Life of the Law

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Latest Episodes:

21: Water Rights Nov 19, 2013

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When a serious drought hit just months after an Oregon court awarded senior water rights to the Klamath Tribes, the tribe made a ‘call’ for water. The call meant enough water in its rivers and streams to keep the Upper Klamath Lake full, protecting two species of fish that are important to the tribe. But it left area ranchers with no water at all.

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Freestyle Special Nov 15, 2013

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On this edition of Freestyle, Al Letson devotes the entire hour-long program to Life of the Law, presenting three podcasts: Shannon Heffernan of WBEZ reporting on "Jury Nullification", Michael May's PRX funded report on "Forensics in Flames" and Sean Cole on investigating attorneys who advertise on "Call Now!"

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20: Justices on the Move Nov 06, 2013

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It’s hard to imagine Supreme Court Justices working outside of Washington, D.C. But for the first half of our country’s history, they spent much of their time traveling as circuit court judges. And it may have made them better Supreme Court justices.

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19: Judging Steinbeck’s Lennie Sep 03, 2013

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In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute people with mental disabilities. But the Court left it up to individual states to define mentally disabled. After the Texas legislature failed to agree on a definition, a decision from the Court of Criminal Appeals became the de facto definition, a definition based in part on John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men.

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18: Forensics in Flames Jul 23, 2013

Show notes

Over the past 20 years, there’s been a revolution in the science of arson investigations. Many of the clues that had been used for decades to determine that a fire was not accidental, especially the analysis of burn patterns on walls and floors, have been proven to be false. Texas is one state that is re-examining arson convictions that may have been based on junk science.

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17: Redefining Rape Jul 09, 2013

Show notes

Most of us have an idea of what the crime of rape is. But the legal meaning of the word rape varies widely, depending on which state you’re in. And in 25 states, what we may think of as rape…isn’t called that at all.

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16: Call Now! Jun 25, 2013

Show notes

When things go bad, all you need to do is pick up the phone and CALL. Or so the late-night ads on basic cable tell us. Since the US Supreme Court allowed lawyers to advertise in the 1970s, the practice has skyrocketed, with often shoddily-produced results. Are tacky lawyer ads bringing down the profession or simply making it more accessible to those who might not otherwise know an attorney?

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15: New Frontiers of Family Law Jun 11, 2013

Show notes

Diana Adams believes the family law system is at least 20 years behind cultural changes. She helps non-traditional families—such as three people in love—find a simulacrum of the protection offered by legal marriage. But her real goal is to change our idea of what “marriage” can be.

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14: An Architect’s Code May 28, 2013

Show notes

In its code of ethics, the American Institute of Architects requires members to “uphold human rights.” But what does that mean when it comes to prisons—specificially, those that confine inmates largely to their cells with little to do? Raphael Sperry is an architect in San Francisco and president of Architects, Designers, and Planners for Social Responsibility. He wants his profession to refuse to design facilities for solitary confinement or execution.

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13: A Life on the Bench May 07, 2013

Show notes

What does it take to become a judge? No one starts their legal career as a jurist. First they work as a lawyer advocating for one side of a case over another. But transitioning from lawyer to judge means hearing both sides of a case objectively and then making decisions that carry the weight of the court. In a break from our usual feature format, this week Life of the Law’s Executive Producer, Nancy Mullane talks with James R. Lambden, an Associate Justice on the California Court of Appeal about living a life immersed in the law.

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