Podcast Explores State and Local Resistance to Authoritarianism
This podcast episode features Erwin Chemerinsky and Aziz Huq discussing how state and local governments can act as checks on authoritarianism and federal overreach. It is part of a Just Security series on state efforts to counter authoritarianism. The conversation focuses on the legal powers and authorities available to state and local officials.
The episode, released Oct. 9, 2026, is part of Just Security’s podcast and features law professors Erwin Chemerinsky and Aziz Huq. They examine how state and local officials might use legal authority to push back against federal overreach and authoritarian tendencies. The discussion belongs to the “Fight Back” series, introduced by Chemerinsky and Huq in August 2026.
Other series pieces address topics such as commandeering and coercion, state data protection, civil rights enforcement, cities as resistance nodes, governors’ administrative roles, and state attorneys general enforcing federal laws that the executive branch declines to pursue. The episode’s page lists Tess Bridgeman and Ryan Goodman among contributors.
The episode may inform state and local officials, lawyers, and civic groups about legal tools available within federalism. It could shape how residents understand subnational checks on federal power, especially in states whose leaders choose to act. Its broader influence may depend on whether officials adopt these strategies and how courts respond. It may also affect debates over civil liberties, accountability, and the balance between national and local authority.