Court Talk

When it comes to child welfare, we’ve become a nation that often fails to anticipate problems forcing us to react without enough information. This problem sometimes causes courts and agencies to separate children and parents, highlighting how our foster care system in many states is broken and dysfunctional. Dr. Jerry Milner, acting commissioner for the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, has spent four decades trying to strengthen the child welfare system. 

Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50. Listen as Carl M. Dawson, a counselor from Springfield, Missouri, talks about the brain chemistry that can lead to addiction, the latest research on treatment options, and what courts can do to help those individuals with drug problems who come into the courts. 

The opioid epidemic is taking a devastating toll on American families, communities, and health care workers across America. It’s also playing out in courtrooms across the country. Judge J.H. Corpening, chief district judge in Wilmington, NC, is on the frontlines this overwhelming crisis. But he’s also on the forefront of finding answers of how courts can be a part of the solution. 

The misuse of opioids such as heroin, morphine, and prescription pain medicines is a devastating public health crisis, but it also is critically affecting our nation’s courts. The number of children in foster care because of parental substance abuse has nearly tripled since 2012, and drug overdose deaths are at record highs. Top state court leaders have formed a task force to find solutions, examine current efforts, and make recommendations to address the opioid epidemic’s ongoing impact on the justice system. Task force co-chairs, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush and Tennessee State Court Administrator Deborah Taylor Tate, discuss efforts courts are taking to address this situation. 

Retired Idaho Chief Justice Jim Jones has had a passion for war-time refugees since his days as a soldier in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. He values refugees and points out that the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese who came to the United States after the war are hard-working, law-abiding people who have greatly contributed to our country. He believes all refugees from war-ravaged nations are valuable American citizens, if given the chance. He’s doing what he can to improve their chance, by helping refugees with their legal needs. Article: For 50 years, this Vietnam vet’s heart ached for refugees. Now the retired judge is taking action, featured in the Idaho Statesman

On April 7, 1992, Mark Reilly shot and killed William Ford Jr. in an auto body garage on Long Island. Reilly admits to doing it, but the grand jury that heard the case didn’t indict him. The shooting and the grand jury’s decision tormented William Ford’s family and friends. His brother, Yance, decided he had to find out why things happened the way they did, and he had to let the world know that William was a great guy. The result is "Strong Island," a recently released Netflix documentary that has received rave reviews. Yance Ford joins us on Court Talk to discuss it all – the shooting, the role of the grand jury, and much more. Images: Director Yance Ford Movie poster for "Strong Island" Snapshot of William Ford, Jr. and his sistersImage Credit: Netflix

You may know that it was signed in Philadelphia in 1787, that the oldest signer was Benjamin Franklin and that it doesn’t include the word “democracy.” William & Mary Law Professor Allison Orr Larsen, an expert in constitutional law, can tell you a lot more about it. With Constitution Day (Sept. 17) upon us, Professor Larsen talks about the document’s strengths and weaknesses and its major misconceptions. And she discusses what she thinks will have to happen before it is amended again.

On any given day, more than 7,500 people are detained at New York City’s largest jail, Rikers Island. Nearly 80 percent of those people – roughly 6,000 -- have not been found guilty of the charges they face. Many remain in Rikers for months awaiting a trial. Research and personal stories paint a picture of conditions so inhumane that a New York independent commission examined the situation and determined that the only way to fix Rikers is to shut it down. Retired New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, who chaired the commission, talks about Rikers and incarceration reform efforts. Resource: "A More Just New York City"

The vast majority of cases in state courts are resolved with little or no fanfare. But when public scrutiny focuses on a particular trial – whether it involves a heinous crime, a celebrity, or a societal issue – judges and other court leaders need effective tools to help them manage intense media, security, and crowd issues, especially in a rapidly evolving technological environment. Paula Hannford-Agor discusses resources and tools now available to courts online to plan and manage high-profile cases in their courts. 

Charleston, South Carolina is home to One80 Place, a homeless shelter that provides legal services and serves as a national model for homeless courts. Jeff Yungman tells listeners what One80 does and how the organization got its start. 

Chief Justice of Ohio Maureen O'Connor and Laurie Dudgeon, co-chairs of a National Task Force on Court Fines, Fees & Bail Practices discuss the potential impact that court fines and fees have on the poor and what the courts are doing to make the system work better for everyone. 

More and more states are recognizing the benefits service and therapy animals can provide to people coming to court. In this edition of Court Talk, you will learn what qualifies as a service animal, an emotional therapy animal, or just a courthouse greeter from Knowledge and Information Analyst Deborah Smith.

In 20 minutes a lawyer can change a [veteran’s] life says new ABA President Linda Klein. Hear how the ABA is focusing efforts on veterans’ legal services -- and so much more. 

Who are tomorrow’s lawyers? Professor Paul Marcus talks about the declining number of applicants for law school, but the increasing quality of students. 

Every year several couples gather at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to get married on Valentine's Day. Nancy Peters, communications specialist for the Minnesota Fourth Judicial District, takes us behind-the-scenes of the state’s Valentine’s Day weddings and share some sweet love stories. 

Adam Liptak, New York Times Supreme Court Correspondent, talks about Chief Justice John Roberts' 2016 Year-End-Report, which focuses on the work of the district court judges.

Judge Marc Carter created the first Veterans’ Court in Texas. Listen as Judge Carter, a veteran himself, talks about the need for and effectiveness of providing veterans who wind up in court with a second chance. 

This year’s Supreme Court high-profile cases address transgender rights, racial bias in the justice system, voting right, and immigration. Erwin Chemerinsky fills listeners in on which ones stand to have the most impact on state courts.

Host: Jesse Rutledge Guest: Shelle Stormoe In this extra feature, Shelle Stormoe, former education outreach coordinator for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, reveals more of the haunting history at the Desha County Courthouse, including the courthouse's spooky sleepovers and the nameless ghost that has the ability to open locked doors.

In this extra feature, Tammy O’Kelley, executive director of the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority, shares the history of ghost Laura Worth, a local woman who had been given a room in the basement after falling on hard times in the 1930s. “Miss Laura” haunts the courthouse with her tin cans.