Life of the Law

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 a debate that will determine how that landscape looks in the future­­ -- and whether wolves will still live there.

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 whether) to rework these two rules. And there’s no question that the federal government wants states like Tennessee to pass tougher open container laws that would put a stop to drinking in cars all together. The hope is stricter laws would prevent costly accidents, and even deaths. As bait, the federal government offers millions of dollars in funding that states can use to fund transportation projects and new jobs. But, unlike most states, Tennessee has yet to bite, instead choosing to allow its residents the right to crack open a cold frosty one from the passenger seat. So what is it with these local laws that don’t seem to make sense? It turns out the process of making a laws isn’t always as logical as might think. 

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 mean 82 years after the fact? And what does forgiveness look like after so many years?

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. 

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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.