What keeps you going in the toughest times?

“I’ve had the great privilege of representing people whose lives and value and humanity are so clear to me that I’m very motivated. Winning their freedom is enormously energizing.”

A panel of law practitioners recommends their favorite legal-themed films, including those released in the decade since our last top-25 list. The judges voted for many of the classics from our 2008 list, along with some newer films we hope will get you thinking about the reach of the law in new ways.

While spoken words are protected by the First Amendment, offensive expressions can fall into the category of true threats, a type of unprotected speech.

Probate judges in at least seven Alabama counties refuse to issue marriage licenses to any couples, same-sex or heterosexual, so lawmakers may abolish licenses altogether. Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Montana have similar proposals.

It’s not a timeout: State laws, school policies and individualized education programs often allow involuntary confinement as a way to calm highly emotional students. Disabled and minority students are disproportionately affected by seclusion policies, which can include isolation and physical restraints.

The demand letter has joined the extreme style of public discourse. The speed of communication and cost of trial prompts the strong letter to follow a more dramatic and colorful model.

Jeffrey Deskovic settled a federal lawsuit against the authorities responsible for his wrongful conviction. Using some of his settlement money, he created the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, a nonprofit based in New York City committed to preventing wrongful convictions and helping exonerees reintegrate into society.

Lawyers complement their practice of law with knitting, sewing, woodworking and similar hands-on artistic endeavors. They say it helps them to relieve stress, refresh and refocus.

Of the 29 wrongful conviction rulings involving false confessions in the United States in 2017, 13 were in Cook County. Of the more than 260 false confession cases since 1989, about 25 percent have come from Cook County.

Florida would be in a distinct minority of states if it imposes a duty to rescue people in distress. The rule in the United States is you have no duty to rescue a stranger, and legal scholars are divided on whether that’s a good thing.