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Teri Kanefield

Attorney, author, and educator.

About Teri Kanefield

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Teri Kanefield is an attorney, author, and educator. She has written more than a dozen books; published more than 50 articles, essays, and stories in mainstream outlets; and filed hundreds of appellate briefs. Her legal and political analysis has appeared in The Washington Post, CNN.com, NBC, and other mainstream news outlets. A list of publications is here.

She holds a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a master’s in English with an emphasis in fiction writing from the University of California at Davis, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Before law school, Teri taught English and creative writing at the university and college levels. Her legal career began with criminal defense work at the trial level, then she worked exclusively as an appellate defender. For twelve years, she maintained a private appellate law practice limited to representing people who had the right to appeal but could not afford to pay.

Motivated by a desire to make law and civics accessible to America’s future leaders, Teri took breaks from handling appeals to write books for young readers. She believes writing for middle and high school readers is much like writing for appellate justices: Appellate justices want everything broken down and digestible. And although she won't carry the comparison too far, she does believe Ninth graders are usually more open-minded and a lot more fun.

For more of Teri Kanefield's work, visit her website.

Latest
The Ninth Amendment and The Law (and Politics) of Reproductive Rights
Teri Kanefield peers into the intersection of privacy rights, equal protection, and women's autonomy.
May 7, 2024
Where’s the Beef? Trump’s Manhattan Criminal Case and some Mind-Bending Legal Puzzles
Teri Kanefield delves into the arguments presented by both the prosecution and the defense, shedding light on the complexities and potential outcomes of this high-profile case.
May 2, 2024
Trump’s First Criminal Trial: Theories of the Case
Teri Kanefield discusses the significance of a well-crafted theory, parallels between litigation and storytelling, and the influence of unreliable witnesses all surrounding the Trump trial.
April 25, 2024
Sex, Lies, and Falsified Documents: Trump’s First Criminal Trial
Teri Kanefield writes, "Much of what we take as 'facts' would not be admissible as evidence in court...A witness can sound persuasive on a podcast or press interview but can wither under cross-examination."
April 17, 2024
The Ronna McDaniel Story Fallout (But What About Fox?) And A Few Words About The Next Election
Teri Kanefield writes about the fallout from the Ronna McDaniel hiring on MSNBC, highlighting the potential clash between McDaniel's persona and the network's audience.
April 11, 2024
The Ronna McDaniel Story
Teri Kanefield; "History doesn’t repeat, it rhymes. In our current media disruption, as in the late nineteenth century, sensationalism is emphasized over facts."
April 4, 2024
The Progressive Presumption and the Right to Vote
Teri Kanefield writes: "While there were always activists and idealists who believed that a country that boasted of rule by people should give all people a voice, the changes were also driven by self-interests." And it's self-interests working today to silence those voices.
March 26, 2024
The Right to Vote
The "right to vote" is constantly evolving...and there is no affirmative Constitutional right to vote (did you know that?). Teri Kanefield walks us through the evolution of democracy and voting rights from a historical perspective.
March 21, 2024
Invented Narratives and the Outrage Industry
Teri Kanefield covers the ongoing cycle of misinformation and outrage, fueled by fragmented media and profit-driven motives. What is the impact of partisan legal pundits and deliberate confusion tactics employed by certain media ecosystems on our public? Teri explains.
March 14, 2024
The Russian Disinformation Attack and the Disappearing Rabbit Trick
What does Russia's disinformation attack on the U.S mean for our nation's future? Teri Kanefield examines the connections between the GOP & Putin's Russia, the strategies employed by the Internet Research Agency to spread societal division, and how successful hacking attempts by the GRU may continue to influence our elections.
March 7, 2024
Why Some Prefer Oligarchy and (🎶 What’s Russia got to do, got to do with it? 🎶)
Grab a warm drink and a comfortable seat because Teri Kanefield breaks down the GOP connections to Russian influence and you don't want to miss a word.
February 29, 2024
The Perennial Problem of Demagogues
"The demagogue gains power by democratic means, claiming to be a champion of ‘the people’ and making wild promises...Anyone who opposes the demagogue is labeled an ‘enemy of the people’ and exiled or killed," writes Teri Kanefield.
February 22, 2024
Are Women And Black People "People" Under The 14th Amendment?
The 14th A states: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Seems clear enough - but Teri Kanefield explains that it wasn't enough to provide women and Black people equal protection or equal rights.
February 15, 2024

Topics

Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
The overturning of Roe v. Wade through the Dobbs decision by the US SCOTUS marked the first time a Constitutional right had been taken away from American citizens. In the midterms, women and young people showed the GOP what a tremendous blunder that was and made them pay a price at the ballot box.
Donald Trump indictment
Donald Trump indictment
Some say fever dream. Others say inevitable. We say, no democracy can survive without accountability mete out through the rule of law, and its equal application regardless of status, power, or position. The threat of the GOP's fascistic authoritarian movement increases with the belief that there is no accountability for people at the top.
Michael Cohen
Michael Cohen
The former lawyer who served as an attorney for Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Twice-impeached 45th POTUS and wannabe authoritarian dictator who orchestrated a violent insurrection to overthrow the US Government in order to remain president despite losing re-election to Joseph R. Biden by 7,059,547 votes.
Fox News
Fox News
Rupert Murdoch's lie and disinformation distribution machine. Kingmaker and puppet master to MAGA politicians.
Right Wing media
Right Wing media
The size of the Right Wing and far right media ecosystem has grown in size, power, and its willingness to disregard facts, outright lie, foment conspiracy theories, and abandon all integrity. The goals now are power, influence, and money - democracy be damned.
Voting Rights
Voting Rights
2024 Presidential Election
2024 Presidential Election
The 60th quadrennial presidential election, scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, 2024, is considered to be the most consequential election of our lifetimes where Americans will have the opportunity to protect democracy and democratic norms from extreme right-wing policies, racial violence and growing threat of authoritarianism by Republicans.