Law in Popular Culture

Guilty of grisly murder, Jodi Arias auctions ‘one-of-a-kind’ item—spectacles she wore at trial

Jodi Arias was found guilty last year in the grisly murder of her onetime boyfriend, Travis Alexander, with the help of two key sets of evidence: Photos she apparently took of the crime scene and then forgot in a camera found in the washing machine at his Arizona home. A…

Sep 15, 2014 2:15 PM CDT

Post-9/11 ‘Tour de Force’ bikes from Boston to DC to NYC to honor terrorism victims

Thirteen years after terrorists flew hijacked commercial airliners into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the attacks still resonate in the memories of victims’ surviving family members, first responders and others throughout the country. Among the events scheduled Thursday to honor the memory of victims, their families and those who…

Sep 11, 2014 4:58 PM CDT

Co-worker who texted juror about case gets reply text from judge

A co-worker who texted an alternate juror in a New York manslaughter case, providing information about the defendant, got an unusual response from the judge overseeing the case. After the alternate informed Onondaga County Court Judge Joseph Fahey about the text, he himself responded to the texter, at the juror’s…

Sep 10, 2014 4:25 PM CDT

Ex-prosecutor blames Ambien, job pressure for Web posts he resigned over; says few were work-related

A former federal prosecutor who posted anonymous comments on a New Orleans newspaper blog–comments which helped derail several high-profile cases and the careers of multiple lawyers in the local U.S. Attorney’s office–says he did so because of the pressure of his job. Interviewed recently at his home by a newspaper…

Sep 10, 2014 3:55 PM CDT

During suspension after cocaine conviction, lawyer wrote novel based on his life experience

Self-admitted alcoholism and multiple cocaine convictions have made law practice something of a rocky road for Michigan attorney Terry Nolan. However, his experiences in the law, rehab and family life provided useful background material for a crime novel he wrote last year during a suspension from practice, the Muskegon Chronicle…

Sep 9, 2014 5:10 PM CDT

5-attorney family law firm is lead sponsor for NASCAR driver, hopes he will win race and new clients

A five-attorney family law firm in Richmond, Va., is taking an innovative approach to advertising for new clients. As lead sponsor for NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek, the Friedman Law firm will have its name emblazoned on the hood, roof, trunk and sides of his number 66 race car this weekend,…

Sep 5, 2014 3:30 PM CDT

Harper Lee, ABA Journal fiction prizes announced

John Grisham is a best-selling author who has seen many of his books become major Hollywood pictures. Jason Bailey is a first-time author who maintains a busy legal practice in western Colorado and only writes during his spare time. What do these two writers have in common? This year, they…

Sep 4, 2014 4:28 PM CDT

Letters: Judging Posner

Regarding “An Interview with Judge Richard A. Posner,” July: In my opinion, in some of Judge Posner’s body of work there are pieces in which he comes across as a consummate ass. No question about it. But one can see a first-class mind at work here. And it is clear…

Sep 1, 2014 10:10 AM CDT

Selfie sent to burglary victim’s cloud account put couple at forefront of investigation

At the end of July, someone broke into a California woman’s home in the Santa Clarita area and stole jewelry, cash and electronic devices. Then the investigation got on a fast track when, after the burglary, the victim discovered selfies of an unknown couple on her cloud account, days later.…

Aug 21, 2014 4:25 PM CDT

‘Best mug shot ever’: Man poses in T-shirt displaying booking photo as he begins DUI jail sentence

Busted in June for drunken driving and driving without a license, a Maine teenager was ready to make a fashion statement by the time he began a two-day jail sentence in August in his driving-under-the-influence case. For the new booking photo, Robert Burt, 19, was wearing an orange T-shirt featuring…

Aug 20, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

‘Let’s kill all the lawyers’ quote is popular on novelty gift items

The quote is still generating debate, as well as novelty gift sales: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” At the Shakespeare Library gift shop in Washington, D.C., customers can buy a blue T-shirt with the line for $19.95, the Wall Street Journal reports. “Things with that…

Aug 19, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

Cartoon Poll: Which caption fits this canine cartoon best?

ABA Journal staffers snubbed the dog-eat-dog puns, even though clever “pro bone-o” and “illegal collar” captions made us snicker. But after reviewing more than 150 submissions, these were the three stand-out favorites. Now it’s your turn to tell us which one should run with the cartoon in an upcoming issue…

Aug 13, 2014 7:55 PM CDT

Downey Jr. and Duvall star in ‘The Judge,’ acclaimed new movie that will headline film festival

Last year, the award-winning sci-fi flick Gravity was premiered by Warner Bros. at the Toronto International Film Festival. This year it’s the studio’s new film The Judge that will not only be introduced to audiences there but headline the festival when it opens on Sept. 4, Variety reports. The movie,…

Aug 4, 2014 5:55 PM CDT

12 movies with pivotal lessons featuring lawyers

Movies transport us. They take us to different times and places, bringing laughter in one moment and tears in the next. But no matter how outlandish the plot, at their core movies examine the human condition. We tell stories about ourselves to ourselves, even if the characters are ostensibly aliens or animals or fuzzy monsters. They are based on realities we can learn from.

Aug 1, 2014 10:40 AM CDT

New documentary looks back at the Pamela Smart murder trial

Before O.J., before Casey Anthony and even before CourtTV, there was Pamela Smart. Smart, whose 1991 murder trial may be better remembered for its headline-grabbing details of sex, violence and power, was actually the defendant in the country’s first-ever fully televised trial. She was convicted of conspiracy to murder her…

Aug 1, 2014 9:50 AM CDT