Life of the Law

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Latest Episodes:

109: Unequal Protection - Pt. 2 May 23, 2017

Show notes

Last time on Life of the Law we presented Unequal Protection - Part 1, the story of Warren McCleskey’s unsuccessful appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. McCleskey argued that his death sentence by the state of Georgia had been prejudiced by the color of skin and that he had not been given equal protection under the law as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Walking into the prison, I was the first one. I walked in and his lawyers were walking toward me. I was looking at them and I said, 'What’s wrong?' They said, Tthey denied him.' And I just dropped to the floor. Just screaming and crying and like, they didn’t even take time to think this through. They really gonna kill my dad.

-- Carla McCleskey

This week, we present Part 2 of Sarah Marshall’s report on Warren’s McCleskey’s life after the Supreme Court ruling and his execution on September 25, 1991 by the state of Georgia.

Production Notes

Unequal Protection was reported by Sarah Marshall, edited by Nancy Mullane, and produced by our Senior Producer, Tony Gannon.

Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.

Our engineers were Paul Ruet of Argot Studios in San Francisco and Katie McMurran of KQED Radio in San Francisco. Music in this episode was composed and produced by Ian Coss.

Transcript of Unequal Protection: Part 2

This episode of Life of the Law was funded in part by grants from the Open Society Foundations, the Law and Society Association, and the National Science Foundation.

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108: Unequal Protection - Pt. 1 May 03, 2017

Show notes

America is a country plagued by racism. Culturally, socially, economically. But what about in the courts? 30 years ago, Warren McCleskey, a black man on Georgia’s death row, took proof to the US Supreme Court that his trial and sentence had been affected by racial prejudice. It’s a landmark case that nearly every law student in American is familiar with -- but few of us know the whole story.

And I sort of said, "Well, Gird up your loins. If that’s, in fact, a problem in our criminal justice system, we have to confront it. We can’t simply avert our eyes."

-- Attorney John Boger

Life of the Law reporter Sarah Marshall traveled to Georgia to learn more about the man whose name has come to symbolize the end of equal protection under the law in America.

We’ll present our story in two parts. This week, Part 1: UNEQUAL PROTECTION.

Production Notes

Unequal Protection was reported by Sarah Marshall, edited by Nancy Mullane, and produced by Tony Gannon.

Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.

Our engineers were Sara Melason of Marfa Public Radio and Howard Gelman of KQED Radio in San Francisco. Music in this episode was composed and produced by Ian Coss. Special thanks to Tony Gannon, our Senior Producer for recording Supreme Court Justice William Brennan's dissent in McCleskey v Kemp for our story.

Transcript of Unequal Protection: Part 1

This episode of Life of the Law was funded in part by grants from the Open Society Foundations, the Law and Society Association, and the National Science Foundation.

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107: In Studio Apr 19, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to In-Studio from Life of the Law. This week we're talking about our most recent episode Mother and Son, the role of corporal punishment in the house, and the recent United Airlines situation.

Each month we present an investigative feature report and two weeks later our team -- a scholar, journalist, producer, and attorney -- meet up in the studios of KQED in San Francisco to talk about our investigative reports, the law in the news, and the law on our minds. Join us for this month's In-Studio conversation:

Brittny Bottorff Attorney and Chair of LOTL Advisory BoardKirsten Jusewicz-Haidle LOTL's Post-Production EditorNancy Mullane LOTL's Executive Producer and HostOsagie Obasogie Scholar and LOTL Advisory Board MemberHave a story or a question about the law you'd like us to bring to our next In Studio? Send us an email at connect@lifeofthelaw.org.

Stories we're talking about...or want to talk about:

Each time our team meets up In-Studio, we bring stories that are in the news and on our minds -- that we want to talk about, and get help sorting out.

We don't have time to discuss all of the stories on the table, but we're sharing them with you:

'Raise the Age,’ Now Law in New York, Is Still a Subject of Debate Raise the Age, NY Spanking and crime rates Does Outlawing Spanking Lower The Crime Rate Years Later?The Influence of Corporal Punishment on Crime

Production Notes

Life of the Law In-Studio: Mother and Son was produced by Nancy Mullane, Life of the Law's Executive Producer and our Senior Producer, Tony Gannon. Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.

We want to thank our Advisory Board Members Brittny Bottorff and Osagie Obasogie for joining us In-Studio.

Our engineer was Katie McMurran of KQED Radio in San Francisco. Music in this episode was composed by Ian Coss.

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106: Mother and Son Apr 05, 2017

Show notes

Prison is a walled off, secret world, where inmates and officers live a sort of altered reality. For the past 10 years Life of the Law's Executive Producer, Nancy Mullane, has been reporting on the people inside San Quentin State Prison in Northern California and over those years, some of the men she's been reporting on have themselves become journalists -- writing print stories for the San Quentin News and producing audio stories for the San Quentin Prison Report, stories told by reporters rom the unique perspective of life inside prison looking out, rather than from the perspective of free journalists outside looking in.

One day after a meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists San Quentin, reporter Greg Eskridge mentioned he was going to miss the next Sunday meeting. He said his mom was coming to San Quentin for a visit. How long had he been in prison, Mullane asked? More than 21 years. He said he was sent to prison at the age of 19 after being convicted of murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 65 years-to-life, and two life terms.

What’s it like to be a teenager sent to prison for what may be forever, and what’s it like to be his mom?

Our story is Mother and Son.

Production Notes

Mother and Son was reported by Nancy Mullane and produced by our Senior Producer, Tony Gannon.

Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.

Our engineer was Howard Gelman of KQED Radio in San Francisco. Music in this episode was composed and produced by Ian Coss.

Transcript of Mother and Son

This episode of Life of the Law was funded in part by grants from the Open Society Foundations, the Law and Society Association, and the National Science Foundation.

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105: In Studio Mar 21, 2017

Show notes

Want to know how heroin treatment centers in Canada, the Affordable Care Act, President Trump's new budget and Henrietta Lacks all fit into one conversation? Welcome to In-Studio from Life of the Law.

Each month we present an investigative feature report and two weeks later our team -- a scholar, journalist, producer and attorney meet up in the studios of KQED in San Francisco to talk about our investigative reports, the law in the news and the law on our minds. Join us for this month's IN-STUDIO conversation:

Brittny Bottorff Attorney and Chair of LOTL Advisory BoardTony Gannon LOTL's Senior ProducerNancy Mullane LOTL's Executive Producer and HostOsagie Obasogie Scholar and LOTL Advisory Board MemberHave a story or a question about the law you'd like us to bring to our next In Studio? Send us an email at connect@lifeofthelaw.org.

Production Notes

Life of the Law IN-STUDIO: Heroin Town was produced by Nancy Mullane, Life of the Law's Executive Producer and our Senior Producer, Tony Gannon. Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.

We want to thank our Advisory Board Members Brittny Bottorff and Osagie Obasogie for joining us IN-STUDIO.

Our engineers were Katie McMurran and Howard Gelman of KQED Radio in San Francisco. Music in this episode was composed by Ian Coss.

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104: Heroin Town Mar 08, 2017

Show notes

Heroin is illegal in Canada. And just like in the United States many doctors and treatment centers treat heroin addiction by providing a legal alternative, such as methadone. But methadone treatment doesn’t always work. So what do you do?

These people are currently injecting heroin in alleyways, facing overdose and risk of disease and causing all kinds of problems for the public. Why wouldn't you want them to be getting the heroin from a doctor to bring them in off the street and in contact with the health care system?

-- Martin Schechter, professor at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia

Reporters Sam Fenn and Gordon Katic have this story about a small clinic in Vancouver BC that’s giving their patients legal access the very drug they are addicted to.

Production Notes

Heroin Town was reported and produced by Sam Fenn, Gordon Katic, and Alexander Kim of Cited Podcast in partnership with Travis Lupick and the Georgia Straight, and edited by Nancy Mullane, Life of the Law's Executive Producer.

The story's Senior Producer was Tony Gannon. Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.

We want to thank Josh Gabert-Doyon for his help with production.

Our engineer was Howard Gelman of KQED Radio in San Francisco. Music in this episode was composed and produced by Ian Coss.

Transcript of Heroin Town

This episode of Life of the Law was funded in part by grants from the Open Society Foundations, the Law and Society Association, and the National Science Foundation.

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103: In Studio Feb 21, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to In-Studio from Life of the Law. Each month we present an investigative feature report, and two weeks later our team of scholars, journalists, producers and guests will meet up in the studios of KQED in San Francisco to ask questions and get some answers about the law, or at least start to look for some answers.

Do you have questions about the law you'd like us to discuss? Write to us at Life of the Law with your stories and questions about the law, connect@lifeofthelaw.org.

This month join our In Studio team for a conversation about the law:

Brittny Bottorff Attorney and Chair, LOTL Advisory BoardTony Gannon LOTL Senior ProducerNancy Mullane LOTL Exec Producer and HostOsagie Obasogie Scholar and LOTL Advisory Board MemberKirsten Jusewicz Haidle LOTL Post Production Editor

Each time our team meets up, we bring stories in the news that are on our minds - stories we have questions about and want help sorting out. This week our team brought the stories listed below to our In Studio conversation.Civil Rights Groups, Funded by Telecoms, Back Donald Trump’s Plan to Kill Net Neutrality Net Neutrality And Broadband Privacy Under The New FCC The Debate Over Net Neutrality Has Its Roots in the Fight Over Radio Freedom New York Times issued weaselly statement on reporter who smeared Melania Trump The Leakers Who Exposed Gen. Flynn’s Lie Committed Serious — and Wholly Justified — Felonies California lawmakers are stuck on Trump, but there's a problem at home that needs attention: dirty water Henrietta Lacks’s family wants compensation for her cells Broad Institute Wins Big Battle Over CRISPR Gene-Editing Patent An Outdated Law Will Decide the CRISPR Patent Dispute

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102: Radio Silenced Feb 07, 2017

Show notes

In April of 2014, federal agents raided the studios of 106.1 TOUCH FM in Boston, Massachusetts. They took turntables, microphones, transmitters, pretty much everything. The reason was simple: the radio station was operating without a license. But that raises questions: could the owner get a license? If not, why not? And why did he need one in the first place?

Just because something’s law, doesn't make it right. I like to call us the Rosa Parks of radio. The Harriet Tubman of radio. The Nat Turner of radio. The Malcolm X of radio. Everyone deserves a voice.

-- Charles Clemons

This is a story about how radio regulation has evolved over its one-hundred year history, and whose interests that regulation serves. It is also a story of media diversity -- of two independent and black-owned radio stations that once broadcast on Boston’s airwaves, but have been silenced.

Finally, it is the story of Greg Lawson -- a man who always keeps the radio on, and listened as the stations he depended on disappeared, one after the other.

Suggested Reading

The Titanic’s Role in Radio Reform Unlicensed Grove Hall radio station shuttered Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times A Political-Economic History of FCC Policy on Minority Broadcast Ownership Production Notes

Radio Silenced was reported and produced by Ian Coss and edited by Nancy Mullane, Life of the Law's Executive Producer. The story's Senior Producer was Tony Gannon. Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.

We want to thank Jason Loviglio, Chair and Associate Professor of Media and Communication Studies at the University of Maryland for sharing his scholarship. Professor Loviglio is the author of Radio’s Intimate Public: Network Broadcasting and Mass-Mediated Democracy.

Our engineer was Howard Gelman of KQED Radio in San Francisco. Music in this episode was composed and produced by Ian Coss.

Transcript of Radio Silence

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101: In Studio Jan 24, 2017

Show notes

At Life of the Law, we're going to shake things up a bit so our team can jump into the national conversation that's taking place about the law. We're going to ask questions and hopefully get some answers, or at least begin to look for answers.

We want to welcome you to join us for In Studio and we encourage you to write to us at Life of the Law with your stories and questions about the law.

Each month we'll present an investigative report, and two weeks later our team of journalists, scholars, producers and guests will meet up in the studios of KQED in San Francisco to talk about our investigations and all things law.

This month our In Studio team is:

Brittny Bottorff Attorney and Chair, LOTL Advisory BoardTony Gannon LOTL Senior ProducerNancy Mullane LOTL Exec Producer and HostOsagie Obasogie Scholar and LOTL Advisory Board Member

Production Notes

Life of the Law In Studio: Knowledge in a Post-Fact Era was produced by Nancy Mullane, Life of the Law's Executive Producer, and our Senior Producer, Tony Gannon. Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.

We want to thank our Advisory Board Members, Brittny Bottorff and Osagie Obasogie for joining us In Studio, and Nathalie Konen for her production support.

Our engineers were Katie McMurran and Howard Gelman of KQED Radio in San Francisco.

This episode of Life of the Law was funded in part by grants from the Open Society Foundations, the Law and Society Association, and the National Science Foundation.

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100: Live Law NSF Jan 10, 2017

Show notes

The US Constitution sets the rules for how our our society is governed. Lawyers and advocates, legislators and lobbyists, judges and courts work to enforce it, or change it. All the while, legal and social scholars work behind the scenes for years, often decades conducting research that gets to the heart of the history, evolution, practice, and potential of the law in our society.

To celebrate Life of the Law's 100th Episode, Life of the Law and the National Science Foundation brought five NSF funded scholars to the NSF Headquarters in Washington DC to share their stories, personal experiences, professional challenges and discoveries about free speech and the judiciary, children and the legal system, imprisonment and culture, family law and poverty, hate crimes, and incivility in society.

Production Notes

LIVE LAW NSF: TRANSLATING (law and social) SCIENCE was produced by Nancy Mullane, Life of the Law's Executive Producer. Our Senior Producer is Tony Gannon. Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.

We want to thank the the National Science Foundation, Division of Law and Social Sciences for co-producing the live event at NSF Headquarters in Washington DC on October 7th, 2016.

Our engineers were Jim Bennett and Katie McMurran at KQED Radio in San Francisco.

Music in this episode was from The Audio Network.

This episode of Life of the Law was funded in part by grants from the Open Society Foundations, the Law and Society Association, and the National Science Foundation.

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