Law in Popular Culture

The JD of Reality TV: This Texas litigator co-hosts a podcast devoted to reality TV legal issues

By training television cameras on real people with ready access to Birkins, Botox, yachts and Champagne, the Bravo network has created a reality TV niche like no other. Enter The Bravo Docket, a popular podcast co-founded and co-hosted by Texas litigator Angela L. Angotti, a partner in the Austin office of Bowman and Brooke.

Oct 1, 2026 12:50 AM CDT

Pokemon fan charged with $55M crypto hack goes on trial

A Maryland cybersecurity consultant who allegedly stole nearly $55 million in hacked cryptocurrency and spent some of it on rare Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering cards went on trial in New York.

Sep 29, 2026 10:28 AM CDT

Salt-N-Pepa ask appeals court to reinstate copyright ownership case

Hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa have asked an appellate court to reinstate their copyright reclamation lawsuit against their record label and to “push it” back to the trial judge.

Sep 24, 2026 12:36 PM CDT

Judge dismisses suit claiming James Cameron misappropriated likeness of actress for ‘Avatar’

A federal district judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by an actress accusing director James Cameron of misappropriating her likeness for his Avatar film franchise.

Sep 22, 2026 12:35 PM CDT

From Mob Wife to Public Defender: Edie Falco to star in new legal drama

Edie Falco, who starred as the wife of mobster Tony Soprano in the Emmy-winning HBO series The Sopranos, is taking on a new role as a public defender.

Sep 18, 2026 8:05 AM CDT

Lawyers in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ defamation case claim they haven’t been paid in over 6 months

Lawyers representing imprisoned hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in an ongoing defamation case have asked to be removed, citing nonpayment of legal fees.

Sep 17, 2026 11:25 AM CDT

District attorney won’t seek death penalty for Nick Reiner based on siblings’ wishes

Based on the wishes of his siblings, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will not seek the death penalty for Nick Reiner, who is charged with murdering his parents, Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner and photographer and film producer Michele Singer Reiner.

Sep 16, 2026 11:34 AM CDT

Appellate court affirms dismissal of Bruce Springsteen lawsuit over album cover

Singer-songwriter and musician Bruce Springsteen had a “glory day” Tuesday thanks to a New Jersey appellate court.

Sep 16, 2026 10:51 AM CDT

Former death penalty attorney creates stand-up comedy show with inspiration from clients

Not long before his debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, death row lawyer-turned-comic Josh Pickar spoke with one of his former clients. The man, who remains incarcerated and awaiting execution, knew the attorney was performing his stand-up show, Getting Off, at the festival and asked him to include one of his jokes. Pickar thought it would fit because his show was about the death penalty.

Sep 11, 2026 10:33 AM CDT

Lindsay Clancy trial shows how hard it is to prove intent retroactively

In many situations, it’s impossible to prove what someone was thinking beyond a reasonable doubt. All my prosecutor buddies will scream from the top of their collective lungs that they can always prove intent through circumstantial evidence. I disagree.

Sep 10, 2026 12:15 PM CDT

State attorney general sues J. Peterman, retailer linked to ‘Seinfeld’ TV show

The Ohio attorney general has filed a lawsuit against a Cincinnati-area retailer linked with the 1990s TV show Seinfeld, alleging that the company took customers’ money without delivering merchandise or providing refunds.

Sep 9, 2026 2:51 PM CDT

How post-9/11 pop culture helped push Americans to embrace torture

Historically, torture scenes in pop culture signaled villainy. James Bond villains devised elaborate death traps, Big Brother tried to break Winston Smith in 1984, and the bad guys in Star Wars and Star Trek tormented heroes like Han Solo and Captain Picard. Torture was a bright line only evildoers crossed. Even when torture scenes were parodied in Monty Python skits or in movies such as Dude, Where’s My Car? or Shrek, it was typically the antagonists doing it. Then 9/11 happened.

Sep 9, 2026 10:25 AM CDT

Appeals court hears ‘The Pitt’ producers’ plea to kill ‘ER’ lawsuit

A medical TV show’s drama has spilled over to the courtroom, as an attorney for the producers of The Pitt told a California appeals court on Tuesday that the popular show is a unique work that cannot be sued on free speech grounds.

Sep 9, 2026 9:59 AM CDT

Is Perry Mason TV’s most effective lawyer? New study names top 5

Perhaps it’s not a surprise that the person who almost never lost a case and almost always broke down a key witness on the stand was the winner in a study to determine the most effective fictional lawyer in television history.

Sep 8, 2026 2:21 PM CDT

Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber among musical stars facing copyright suit for using reggaeton’s signature beat

Is the signature reggaeton beat “boom, ch-boom, chick” protected by copyright? The producers of songs considered among the first in the genre have filed a copyright lawsuit against musical superstars including Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee claiming that, yes, it is.

Sep 8, 2026 9:39 AM CDT