Monthly Archives: February 2013

Castle: “Swan Song”

Posted on February 4, 2013 by | 21 comments

“Swan Song” is the episode of Castle that aired on Nov. 12, 2012. It features two groups to which the First Amendment potentially applies: a religious cult, and a film-maker. The episode touches on or directly addresses several First Amendment issues, though it doesn’t actually name-check any of them. Spoilers inside. Continue reading →

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Posted in constitutional law, criminal law, television

Little Brother, Part 1

Posted on February 1, 2013 by | 22 comments

Cory Doctorow’s novel Little Brother is a 2007 young adult bestseller that speculates about the effects of a second 9/11-scale terrorist attack on the United States, particularly with regard to civil liberties.  Told from the perspective of teenage hacker Marcus Yallow, the story suggests that the government response would be to combine new technologies with new laws to frightening yet fruitless effect—at least when it comes to combating terrorism.  The sequel to Little Brother, Homeland, comes out on February 5th, so we thought we’d talk a bit about the first book and then take a look at the sequel once people have had a chance to read it themselves.

Spoilers below for those who haven’t read Little Brother.  If you haven’t, go buy it.  Or download it for free.

Continue reading →

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Posted in books, constitutional law, criminal procedure