Law in Popular Culture

Our favorite Instagram posts from 2024

It's been another riveting year in the legal industry and for our coverage at the ABA Journal. And like clockwork, 2025 will be here before we know it.

Dec 23, 2024 10:34 AM CST

Dive into our favorite long reads of 2024

The end of the year will hopefully bring you some downtime for leisure reading. We’ve curated a list of some of our favorite web and print long reads from 2024.

Dec 23, 2024 9:35 AM CST

Check out our favorite 2024 photo galleries

From cartoon captions to court rulings that shaped the Endangered Species Act to book recommendations for lawyers, the ABA Journal presents our favorite photo galleries from this year. Which photo gallery was your favorite?

Dec 20, 2024 9:18 AM CST

Our favorite pop culture picks in 2024

It’s the time of year when The Modern Law Library likes to look back on the media that we’ve enjoyed: our annual pop culture picks episode. From presidential histories to wicked witches, listeners will find ways to occupy the holiday season.

Dec 18, 2024 10:35 AM CST

‘Hot-tubbing’ and ‘coffee badging’ among top 2024 words in law

Top words in law for 2024 include catchy ways to describe minimal workplace attendance and expert-witness conferences, according to the list recently unveiled by Burton’s Legal Thesaurus.

Dec 18, 2024 8:47 AM CST

When judges turn to Christmas movies for help

’Tis the season for the staple of classic Christmas movies. They leave lasting memories for everyone—and for some judges, that includes calling them back for assistance when deciding cases.

Dec 17, 2024 11:31 AM CST

Supreme Court justice’s teen dream comes true with Broadway walk-on role

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson will appear in a performance of the musical comedy & Juliet on Saturday in a one-night walk-on role.

Dec 11, 2024 11:21 AM CST

25 Books for Lawyers

The ABA Journal asked attorneys to share reads they found inspiring, insightful and useful in the practice of law. Here are 25 of their suggestions.

Dec 1, 2024 3:00 AM CST

2024 Gifts for Lawyers Guide (photo gallery)

The verdict is in: It’s time to start on your holiday shopping! If you’re searching for the perfect gift for the legal professional in your life, we’ve got you covered. Check out our 2024 Gifts for Lawyers Guide.

Nov 26, 2024 9:50 AM CST

‘They Called Him Mostly Harmless’ documentary explores what drives true-crime junkies

While most true-crime documentaries focus on the actual misdeeds themselves, They Called Him Mostly Harmless, a 2024 documentary on Max, centers less on the death of a man ultimately identified as Vance Rodriguez and more on the internet sleuths interested in the case.

Nov 25, 2024 8:55 AM CST

Illinois Supreme Court reverses actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction

The Illinois Supreme Court announced Thursday that it had overturned the 2021 felony conviction of Jussie Smollett, a television actor who became even more of a household name five years ago after falsely reporting that he had been the victim of a violent hate crime.

Nov 21, 2024 10:30 AM CST

‘Jailbreak: Love on the Run’ misses chance to examine staff sexual misconduct at detention centers

Many states including Oklahoma, where I practice, have laws that create strict liability crimes when a person in power engages in a sexual relationship with someone subject to that authority. The underlying theory is someone cannot legally consent in those situations because of the power imbalance.

Nov 7, 2024 2:31 PM CST

Expect more lawsuits against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, says plaintiffs lawyer

Updated: Tony Buzbee, who has filed multiple sexual assault cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs in the past two weeks, says more than 400 additional victims of the embattled music mogul passed the scrutiny of his staff, and he intends to pick up the pace of lawsuits in the coming weeks.

Oct 30, 2024 11:59 AM CDT

Inspired by a movie, this attorney then made herself indispensable

An ’80s movie was the unlikely inspiration for one partner who took its message to heart. Erika Gasaway heard the message and adapted it when she became a lawyer: “If you think like a partner, you’ll be a partner.” But it was many years later when that missive would become her reality.

Oct 29, 2024 1:06 PM CDT

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs appears in court as judge sets May 2025 trial date

Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared in Manhattan federal court as a judge set a May 5 trial date in the music mogul’s racketeering and sex trafficking case.

Oct 11, 2024 9:50 AM CDT