Entitled
Entitled is a podcast about human rights, hosted by lawyers and law professors Claudia Flores and Tom Ginsburg. Drawing on their global experience with human rights debates, they explore the stories and difficult questions surrounding why rights matter and what can be problematic about rights. The show aims to make conversations about rights less polarizing, confusing, and frustrating. It is produced with support from the University of Chicago Law School and Yale Law School, and is part of the University of Chicago Podcast Network.
Episodes
Sanctioned: Cuba Under the US Embargo with Raúl Rodríguez Rodríguez
For over six decades, the U.S. embargo on Cuba has stood as one of the longest and most comprehensive sanction regimes in modern history. But what are the real-world human, economic, and geopolitical costs of economic coercion?In this episode of Entitled, we sit down with Dr. Raúl Rodríguez Rodríguez, Director of the Center for Hemisphere and United States Studies at the University of Havana. We e
Electing the Bench: Mexico’s Judicial Overhaul and the Rule of Law with Julio Ríos-Figueroa
Mexico is navigating one of the most sweeping judicial transformations in modern constitutional history—a controversial reform replacing thousands of career federal and state judges with bench positions decided by direct popular vote. But what does this mean for the rule of law, institutional independence, and the future of checks and balances in Latin America's second-largest economy?
In this epi
Who's Entitled to Passport Privilege with Dimitry Kochenov
While citizenship is often celebrated as a cornerstone of democracy and equality, constitutional scholar Dimitry Kochenov argues it functions as something far more troubling: a global caste system.
In this episode, we speak with Kochenov, who is also a professor of legal studies at the Central European University, about how citizenship acts as a tool of exclusion—a "passport apartheid" assigned al
The Crisis of Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan with Rina Amiri
When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, they didn't just alter the country's political landscape—they systematically dismantled the legal and social reality for all women and girls. Through a continuous rollout of oppressive edicts, women and girls have been banned from universities, barred from working for NGOs, and forbidden from even speaking aloud in public spaces. Internatio
Are All Afghanistan's Women Potential Refugees? (Re-release)
The collapse of the Afghan government has raised grave concerns for the future of the country, particularly for women. Exit is not a generally available option, but should it be? This week, we wanted to re-release our conversation about the rights of women in Afghanistan as we prepare to release a special conversation with Rina Amiri who was the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human
Caste Across Borders: Dalit Workers and Immigrant Exploitation
In this episode of Entitled, we examine how caste discrimination doesn’t end at the borders of India. As Dalit workers migrate to the US in search of better wages, many encounter familiar patterns of exclusion and abuse right here in the United States.
We speak with Qayam Masumi and Roja Singh, members of the Dalit Solidarity Forum, an advocacy organization dedicated to raising awareness about cas
Inside The Fight for Freedom with Myanmar's UN Ambassador
In this episode of Entitled, we sit down with Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, who has served as the Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations since October 2020. Despite the February 2021 military coup, he remains in his position, representing the interests of the democratic government and opposing the military junta at the UN. He has survived threats and has been challenged by the junta, but the U
Human Rights Under Pressure: A Conversation with Kenneth Roth
On this episode of Entitled, we sit down with Kenneth Roth, the longtime former executive director of Human Rights Watch and one of the world’s most prominent advocates for international human rights. Over nearly three decades leading Human Rights Watch, Roth helped shape the global human rights movement, documenting abuses, pressuring governments, and elevating the role of international law in ho
The Student Movement that Pushed for Change in Bangladesh
On this episode of Entitled, Tom and Claudia talk with human rights advocate Rafia Khondoker about the state of women’s rights and democratic freedoms in Bangladesh. Last week, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a landslide victory in the first national election since the 2024 uprising, approving a referendum on major constitutional reforms—the "July Charter"—seeking to strengthen judiciary
From Prison to Exile: Leopoldo López and the Fight for Venezuela
In this episode of Entitled, we speak with Leopoldo López about authoritarianism, resistance, and the future of Venezuela. Recorded before the U.S. intervention, the conversation centers on López’s long opposition to the Maduro regime—through political organizing, imprisonment, exile, and international advocacy.Following the interview, Tom and Claudia reflect on developments since the conversation
Pakistan’s Supreme Court Under Strain: A Judge Resigns Amid Constitutional Attacks and Rising Authoritarianism
We speak to Mansoor Ali Shah, who served as the Senior Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan until just last month. Shah is one of two judges who resigned after parliament passed a constitutional amendment that curbed its remit and will no longer allow the Supreme Court to hear constitutional cases. The judges say the reform “stands as a grave assault on the constitution”. Hosted by Simple
Who's Afraid of Gender: Entitled Podcast Live
Why has gender—once a term of analysis and identity—become one of the most explosive political flashpoints of our time? From the halls of the United Nations to state legislatures across the United States, debates over gender and sexuality now shape elections, social movements, and international alliances.In this live episode of the "Entitled" podcast, hosts Claudia Flores and Tom Ginsburg sit down
Silencing the Special Procedures: Sanctions and the UN Human Rights System
This year, the US government has issued sanctions on a number of experts from the UN to the International Criminal Court for speaking out about human rights in Gaza. President Donald Trump authorized sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan with the goal of stopping the ICC from undertaking its independent mandate. UN experts strongly condemned the mo
Is It Time To Rethink The Binary In Sports?
When South African runner Caster Semenya dominated international competitions, sports authorities demanded she prove she was “really” a woman. The rules they created—targeting women with intersex traits or naturally higher testosterone—have since reshaped the future of women’s sports.In this episode of Entitled, we unpack the controversial regulations of World Athletics, the recent European Court
What If Kings Are Good for Democracy?
What does it mean when people start calling Donald Trump a king? And why are some political theorists — on both the right and left — exploring the possibility of leaving democracy behind? All this debate got co-host Tom Ginsburg thinking about an argument he’s been turning over in his head for years: could constitutional monarchy actually be the best form of government?Is it possible that constitu
Why Mahmoud Khalil's Lawyer Is Losing Faith In The Justice System
As student protests over Gaza sweep college campuses, one case is testing the limits of free speech and immigration law in America. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia student and lawful permanent resident, was arrested by ICE without a warrant and sent to a remote detention center in Louisiana—allegedly for his political advocacy.In this episode, we sit down with Khalil's lawyer Baher Azmy, who is also th
Are We Witnessing The End of The Postwar Order?, with Former President of the U.N. Dennis Francis
What happens when the country that helped design the international human rights system starts to dismantle it?In this episode, we speak with the former president of the U.N. General Assembly, Ambassador Dennis Francis, about the growing threats to global cooperation and human rights—from authoritarian drift, to shrinking U.S. commitments, to rising fears inside the U.N. system itself. Is this the
Trump And Human Rights: Take One
What happens when the government turns the law into a weapon? In these first few months of the second Trump administration human rights advocates, legal scholars, and university leaders are warning of a political landscape where funding is slashed, free speech is chilled, and legal institutions are bent to serve those in power. From defunding human rights initiatives to threatening universities an
Is Bitcoin Good For Human Rights?
This week, our co-hosts Professors Tom Ginsburg and Claudia Flores discuss bitcoin, the cryptocurrency soaring in both popularity and value. In the last month, the price of a single bitcoin has risen from around $70,000 to almost $100,000. Its cultural impact is immense, yet confusing and controversial. Those who associate bitcoin with MAGA conservatives and get-rich-quick day traders might be sur
Inside the UN: Unpacking the Role of Human Rights Experts
United Nations special experts have a crucial role in upholding international human rights law. These independent specialists hold mandates to report and advise on different areas within human rights as special rapporteurs, independent experts, or members of working groups. But how exactly do these appointments work, and what are the responsibilities, capabilities, and on-the-ground impacts of the
The Future of Justice: What’s Next for Israel/Gaza in International Law?
Since our last episode on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza, we wanted to do an update on where international law currently stands in the conflict. This year, the conflict has triggered several legal cases at international courts, including at the International Court of Justice, which has accused Israel of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.In this episode, we speak with A
Is There A Place For Natural Law In Today's World?
We've all heard about different kinds of laws...but there is a higher order law that often gets overlooked—it's called Natural Law. The idea behind Natural Law is that all humans are born with an innate understanding of what's right and what's wrong, and that laws should be based on morality. In today's world, where there is no shortage of international wars, authoritarian leaders, human rights vi
Can Law Govern War? Gaza, Israel and Beyond
When it comes to discussion about the conflict in Gaza, there is an endless parade of commentators on both sides telling us what is right or wrong, legitimate or illegal, a crime or a justified attack, but in all that debate and discussion the actual international laws of war often get pushed to the sidelines. We’re planning to do a series of episodes on this conflict in the coming weeks, but
Is Gender Apartheid A Thing?
The word apartheid gets used in many different contexts to indicate the severity of crimes across the globe. But its use is controversial because the word has a very specific definition in international law. Even more controversial is the concept of expanding the term to include gender.If there is one place on earth where it could be argued that a gender apartheid designation is needed its Afghani
Is The Right to Read Under Threat?
In recent years, book bans have swept the nation. According to PEN America, more than 4,000 books have been banned in some capacity in public schools since July 2021. Books that discuss topics like racial justice or have characters that identify as LGBTQ+ are just some of the examples that have received widespread attention. While book bans are not a new phenomenon, parents rights groups have acce
Do We Have The Right to Lie?
As kids, we all heard someone tell us that it's wrong to lie...but as we grew older, we realized that people lie all the time. Politicians, presidents, and even executives at corporations tell lies—big and small. As citizens, there are obvious exceptions where lying is wrong, for instance; perjury, lying on your employment application, or lying to get a bank loan. But do we have a right to lie? An
LIVE: Free Expression & Social Media
We’re doing something special for this month’s episode. In October of 2023, we hosted a live recording here at the University of Chicago. Tom Ginsburg was joined on stage by renowned scholar Genevie Laikier to have a conversation about free speech on social media. In other words, it was very relevant to our current season about the right to free expression.We’re going to share that recording with
S3E3: The Complicated Right To Protest
Some might say one of the most important ways we exercise the right to free expression is through protests. And we’ve certainly seen groups all over the world using that right in the last few years, from the George Floyd protests in the U.S. to democratic marches in Hong Kong to demonstrations in Chile, Venezuela, Iran and Peru.On the surface this right may seem straightforward, but there are many
S3E2: Sticks and Stones: The Problem of Hate Speech
We all know the phrase: “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But is that actually true? Recent research in psychology has shown that words can cause a plethora of different harms. Should this make us re-think our approach to hate speech?In the US we’ve been hesitant to regulate hate speech, while other countries have been incredibly stringent. Which approach is rig
S3E1: How Free Is Free Speech On Campus?
On the third season of Entitled, we're circling back to the first fundamental right: the freedom of speech. Lawyers and law professors Claudia Flores and Tom Ginsburg begin this season by peeling back the curtains of how this right is currently playing out at universities across the country. In recent years, there have been tensions — and intense clashes — around speakers invited to campus, what p
Ibram X. Kendi On Policy Over Platitudes: Building an Anti-Racist World
On our last season, we focused entirely on the idea of equality from an international perspective. But when it comes to domestic questions of equality, or equity, they often focus on an important and specific topic: race. And one of the leading voices in that conversation is Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.Kendi is most famous for his 2019 book "How To Be An Anti-racist". The book argues that the opposite of r
The Moving Target Of Abortion Rights
For the first time in decades, the future of abortion rights in the US is uncertain. With the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, The Supreme Court has forced Americans to reconsider and fight for a new vision of a right to abortion should be.But it’s important to remember that debates about abortion don’t end at our borders. The end of Roe will have global ramifications for how other countries thi
Will "Personalized Laws" Make Us More Equal?
In a world with personalized laws, each person would be subject to different legal rules and their own personally-tailored laws. For example, if you're a good driver, you could be rewarded for that good behavior with less stringent laws. Through this idea, and the acceleration of AI, technology could be used to comprehend our data from various places to create laws individual to us. These are some
A Roof Over Our Heads: Rights Or Real Estate?
More than half a million people are currently homeless in the United States. It's a crisis that extends beyond California and is trending upwards in other states, too. Most jurisdictions in the US have no right to shelter, and the right to have a home at all is not a guarantee. But just across the border, Canada recognizes the right to adequate housing as a fundamental human right affirmed in inte
From Pets To Zoos, Should Animals Have Rights, Too?
Animals suffer at the hands of humans every day. Not just in factory farms, but also in our homes, where pets don’t receive enough attention or exercise, and in our oceans, where humans disrupt their habitats and ecosystems. To what extent should animals have rights? In this special episode, we speak to world-leading philosopher Martha Nussbaum, professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chi
S2E8: Robots & Rights: Dystopian or Deserving?
Artificial intelligence is all around us—it listens to us, even watches us, and waits for our daily demands. From Alexa to Siri, to Sophia, the social humanoid robot, AIs want to be our companions (at least, the companies who build them want us to think so). However, some people fear that the more sentient AIs become, the more they will have to be treated with basic rights. Do AIs deserve rights?
S2E7: Are Equal Opportunities Possible In Our Ableist World?
Sixty-one million adults in the United States live with a disability — that's one in four adults, a staggering number when you consider how widespread ableism is. In a society that largely operates without adequate infrastructure, accommodations, and services for disabled people, what does the right to equal opportunity look like?
In this episode, Tom and Claudia explore this question through th
S2E6: Global Inequality: How Should Countries Share Their Wealth?
While borders have the ability to divide countries both politically and socially, wealth drives an even bigger wedge between us. How do we make sense of the fact that the wealthiest country in the world, the United States, borders one of the poorest countries: Mexico? Despite efforts to mitigate this, global wealth inequality still appears to be growing. According to the World Inequality Report, t
S2E5: Quotas: Band-aid or Magic Bullet?
Fixing discrimination isn't as easy as putting anti-discrimination laws on the books. But, there is a tool that can at least chip away at the effects of discrimination: quotas. Over 130 countries have adopted gender quotas…and around one-quarter of the world uses some form of affirmative action programs. So, do quotas actually work at creating more diverse and equitable societies?
In this episode
S2E4: The Equity/Equality Equation
There are two words that sound pretty similar, but they're not synonyms: equality and equity. While equality means that everybody should be given the same resources or opportunities, equity recognizes that we live in an unequal system, so we need to allocate more resources and opportunities to people without equal access. So, what does it really mean to live in an equitable society?
In this epis
S2E3: Constitutionalizing Equality: Why Chile Wants A New Constitution
After years of community protests, and months of legal work, Chile finalized a draft of a brand new constitution this summer. Chileans will vote to pass or reject this constitution in a few days.
In this episode of Entitled, Claudia and Tom head to Santiago, Chile! We hear their conversations with local Chileans, from musicians and taxi drivers to the lawyers who helped draft this new constituti
S2E2: What Comes First: Socio-Economic or Civil and Political Equality?
Would you put a price tag on your rights? If you had to choose between your socio-economic rights or your freedom to peacefully protest, what would you choose? It’s a question that might get a lot of mixed responses, but some might argue you can’t have one without the other.
In this episode of Entitled, Claudia and Tom discuss these two groups of rights: socio-economic rights and civil and politi
S2E1: What Is Equality Anyway?
Lawyers and law professors Claudia Flores and Tom Ginsburg kick off the second season of Entitled — and this time, they’re focusing on one human right (and not just any right) — the right to equality. In the first episode, they explore what equality means in different contexts and to different people. Is it possible or even preferrable for every person to be equal in every way? When do we want equ
S1E6: The River Knows Where to Go
The rights of nature are enshrined in a number of constitutions around the world, and there is a growing movement to extend rights to nature as it faces increasing threats. The extension of rights to nature prompts fundamental questions about the nature, enforcement and evolution of rights. Does nature have rights, or do they belong only to humans? Are the rights of nature human rights in disguise
S1E5: Who’s Womb Is it Anyway?
Today, medical advances make it possible for a woman to have a baby on behalf of someone else. This has given many people – including many in the LGBTQI community – the exciting possibility of founding a family of their own. But this incredible medical technology raises new questions about rights: how far do reproductive rights go? How do you establish the rights of a parent or citizenship? Who ha
S1E4: That “Just-in-Case” Gun
The right to bear arms is an American touchstone, found in very few other countries. Many think it should not be a right at all, and the debate over it is highly polarized. This episode broadens the lens to show how other countries handle guns, and suggests ways to cut through the charged discussion here at home. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
for informatio
S1E3.5: Are All Afghanistan's Women Potential Refugees?
The collapse of the Afghan government has raised grave concerns for the future of the country, particularly for women. Exit is not a generally available option, but should it be? On this episode, we continue our conversation about migration, and the limits of the current human rights system for protecting the rights of women. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
fo
S1E3: Rights at the Border
The right to seek and enjoy asylum has never been more important than in today’s global landscape. At the same time, countries have never been more committed to finding increasingly creative ways to avoid having to take in refugees. Today on Entitled, we discuss the right to asylum and what our rights are at the border of another country. We know the movement of distressed migrants at sea and nati
S1E2: Better Off Said
Free speech is one of those all important rights but one whose scope changes over time. Today, it is more likely to take place behind a screen rather than in the town square. What does the right to speak freely really look like when we are speaking in likes, comment bubbles and Tiktok videos?
In this episode of Entitled, we explore freedom of speech, how and whether we still have it. We talk to V
S1E1: What's The Matter With Rights?
Lawyers and law professors Claudia Flores and Tom Ginsburg have traveled the world getting into the weeds of global human rights debates. On this first episode of Entitled, they begin their journey of exploring the stories and thorny questions around why rights matter and what’s the matter with rights.
Joining them are professor of ethics and legal philosophy at Oxford University, John Tasioulas
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