The Breonna Taylor Case

Explicit content warning

10/03/20 • 36 min

In episode 3, Season 2 of the podcast, Attorney Rosensweig is breaking down each aspect of the Breonna Taylor case so that her listeners can really understand what questions they might ask when assessing whether the officers should have been put on trial for her death. Attorney Rosensweig goes over the following: 1) Were there sufficient grounds for a search warrant to have been issued? 2) Should the search warrant have been a knock and announce as opposed to a no-knock warrant? 3) Did the castle doctrine provide Breonna Taylor's boyfriend a legitimate defense in shooting an officer when law enforcement barged into their apartment in the middle of the night in plain clothes? 4) How dangerous are no-knock warrants, especially in states where there is the castle doctrine? 5) Did the police use excessive force when firing 32 bullets in response to 1? 6) What exactly happened with the grand jury and who is to blame for these officers walking free? This is a complex episode but one worth listening to, especially if you want to understand the systemic challenges that exist within the criminal justice system.
Also, please check out the most recent episode of Be Here for a While on which Attorney Rosensweig was a guest this week; and, please check out her Covid-19 children's book, Bailey Bloom and the Battle of the Bug.

Previous Episode

One Lawyer's Quest to Secure Convicted Felons the Right to Serve on a Jury

On episode 2 of Season 2 of the podcast, Attorney Rosensweig speaks with New York personal injury attorney, Matthew Haicken, about his quest to change the law in New York so that convicted felons who have completed their sentences can be called for jury duty. Matthew explains why banning those with felony convictions from serving on juries not only keeps those individuals from feeling fully reintegrated into society, it also hurts criminal defendants who have the right to a jury of their peers as well as plaintiffs in personal injury cases who benefit from having a jury comprised of people with similar life experiences. Matthew explains how race and systemic racism plays a factor in excluding convicted felons from jury pools and how he was able to convince conservative Republicans to get on board with his proposed change in the law. More broadly, if you have ever thought about how you might go about changing a law when you are neither a politician nor a political activist, this episode is without a doubt for you. Get ready to be inspired!

Next Episode

Are Fake Ballot Boxes Legal?

In this week's episode, Attorney Rosensweig talks about the fake ballot boxes that have been discovered in various parts of California and how the Republican Party has admitted that they are responsible for placing them around the State. Are they legal or is this a form of voter fraud? Attorney Rosensweig explains what ballot harvesting is, what the law is in California regarding ballot harvesting, and whether or not fake ballot boxes fall within the confines of the law.
Please check out this episode and also Jill's Covid-19 children's book, Bailey Bloom and the Battle of the Bug.