2025, Maryland State Archives, p. 16, para. 1). Crucially, despite the blatant nature of the killings, often involving the active complicity of local or state institutions, the legal and criminal justice systems ensured that “No perpetrators were ever held accountable” (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2025, Maryland State Archives, p. 13, para. 1; p. 41, para. 2).
To address the deep and enduring socioeconomic harms resulting from this history, the final report lays out 84 comprehensive recommendations (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2025, Maryland State Archives, p. 17, para. 2; p. 38, para. 2). The Commission argues that the systems that allowed lynching—such as disparate law enforcement, economic exclusion, and educational inequity—did not vanish in 1933 but “transformed” and resulted in modern issues, such as the persistent racial wealth gap and disproportionate incarceration rates (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2025, Maryland State Archives, p. 18, paras. 1-2). The recommendations cover broad categories, including Material Reparations (proposing financial compensation to victims’ descendants and tangible investments to repair historical and ongoing harms (p. 39, para. 2; p. 139, para. 2), Criminal Justice reform (to address failures of accountability and due process (p. 132, para. 1), and Symbolic Reparations (such as demanding formal apologies and erecting memorials (p. 40, para. 1; p. 135, para. 1). The underlying philosophical conviction is that accountability cannot be limited only to individual acts of violence but must address the inherent failures and complicity of the societal institutions that upheld racial terror (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2025, Maryland State Archives, p. 19, para. 2).
References
Graves, L. (2025). Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights. Bold Type Books. Retrieved from https://citylights.com/new-nonfiction-in-hardcover/without-precedent-how-chief-justice-ro/
Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission. (2025). Final Report of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission – Submitted December 2025. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved from https://msa.maryland.gov/lynching-truth-reconciliation/reports/MLTRCFinalReport.pdf
Maryland State Archives. (2019). The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved from https://msa.maryland.gov/lynching-truth-reconciliation/
(Note: this summary and Lisa Graves’ bio was constructed and sourced with the help of AI, and extensively directed, researched, reviewed, refined, and then partially rewritten by TJC.)
Proposed Questions
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Eastern Time (non-partisan)- GUEST: Attorney Lisa Graves
- Barbara and Daryl will open the show with a tribute to the victims of the Brown University Shooting and the mass shooting at the Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia at Bondi Beach.
- Welcome Back to Igniting Change, Attorney Lisa Graves. It has been so enlightening to read your book “Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights” and to watch your interview with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse regarding your book. How long did it take you to write this book?
- Lisa, Please give our audience an overview of the book?
- Lisa, Where can people purchase your book?
- Lisa, Your book is meticulously researched and documented. What was your process in writing this major exposé?
- Lisa, one of the highlights of the book is reading about all of the connections since the Reagan Era that have come together to create the Roberts’ Court. Please share with our audience why this isn’t just a “Conservative Court” but instead is the “Roberts’ Court”.
- Lisa, You make so many excellent points in this book about the Roberts’ Court’s agenda. Let’s talk about a couple of these agenda points quickly- like: the corruption this Court has become known for; its failure to respect separation of church and state; its anti-abortion decisions;its 19th Century racial viewpoints; its commitment to the destruction of the Voting Rights Act; Its subversion of our democracy through the legitimization of dark money in the Citizen United case; and, most recent decisions instilling an imperial presidency by conferring immunity and constant approvals of Presidential overreach.
- Lisa, What are your one-minute final thoughts to our listeners?
- Lisa, Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you and buy this incredible book, which I highly recommend?
12:30 PM – 12:00 PM Eastern Time (non-partisan)- GUESTS: Chris Haley and Dr. David O. Fakunle
- David, tell people about the mission and creation of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (MLTRC)- which is the only one like it in the entire United States.
- David, why is the work of this Commission important to the people of Maryland and the nation?
- David, What are some of the highlights of the report?
- Chris, You are the Director of the “Study of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland”. Tell us about this project.
- How did you get involved with this project?
- Tell us about the Utopia Film Festival, which you are the co-director of.
- David and Chris, what do we want people to do with this report from the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission?
- Chris, How do people access the Maryland State Archives?
- David, What are the next steps for the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission?
- All Guests, How can our audience get involved in the work each of you are doing?
- All Guests, Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?
- Barbara and Daryl will wrap up the show.
- [If time permits, Daryl, Barbara, and guests may share their favorite books and encourage people to donate towards TJC’s giveaways of banned and affirming books.]
[ If time permits, Arnwine and Jones will remind listeners:
- when you make those daily calls to the Congress at 202-224-3121 to Vote to Stop the Trump Takeover of D.C. and other cities and to tell the Senate to vote No on the SAVE Act
- to stay in those streets!
- BE SURE TO SIGN THE PETITION TO DEFEND THE SMITHSONIAN AT AMERICASHISTORYSOS.ORG,
- TJC will continue to vigorously defend the rights of all Americans and will fight the implementation of Project 2025 and our future shows will continue to cover any hate crimes and how we effectively protect ourselves while advancing our agenda for justice.]