Life of the Law

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41: Who Owns That Joke Sep 23, 2014

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Comedian Carlos Mencia is notorious for stealing other comics’ jokes. But he’s never been sued—in fact, there are almost no lawsuits in comedy. On this episode of Life of the Law, what the law means to comics, and what they do when it can’t help them.

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40: Abuse, Abduction, and International Law Sep 09, 2014

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What happens when one parent takes a child across international borders without the other parent’s permission? In 1980, the United States and international partners created a treaty that lays out the rules for what federal officials are supposed to do in such cases. Judges are instructed to send children back to their home countries – with very few exceptions. Lawmakers imagined the treaty would usually help left-behind mothers, trying to get their children back from abductor-fathers. Today, more than a quarter of a century after the U.S. implemented the treaty, the standard profiles of abductor and left-behind-parent have shifted dramatically. The majority of the taking parents – the abductors – are women. And most of those women are victims of domestic violence, fleeing their abusers with their children.

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39: Two Sides of a River Jul 22, 2014

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Sometimes what’s considered as socially acceptable behavior can also be technically unlawful. Reporter Jason Albert follows one city as it grapples with how to enforce laws in a public park without unnecessarily restricting public use.

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38: One Reporter on California’s Death Row Jul 17, 2014

Show notes

Over the past decade, the California Department of Corrections and

Rehabilitation has denied press access to all death rows in the state.

But on one day in June 2012, Nancy Mullane was given exclusive press access to all

three death row cells blocks and the prisoners serving death sentences.

Here is the story of that day. (Note: The California Department of

Corrections and Rehabilitation has said no other reporter will be

allowed on Death Row for the forseeable future.)

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37: Jailhouse Lawyers Jul 08, 2014

Show notes

In California, there are hundreds if not thousands of people practicing criminal law though they’ve never passed a bar exam. They don’t wear suits. They don’t have secretaries. And they can’t bill for their time. They’re called Jailhouse Lawyers. They’re inmates who pursue the equivalent of a lawyer’s education and who work as lawyers from within prison walls.

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36: Jury Nullification Jun 24, 2014

Show notes

Though jurors are sworn to uphold the law during their deliberation, they still have the power to decide that a defendant is innocent even when all signs point to their guilt. Prosecutor Paul Butler traces the ways this hidden process was a boon for abolitionists in the 1800’s, and a curse to contemporary prosecutors arguing for a guilty verdict.

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35: Right to Beg Jun 10, 2014

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Standing in the empty parking lot of a Subway store in Springfield, Illinois, Don Norton unfolds a ragged cardboard poster and holds it just below his chest. The sign, which reads, ‘Please help any way you can,’ is so old it looks like it’s about to dissolve.

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34: The Necessity Defense May 20, 2014

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It’s odd to think cannibals, cannabis-growers, Vietnam War protesters, and prison escapees all have something in common. But they do: the necessity defense. We explore the origins and uses of this rare long-shot defense argument, which says in essence, “Yes, I’m guilty of committing a crime. But I had no choice.”

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33: The Hardest Time: Moms in Prison May 06, 2014

Show notes

Mother’s Day is the one day of the year we set aside to honor mothers. Some do it with flowers and cards. For women who are in prison and their children who are being raised by grandmothers, aunts or guardians on the outside, the day can be especially difficult.

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32: Privacy Issues Apr 22, 2014

Show notes

You’re driving your car down a street and as you pass, a camera takes a photo of your license plate. Who is taking the photo and what are they doing with the information? Reporter Cyrus Farivar has our story.

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