Podcasts by Life of the Law
Law is alive. It doesn’t live in books and words. It thrives in how well we understand and apply it to everyday life.
We ask questions, find answers, and publish what we discover in feature episodes and live storytelling.
Further podcasts by Nancy Mullane / Panoply
Podcast on the topic Nachrichten
All episodes
138: Call NOW! [Rebroadcast] from 2018-06-26T04:00
When things go bad all you need to do is pick up the phone and CALL. Since the US Supreme Court allowed lawyers to advertise in the 1970s, practices like these have skyrocketed, with often shoddily...
Listen137: Law and Society Association Conference Highlights from 2018-06-19T12:23
Where does one find a discussion of research on abduction for forced marriage amidst West and Central African conflicts? Where does one find research on how ‘yes means yes’ policies on university c...
Listen136: New Voices Series - Law Students Take on Immigration from 2018-05-28T08:12
Immigration law is a mystery. Unless you’re an immigrant seeking relief under the law, or you’re an immigration law attorney, it’s an unknown. Then, earlier this year, Karla McKanders, a professor ...
Listen135: In-Studio: Peril and Promise of Genetic Testing from 2018-05-15T04:00
How curious are you about your genetic makeup? There are hundreds of companies that provide direct-to-consumer tests that promise your genealogy, deep ancestry and biogeographical ancestry. Other ...
Listen134: GATTACA REVISITED - Up the Borrowed Ladder from 2018-05-01T12:18
Some two decades ago, filmmaker Andrew Nicols wrote and directed GATTACA a sci-fi movie that presented a future in which individuals and society were at risk from having gained access to, and contr...
Listen133: In-Studio: Police, Race and Fatal Force from 2018-04-17T02:50:16
Mothers, brothers, sons and daughters in cities across the country are suffering from the loss of a loved one to police use of fatal force. In 2017 The Washington Post reports police officers in th...
Listen132: Death by Police: A Mother's (audio) Diary from 2018-04-02T07:00
Police officers throughout the U.S. shoot and kill unarmed people, in Sacramento, Detroit, New Orleans and in Madison. The Washington Post reports 987 people were shot and killed by police in 2017,...
Listen131: LIVE LAW SF - Initial Public Offering from 2018-03-20T15:36
This week Life of the Law presents LIVE LAW... stories from people living with the rapid fire shifts that come with tech in the Bay Area, folks who are pushing back against the gentrification and a...
Listen130: Inside San Quentin - Moonlight from 2018-03-06T08:48:55
What would men in prison say, if we just listened? This week, Life of the Law presents a new INSIDE SAN QUENTIN episode - conversations inside San Quentin produced exclusively by men incarcerated i...
Listen129: Uganda Part 4 - In Studio from 2018-02-20T15:15
Over the past month, Life of the Law's team of journalists and scholars have published a three part series of feature investigative reports on Uganda, examining the long-term impact of the violence...
Listen128: Uganda Part 3 - Justice from 2018-02-07T03:25
For more than 20 years, rebels with the Lord's Resistance Army abducted 60,000 people from towns and villages in Northern Uganda, many of them young girls and boys who were then forced to fight, ki...
Listen127: Uganda Part 2 - Escape from 2018-01-24T06:17:08
For more than 20 years, rebels with the Lords Resistance Army abducted 60,000 people, from towns and villages in Northern Uganda, many of them young girls and boys who were forced to fight, kill, l...
Listen126: Uganda Part 1 - Abducted from 2018-01-10T04:35
Today man named Dominic Ongwen is on trial before the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands. The 42 year old Ugandan is charged with committing war crimes and crimes against humani...
Listen125: A Whole 'nother World - San Quentin Live (2017 Holiday Rebroadcast) from 2017-12-27T06:24
On Saturday night, Dec 5, 2015 more than 200 people filled the pews of the Catholic chapel inside San Quentin State Prison for a first-ever uncensored storytelling event behind the prison walls. To...
Listen124: Traditions from 2017-12-12T21:03:07
Traditions. We all have them. Some good and, well, some not so good. Think for a minute. When you were a kid, what were your holiday traditions? Do you still follow some of them today? Put up light...
Listen123: The Battle Over Your Right to Vote from 2017-11-28T08:00
The polls got it wrong. What matters in the end, on election day, is who has the right to vote and who goes to the polls to cast their ballot. Due to strict voter ID laws, not all Americans are all...
Listen122: Government Ghost from 2017-11-14T08:00
2017 has been a terrible year for tens of thousands of people. Fires in northern California and record-setting torrential hurricanes and floods in Texas and Puerto Rico have meant that families hav...
Listen121: In-Studio - Brutally Ruthless from 2017-10-31T07:29
"As incompetent and bumbling as the Trump Administration has been in so many areas, they have been brutally ruthless on immigration." -- Jose Chito Vela, Immigration Attorney and Candidate for Te...
Listen120: Life Un-DACAmented (Re-Broadcast) from 2017-10-17T07:00
Nearly two years ago on January 26, 2016, Life of the Law presented Un-DACA-mented, a report on the Obama Administration's DACA Program, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The program, begu...
Listen119: Live Law Detroit from 2017-10-03T07:00
Look around. Change is happening. People you know and people you pass on the street are in transition. They are transforming their lives. Unless you stop to hear their story, you may miss it. Each ...
Listen118: In Studio - Global Intellectual Property from 2017-09-19T08:13
All over the world people create. Music, art, literature. But is their creative work protected? Sure there are international copyright laws, but are they enforced? And if not, what then? This week ...
Listen117: The Gift&Curse of Music from 2017-09-05T07:00
As a child, Serge Turnier fell in love with the sounds of the carnival bands that would pass near his house in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Now one of the top music producers in the country, Turnier is f...
Listen116: In Studio - Prosecuting Discretion from 2017-08-22T16:51:54
"Every criminal trial is a competition between the prosecution and the defense. The judge has relatively less dominant role than in other countries and a lot of times, we have the guilt and innocen...
Listen115: Ten Hours to Twenty Years from 2017-08-08T07:00
It all started out as a plan to steal some comic books, sell them and split the cash. That was before a busted lip, a heart attack, and federal prosecutors stepped in. Reporter Mary Lee Williams, a...
Listen114: Inside San Quentin - To Be Heard from 2017-07-25T07:00
It's been more than 45 years since a thousand inmates at Attica Prison (Correctional Facility) in New York took control of the prison. In her 2017 Pulitzer Prize winning book, Blood in the Water: T...
Listen113: In Studio from 2017-07-11T07:00
America is a nation that locks up more people per capita than any other country in the world. The Sentencing Project reports 2.2 million people are incarcerated in America's prisons. That's a 500%...
Listen112: In Studio from 2017-06-28T06:15
What does it take to win an NBA Championship? On Monday night, June 12th, Oakland's Golden State Warriors, aka "Dub Nation" silenced the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the 2017 NBA Championship. Three ...
Listen111: Warriors from 2017-06-13T07:00
It's official! The Golden State Warriors are the 2017 NBA Champions! Life of the Law honors the team and each of the players with this special episode. One day a year, the Golden State Warriors' co...
Listen110: In Studio from 2017-06-02T15:59:54
What does color of skin have to do with equal access to justice in America? The Equal Protection Clause, part of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution which took effect in 1868, provides that no s...
Listen109: Unequal Protection - Pt. 2 from 2017-05-23T07:00
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...
Listen108: Unequal Protection - Pt. 1 from 2017-05-03T06:00
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 Su...
Listen107: In Studio from 2017-04-19T06:44:10
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 situati...
Listen106: Mother and Son from 2017-04-05T03:20
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...
Listen105: In Studio from 2017-03-21T07:00
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 L...
Listen104: Heroin Town from 2017-03-08T07:33
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 treatmen...
Listen103: In Studio from 2017-02-21T08:00
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 stu...
Listen102: Radio Silenced from 2017-02-07T08:00
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 r...
Listen101: In Studio from 2017-01-24T08:00
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 a...
Listen100: Live Law NSF from 2017-01-10T08:00
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 an...
Listen99: Shaken from 2016-12-20T08:00
Tonia Miller lost control and shook her baby to death. That’s what prosecutors said. Miller denied it, but a Michigan jury wasn’t convinced and convicted her of murder. At 19 years old, Miller was ...
Listen98: Fair Fight for a Fair Court from 2016-12-13T19:43:25
The 2016 elections are over. But what did we learn from the results? Over the past 11 months, Life of the Law’s team of reporters, editors and scholars have been taking a hard took at how money and...
Listen97: Fair Fight for a Fair Court from 2016-11-29T08:00
The 2016 elections are over. But what did we learn from the results? Over the past 11 months, Life of the Law’s team of reporters, editors and scholars have been taking a hard took at how money and...
Listen96: Live Law San Quentin: Hope from 2016-11-16T07:31:36
On Saturday, November 12, 2016 members of the San Quentin Wednesday Night Creative Writing Class presented the stories they have been writing, to fellow inmates and guests inside the prison’s educ...
Listen95: Judges v. Attack Ads from 2016-11-01T07:00
Judges across the country are in a fight to keep their jobs. You see, Unlike judges appointed to federal courts, many state judges have to run in elections to either get voted onto the court or kee...
Listen94: Courting Voters - Pt 4: A Fair Fight for a Fair Court from 2016-10-18T20:14:59
On October 4th, the justices on the Kansas Supreme Court traveled to Hutchinson, a small town in central Kansas. The seven men and women donned their black robes and took the bench in a community c...
Listen93: Last Count from 2016-10-04T07:00
Douglas Collier is serving a life sentence inside San Quentin State Prison. For years he shared a 9x4 foot cell with his friend Tony, a fellow inmate. One day Tony couldn’t stop coughing. His art...
Listen92: Live Law Phoenix - Borders from 2016-09-20T08:59:28
Each summer, people from all around the country gather for the Soros Justice Fellowship Conference -- three days of meetings, conversations, and workshops by scholars, journalists, attorneys, and a...
Listen91: Death on a Dairy from 2016-09-06T13:43
“Being trampled, being struck by livestock, being struck by vehicles, backed over. People have fallen into and drowned in manure pits.” - Steve Kaplan, OSHATurns out small dairy farms can be some o...
Listen90: Kids Doing Life from 2016-08-23T04:00
When you’re sixteen or seventeen do you really think about what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with? Sometimes, sure. But not all the time. There’s science to show that teens don’t think like...
Listen89: Live Law Philadelphia - Prison Positive from 2016-08-09T12:00
If you’ve had unprotected sex the only way to know if you’ve been infected with the HIV is to take a quick saliva or blood test. It’s free and it's easy. And then whether you’re negative or positiv...
Listen88: Clemency from 2016-07-26T08:00
Last December 95 prisoners had their sentences shortened by President Obama. This was part of an ongoing effort to use clemency to free non-violent drug offenders who were given harsh sentences for...
Listen87: Bail or Bust from 2016-07-12T08:00
Hundreds of people in cities throughout the US have been arrested for participating in Black Lives Matter protests. In Chicago, a judge set one protestor's bail at $350,000. To "make bail" he will...
Listen86: Winter of Love from 2016-06-28T07:00
This summer, we’re changing things up a bit at Life of the Law. We’re presenting some amazing audio documentaries produced by at universities and colleges around the country. Our first story is fro...
ListenBONUS: Life as Lady J from 2016-06-21T09:00
While North Carolina sorts out whether children who identify as transgendered should be able to use the bathroom of their choice, shots were fired inside a gay dance club in Orlando, Florida. Fifty...
Listen85: Live Law New Orleans - A Scholar's Life from 2016-06-14T09:00
What’s it like to be a scholar? You go to college, get graduate degree maybe a phd to study something about the law in our lives. Years pass. You live in the hallowed halls of academia. Who are yo...
Listen84: Liberte&Securite from 2016-05-31T08:00
There’ve been a series of terrorist attacks in Europe, and now France, one of the countries hardest hit, is adjusting to the elevated threat. Since the shootings at the offices of Charlie Hebdo la...
Listen83: Recuse Yourself - Pt 3: A Fair Fight for a Fair Court from 2016-05-17T07:00
When should a judge step aside? Most people can agree that when a judge’s family member appears in court, it’s the judge’s responsibility to bow out. Or, if a judge stands to profit directly from t...
Listen82: The Holdup from 2016-05-03T04:00
“I feel like I need to do those things cause the court has to appear normal to the outside world, even though things are really abnormal inside, it's my job to keep a sense of normalcy and not to d...
Listen81: Rig the System - Pt 2: Fair Fight for a Fair Court from 2016-04-19T09:00
The law isn’t always black and white. Let’s say your neighbor wants to drill for oil in their backyard. It could be loud and it might even pollute the groundwater. You’re worried. Who has the autho...
Listen80: Live Law Nashville – Blood, Sweat, and Tears from 2016-04-05T07:00
Hosted by Hal Humphries, our live show, Blood Sweat and Tears explores music and the law in “Music City”. We host live storytelling events that are unlike any other. All across the country, our Liv...
ListenBONUS: A Conversation on Eugenics and the Law from 2016-03-29T07:00
Last week, we published STERILIZED, Reporter Jess Engebretson's disturbing story of Rose Brooks and Lewis Reynolds, two of more than 60,000 men and women forcibly sterilized in the United States by...
Listen79: Sterilized from 2016-03-22T08:00
Beginning in 1907, states in the US began to forcibly sterilize over 60,000 Americans -- people considered by scientists to be “unfit” -- the mentally ill, the disabled, the morally suspect. Now, a...
Listen78: Revolution in a Cornfield from 2016-03-08T06:07
In Kansas, public schools are at the heart of a debate about how much money the state should budget for education -- a debate that comes down to a fight over nothing less than the balance of power...
Listen77: Harris County from 2016-02-23T12:00
All over the country, critics argue that ID laws discourage voter participation--particularly among poor and minority voters. This is particularly true in Texas, which passed a voter ID law in 2011...
Listen76: Juggalos from 2016-02-09T09:00
In 2011 the FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center released their Gang Threat Assessment, which listed Juggalos as a “loosely affiliated hybrid gang.” Juggalos, who are more commonly known as fans...
Listen75: UnDACAmented from 2016-01-26T04:00
In 2012, the Obama Administration signed a memo addressing all branches of the Department of Homeland Security, which granted undocumented immigrants who migrated as minors to the United States a r...
Listen74: Overruled from 2016-01-11T05:00
In the U.S., juries are often seen as democracy in action. Twelve men and women are asked to hear an entire case, and ultimately, decide another person’s fate. But in Alabama, the jury’s decision b...
Listen73: “A whole ‘nother world” – Live @ San Quentin from 2015-12-25T07:00
On Saturday night, Dec 5, 2015 more than 200 people filled the pews of the Catholic chapel inside San Quentin State Prison for a first-ever uncensored storytelling event behind the prison walls. To...
Listen72: Outside The Walls from 2015-12-15T11:00
“I didn’t go to prison because I was a saint. I went to prison because of my lifestyle. Since the age of 13 I was a gangbanger, and did what gangbangers do. I’m 49 years old now. After 20 years of ...
Listen71: Space Law 2.0 from 2015-11-24T05:00
When you look up at the sky the last thing you probably think about is the law. But space is exactly where the next frontier of law is being played out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...
Listen70: Live Law – Truth or Dare from 2015-11-17T05:00
Truth or Dare? What's it gonna be? On this episode, we have three stories told live: two truths and a dare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Listen69: Bit of an Edge from 2015-11-03T13:00
In real life, the business of jury selection is a 400 million dollar industry. So in a world of high priced jury consultants what does a jury of our peers look like? How do jury consultants work? H...
Listen68: Thorpe’s Body from 2015-10-20T05:00
The body of legendary Native American athlete Jim Thorpe rests in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania ... but some members of his family say he should be dug up and reburied on tribal land in Oklahoma. A laws...
Listen67: The Stop from 2015-10-06T16:00
We all know this feeling. You're driving. Maybe you're speeding. Maybe you don't think you're doing anything wrong. All of a sudden blue lights flash in your rear-view mirror. Your stomach drops. Y...
Listen66: Who’s the Criminal? from 2015-09-22T16:00
Ever committed a crime? Were you caught? Arrested? Maybe not. Between a quarter and a third of all adults in America were caught and arrested. Now they have a criminal record. What about those who ...
Listen65: Commuter Cops from 2015-09-08T13:00
Laws that required cops to live in the cities they patrolled were common in the early 1900s and still exist in the United States today. However, some law enforcement officials say residency require...
Listen64: Block Boss from 2015-08-25T16:00:43
On every city block, there are rules. Some are unspoken, some require friendly reminders, some are enforced by the law. Is it ever OK to break the rules in order to prevent others from breaking the...
Listen63: Water Rights from 2015-08-11T16:00:09
In the Western United States, water law is based on what seems like a simple principle: "first in use is first in right." In other words, first come first served. But take a severe drought, a Nativ...
Listen62: No Lawyers Allowed from 2015-07-28T05:00
At disciplinary hearings in prison, inmates are not guaranteed the right to an attorney. In fact, they aren't allowed to have one at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...
Listen61: Outside the Womb from 2015-07-14T13:00
What happens when the law changes and people find themselves in legal limbo in a foreign country? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Listen60: The Bear from 2015-06-30T13:00
Frank 'The Bear' Abramovitz lost his wife to cancer. That’s when he took over her business, and became a bounty hunter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Listen59: The Trauma Room from 2015-06-16T05:00
When prisoners act out, they get put in solitary confinement -- the penal version of go to your room and think about what you've done. But for the women that reporter Annie Brown talked to with hi...
Listen58: Oswald Is Still Dead from 2015-06-02T05:00
Lee Harvey Oswald was murdered before he could stand trial for the assassination of JFK. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying to get him into a courtroom, over and over again. Learn more abou...
Listen57: Drag.net from 2015-05-19T13:00
Amateur sleuths armed with their own laptops, public information and a lot of spare time are working alone and in groups to crack criminal cases. Sometimes it works and sometimes it goes very, very...
Listen56: Tipping the Scales from 2015-05-05T13:00
Are aggressive, expensive elections corrupting the court system? Or are they evidence of a strong democracy? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Listen55: Marijuana Rules from 2015-04-20T13:00
Recreational pot has earned the state of Colorado $53 million dollars in tax revenue. All on a drug that, according to federal law is still illegal. How does a marijuana business navigate all the u...
Listen54: Bad Gig from 2015-04-07T13:00
Exotic dancers, on-call drivers, and writers might have a different name for what they do -- freelancing, part-time work and independent contracting -- but it all means the same thing. Work that do...
Listen53: Anatomy of a Confession from 2015-03-24T13:00
A triple murder, a habitual liar on a stolen motorcycle and a confession that doesn’t add up. Why would anyone confess to a crime they didn’t commit? On Life of the Law, the story of a man dying of...
Listen52: Birth Rights from 2015-03-10T05:00
Pregnant with options. There’s the stroller, the crib, and the adorable baby clothes. And, for more than 50,000 women each year birthing plans also include choosing the right midwife even in states...
Listen51: Call NOW! from 2015-02-24T17:00
When things go bad all you need to do is pick up the phone and CALL. Or so lawyers like Saul on AMC’s new series tells us. Since the US Supreme Court allowed lawyers to advertise in the 1970s, prac...
Listen50: The Diaper Wars from 2015-02-10T13:00
In the 1980's, the world's two largest diaper companies set out to destroy each other, in a patent battle known as the Diaper Wars. The court battles lasted seven years and cost millions of dollars...
Listen49: Life After Doxing from 2015-01-27T13:00
The internet is anonymous. Except for when it isn't. When someone wants to hurt you, they can find your address and other personal information and post it online, inviting others to harass you, sta...
Listen48: Boiled Angel from 2015-01-13T17:00
Freedom of speech is a right guaranteed in the first amendment of the constitution. One exception to the rule is obscenity. But determining what is obscene is difficult – especially for those makin...
Listen47: Life of the Law End-of-Year Special: Redemption Stories from 2014-12-23T13:00
Life of the Law looks back over some of our favorite stories from the year: The ones that left us hopeful. Over the past year, we’ve found the law in places as different as comedy clubs, bedrooms, ...
Listen46: One Conjugal Visit from 2014-12-02T13:00
How long would your relationship last without a kiss or more than a kiss? In America, only three states allow prisoners and their spouses or domestic partners to have extended family visits, also k...
Listen45: Fair Share from 2014-11-18T13:00
Podcasts Life of the Law&Destination DIY team up to examine the legal grey area occupied by the sharing economy. How are cities grappling with these increasingly popular, disruptive, peer-to-peer b...
Listen44: Living With Wolves from 2014-11-04T13:00
Bringing wolves back to the West has tested the legal system’s tolerance for restoring wild places -- especially when humans live nearby. This year, the Endangered Species Act is at the center of...
Listen43: There Oughta Be A Law from 2014-10-21T13:00
In Tennessee, it’s illegal for grocery stores to sell wine, but perfectly legal for passengers to ride in cars and drink alcohol. At the state level, legislators have fought for years over how (or ...
Listen42: In The Name Of The Father from 2014-10-07T13:00
The Scottsboro Boys are infamous — nine black teenagers falsely accused and convicted of raping two white women. Last year, the state of Alabama finally exonerated all nine. But what does a pardon ...
Listen41: Who Owns That Joke from 2014-09-23T16:00
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 mean...
Listen40: Abuse, Abduction, and International Law from 2014-09-09T13:00
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 t...
Listen39: Two Sides of a River from 2014-07-22T13:00
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...
Listen38: One Reporter on California’s Death Row from 2014-07-17T13:00
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 exclu...
Listen37: Jailhouse Lawyers from 2014-07-08T13:00
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 ...
Listen36: Jury Nullification from 2014-06-24T13:00
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 Butle...
Listen35: Right to Beg from 2014-06-10T13:00
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...
Listen34: The Necessity Defense from 2014-05-20T13:00
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 ...
Listen33: The Hardest Time: Moms in Prison from 2014-05-06T05:00
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 ...
Listen32: Privacy Issues from 2014-04-22T13:00
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...
Listen31: People and Their Taxes from 2014-04-08T13:00
It’s April and that means two things: spring and tax time! The US tax system is really, really complicated. Every time you do your taxes, you’re answering to multiple jurisdictions –– and all their...
Listen30: Trouble With Profiling from 2014-03-25T13:00
Is ‘looking Mexican’ a legal reason for the Border Patrol to stop a car? Federal law says agents have to have ‘reasonable suspicion’ that something illegal is happening. But what that means depends...
Listen29: Best of Live Law 3 from 2014-03-11T13:00
What’s love got to do with the law? Then again, what’s the law got to do with falling in love? From coast to coast, Life of the Law occasionally takes to the stage with LIVE LAW to present true, fi...
Listen28: Bad Constitution from 2014-02-25T13:00
With more than 300,000 words and over 800 amendments, Alabama’s Constitution is 40 times longer than the US Constitution, and holds the record for being the longest active constitution in the world...
Listen27: Polyamorous Love from 2014-02-14T13:00
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 ...
Listen26: School Discipline from 2014-01-28T13:00
Thousands of kids are arrested in school every year. About a third of U.S. schools have a regular police presence on campus; some school districts even have their own police forces. As the number o...
Listen25: Release Day from 2014-01-15T05:00
For eighteen years, California’s three strikes law leveled harsh penalties against repeat felons: anyone with two felony convictions received 25 years to life for committing a third felony. In 2012...
Listen24: Best of 2013 from 2014-01-02T13:00
This hour-long special hosted by Al Letson features three of Life of the Law’s best stories of 2013. Letson leads listeners through the virtual world of games and the law, into a conflict over soci...
Listen23: Prison and Pregnancy from 2013-12-17T13:00
United States incarcerates six times as many women as it did thirty years ago. Many of these women are already mothers, and four percent of incarcerated women enter prison pregnant. What happens to...
Listen22: A Criminal Debt from 2013-12-03T13:00
It’s not unusual at all to leave prison anywhere across the country owing fees, fines, or other costs to the local court. The city of Philadelphia alone is trying to collect some $1.5 billion in ju...
Listen21: Water Rights from 2013-11-19T13:00
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 stre...
ListenFreestyle Special from 2013-11-15T13:00
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'...
Listen20: Justices on the Move from 2013-11-06T13:00
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...
Listen19: Judging Steinbeck’s Lennie from 2013-09-03T13:00
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 l...
Listen18: Forensics in Flames from 2013-07-23T13:00
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 th...
Listen17: Redefining Rape from 2013-07-09T13:00
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 ...
Listen16: Call Now! from 2013-06-25T05:00
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 prac...
Listen15: New Frontiers of Family Law from 2013-06-11T13:00
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 ...
Listen14: An Architect’s Code from 2013-05-28T13:00
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 lar...
Listen13: A Life on the Bench from 2013-05-07T13:00
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...
Listen12: Games and Law from 2013-04-23T13:00
Online, multi-player games create addictive, all-encompassing competitive worlds for players. But sometimes, players disturb the fantasy with abusive behavior. Through trial and error, game develop...
ListenFull Interview with Justin Helzer from 2013-04-16T13:00
Justin Helzer died Sunday night, April 14th. He committed suicide inside his cell on San Quentin’s Death Row (the cell in this photo). If you look closely you can see him sitting on his bunk, leani...
Listen11: Without Means from 2013-04-09T13:00
More than 30,000 people died by guns in 2011 in the US. Of those, close to 20,000 died by suicide. Many still do not make a connection between gun availability and suicide rates, but a growing body...
Listen9: Reporter on Death Row from 2013-03-12T13:00
What do we really know about death row in California? When we don’t know we create, we imagine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Listen8: Redesigning Justice from 2013-02-26T13:00
Red Hook is an isolated neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, once known as the “crack capital of America.” In 2000, residents banded together to create a community justice center more responsive to the ne...
Listen7: Felony Factory from 2013-02-12T13:00
You’ve just been arrested, charged with a felony and can’t afford to pay your bail, let alone hire a lawyer. You know you have the right to a trial by jury or judge, but what happens when the legal...
Listen6: Block Boss from 2013-01-29T13:00
On every city block, there are rules. Some are unspoken, some require friendly reminders, some are enforced by the law. Is it ever OK to break the rules in order to prevent others from breaking the...
Listen5 : Tough Crowd from 2013-01-25T13:00
Is the law ever a laughing matter? We present to you a brief history of attempted comedy in the toughest room in the country—the Supreme Courtroom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...
ListenBehind the Walls of the Most Restricted Cells from 2012-11-17T13:00
In California, there is one place where people considered to be the most dangerous inmates are incarcerated, it’s called the Security Housing Unit at Pelican Bay State Prison. Life of the Law Execu...
Listen4: Law in Translation from 2012-10-16T13:00
Vietnamese fishing communities are still finding themselves grounded by the BP oil spill, one of the largest environmental disasters of the century. These fishermen and women are without adequate i...
Listen3: Two Sides of a River from 2012-10-02T05:00
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...
Listen2: Jailhouse Lawyers from 2012-09-25T05:00
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 ...
Listen1: The Secret Power of Jury Nullification from 2012-09-16T21:00
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 Butle...
Listen1: The Secret Power of Jury Nullification from 2012-09-16T21:00
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 Butle...
Listen