Welcome back! We’re kicking off our sixth season of Sidebar by dissecting imaginary legal codes of fiction to uncover truths about our real-world search for fairness. From the ethical dilemmas of "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Better Call Saul" to the lawless world of Harry Potter, where a lack of attorneys often leaves characters in peril, we examine how pop culture shapes our understanding of justice.
The surprising top dog in fantasy law? Star Trek, with its prophetic examinations of AI and ownership. Should rights be reserved for biological life alone? Does the Prime Directive offer a universal model for human rights?
We also dive into the connection between fan fiction tinhatting and Supreme Court originalism, exploring why interpreting 18th-century intent is not so different from fans extrapolating the secret lives of Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.
Join us as we learn why 90% of Harry Potter’s problems could have been solved with a lawyer.
[Editor’s note: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is indeed named, numerous times, within. Proceed with caution!]
Special guests:
- Lenora Ledwon, professor of law at St. Thomas University
- Stacey Lantagne, professor of law at Suffolk University
- Kiersten Marcil, attorney and author of The Enlightened saga
- Fabrice Defferrard, professor of law at the University of Reims
Sidebar tackles the top stories you need to know from the legal world. Join reporters Hillel Aron, Kirk McDaniel, Amanda Pampuro, Kelsey Reichmann and Josh Russell as they take you in and out of courtrooms in the U.S. and beyond and break down developments to help you understand how they affect your day-to-day life.
This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens. A transcript is available.
Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.
For more from the Venn diagram of fiction and the law:
- Kurt Vonnegut’s estate and other authors sue Utah school board over ‘modern day book burning’
- Justin Baldoni asks NY judge to toss out Blake Lively’s ‘It Ends With Us’ harassment suit
- Dave Franco and Alison Brie body-horror movie ‘Together’ accused of being a rip-off
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