Blue Harbor Entertainment and Jenny Warburg
The Woman Behind the Fair Pay Act Comes to Life in ‘Lilly’ Film
It’s tempting these dark days to dismiss the idea that any one person can make a difference.
And yet, every day ordinary people fight injustice. And some days, those people persist long enough, resist long enough, that their fights rise to national prominence. One such fight is chronicled in the new film Lilly, in theaters beginning May 9. The brainchild of director Rachel Feldman, Lilly tells the story of Lilly Ledbetter, “an ordinary woman who became extraordinary,” in the words of actor Patricia Clarkson, who portrays her in the film.
Unfortunately, Ledbetter didn’t live to see the film arrive in theaters. She died in October 2024 at age 86. “She was so profoundly happy to know that her legacy would extend in entertainment form,” Feldman says, “particularly so that young women would absorb the story.”
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No Law, Just (Bad) Vibes: at the Supreme Court with Leah Litman
Over the past few years, many of us have noticed some (bad) vibes coming from the Supreme Court: sketchy decisions on a number of fronts, from presidential immunity to abortion, agency authority, and more. Today, we take a look at those vibes with one of our favorite guests: Professor Leah Litman, who is the author of the new book Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. Professor Litman joins us to talk about the Court’s “Ken-surrection,” what another Trump term means for the Court, and her fabulous new book.
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Fractured Families: A Second Trump Term Threatens Migrant Children
During President Donald Trump’s first term in office, a particular hell befell nearly 4,000 children who were separated from their families while trying to enter the U.S. at the southern border. At least 1,360 of these children still had not been reunited with their parents as of March 2024.
Now Trump is back in office, ordering increased deportations, and experts expect Trump to throw out any protective measures created by former President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have introduced legislation aimed at expanding criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants that may make it easier for Trump to separate families.
(This article originally appears in the Spring 2025 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox.)
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