Law in Popular Culture

Goldilocks Avoids Criminal Sanction When Sotomayor Judges Dispute on Sesame Street

Justice Sonia Sotomayor took on more of an arbitrator role when she appeared on Sesame Street and heard the case of Goldilocks v. Baby Bear. Sotomayor began by explaining her role for young viewers. “A Supreme Court justice is a judge who solves arguments by giving his or her opinion,”…

Feb 8, 2012 5:58 PM CST

A True Love Story: Documentary Looks at Couple Behind Famous Civil Rights Case

For most lawyers, the U.S. Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia is a familiar one. The 1967 decision struck down Virginia’s antimiscegenation statute, which prohibited and criminalized interracial marriage. Now a documentary film is bringing to light the story of the people behind the seminal civil rights decision. Filmmaker Nancy…

Feb 1, 2012 10:30 AM CST

The Readers’ Choice: Voters’ Top Blawg 100 Picks

More than 8,000 law blog fans registered to vote for their favorite newsy, useful, fun or practice-specific blogs featured in our 5th Annual Blawg 100. The top vote-getters in our 12 categories are: NEWS Above the Law Breaking Media’s Above the Law is developing into a legal publishing empire, featuring…

Feb 1, 2012 10:00 AM CST

Heard the One About the Lawyer? Comedians-at-Law Troupe Hits the Road

Greg Collett has worked in law, banking and politics. Tired of having jobs that made people hate him, he decided to give comedy a try. “I think there’s no profession other than law that drives so many people to work hard and succeed,” says Collett, who with five other attorneys…

Feb 1, 2012 9:50 AM CST

Ex-Justice John Paul Stevens Chats with Stephen Colbert About His Citizens United Dissent

Marking the two-year anniversary of a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision that opened the door to so-called Super PACs, former Justice John Paul Stevens appeared last night on comedian Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report to discuss his dissent in the Citizens United case, among other topics. In a clip from…

Jan 20, 2012 8:13 PM CST

PD Seeks Dismissal of 6 Cases, Says Defendants Were Arrested During ‘Voyeuristic Reality TV Show’

A public defender in Florida is seeking the dismissal of six criminal cases, contending that the defendants were arrested during the filming of a “voyeuristic reality television show” by Broward County sheriff’s deputies who received financial incentives from producers. The show, Police Women of Broward County, is aired by TLC/Discovery…

Jan 10, 2012 7:48 PM CST

Apple Reportedly Threatens to Sue Over Steve Jobs Action Figure

Apple is allegedly threatening to sue the Chinese maker of an action figure with an uncanny resemblance to the company’s late founder. Supposedly set to debut in February for $99 by In Icons, the Steve Jobs doll might not make it to store shelves. Apple reportedly claims that any toy…

Jan 6, 2012 7:23 PM CST

Indy Lawyers Prepare For Super Bowl’s Impact

As football fans prepare to descend on Indianapolis for Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 5, the city’s lawyers are busy prepping contingency plans to ensure legal business continues as normal. From addressing parking concerns for court hearings, to allowing remote access to firm servers, to adjusting office hours to account…

Jan 5, 2012 7:40 PM CST

They Could Be Heroes: Four Lawyer Superheroes of Your Own Creation

In our November issue, we asked readers to create their own lawyer superheroes complete with names and special powers. Many of you took us up on our challenge—offering characters such as the aptly named Race Judicata, who has the ability to digest an entire Antonin Scalia dissent in three nanoseconds;…

Jan 1, 2012 9:40 AM CST

Prize in New Legal Fiction Contest Is Pride of Publication

If you have a shorter legal story you’d like to tell, a new fiction writing contest will give you a chance to have your work judged by some high-profile authors. You don’t have to be a lawyer to enter, but your story has to take place in a legal setting…

Dec 20, 2011 3:38 PM CST

Gloria Allred and Politicking Law Prof Make List of Top 10 Quotes of the Year

Celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred and former Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren are being recognized for their turns of phrase on a list of this year’s top 10 quotations. Yale law librarian Fred Shapiro assembled the list that will be used in his next edition of the Yale Book of Quotations,…

Dec 19, 2011 3:28 PM CST

BigLaw Attorney Makes His Mark in Viral Metal Band Video Panned as Worst of 2011

Corrected: By day, Steven A. Delchin is a senior attorney at Squire Sanders & Dempsey specializing in litigation and appellate matters. But on his off hours he lets his imagination take him far from the corporate world, as a viral YouTube video demonstrates. Featuring Alternate Reality, a metal band in…

Dec 12, 2011 3:30 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Journalists, Watch Your Language, Prof Says; ‘Groupons’ for Lawyers?

Reporting on Sex Abuse Cases At The Crime Report, ex-prosecutor and adjunct prof Wendy Murphy writes that the language used in media coverage of the Penn State child sex abuse case has been “universally inappropriate.” Murphy runs New England Law | Boston’s Judicial Language Project, which “aims to identify language…

Dec 2, 2011 2:44 PM CST

We Honor the Fallen: Past Blawg 100 Entries Which Have Departed

Blogs are ephemeral creatures. While some endure year after year, others have the lifespan of a mayfly. In our first year, one Blawg 100 honoree didn’t even survive the time period between its selection and our magazine’s print date. So for our fifth anniversary, we’re taking a look back at…

Dec 1, 2011 11:10 AM CST

Doc Defender: He’s the Fair-Use Guru of Nonfiction Movies

Documentary filmmakers use thousands of images, trademarks and other intellectual property in their creations, often targeting for criticism the people or corporations that are the lawful owners of the material being used. So when threatening letters arrive at filmmakers’ offices, they often send an SOS to Los Angeles attorney Michael…

Dec 1, 2011 9:10 AM CST