Connecting the dots...

Did you know that the age of consent, in Delaware in 1880, was 7 years old? We have all heard the term 'statutory rape laws', yet what are they? Did you know that very few states use this term? What was the original intent of such laws and how is this similar to the current rationalization? Listen to learn about the legal and social dimensions surrounding statutory rape laws.

Affirmative action policies have drawn controversy since they were implemented in the 1960's. In this Podcast, Professor Ben discusses the history of affirmative action policies in higher education admissions. He discusses the key Supreme Court cases and academic studies discussing the long-term impact, of such policies, on beneficiaries and their classmates.

Do you recall the fatal shooting of Antwon Rose II, in Pittsburg, in June of 2018? He was a black 17-year old who was unarmed when shot three times by law enforcement. Protests followed; citizens called for police accountability. The shooting officer, Michael Rosfeld, was subsequently charged with criminal homicide and is currently pending trial. Professor Ben objectively breaks down this incident using law and police procedure. Listen to bypass the subjective reporting and to learn the law and facts.

It is generally recognized that the media does a great job at dividing people, yet do you know how (specifically)? Professor Ben traces the history of two Black Lives Matter narratives, beginning with the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, to pin-point how the media's sensational reporting divided viewers. Further, this resulted in the media ignoring the true issue that could have united people in the pursuit of justice. Listen to learn about this, and surrounding issues, in the three-year anniversary Tampa Professor Podcast.

The recent shooting death of Markeis McGlockton in Clearwater, Florida, reignited the Stand Your Ground law debate at the national level. The attorney for Trayvon Martin's family, Benjamin Crump, became an attorney for McGlockton's partner, Britany Jacobs. Crump discussed the Martin and McGlockton shootings as if they were similar, when they are factually dissimilar, and this has led to an incorrect understanding of Stand Your Ground laws and what transpired in Martin's shooting death. Listen to learn the facts about this law and the two shootings.

Our country is publicly debating how to best address high school shootings and other gun violence. One argument, which has been offered on the periphery of the gun control debate, is that the United States could adopt Australia's gun laws. Would this work? Listen to learn…

Suppose you are incarcerated. Would you elect reproductive sterilization in exchange for a 30-day sentence reduction? Well, 32 women- and 38 men- volunteered for such a program in White County, Tennessee. Is this voluntary sterilization or state coercion? Listen to explore this, and the history of our country's eugenics program, in this Podcast.

We cannot blame cell phones any more than we can blame spoons for making us fat. Cell phone use has resulted in a malady of social problems, such as deaths, addiction, relationship stress, distorted self-perception, brain alteration, depression, and anxiety (to name a few). Listen to learn the 'how' and 'why'…

Women earn three-quarters what men do. Is this founded by economists? What does Harvard University Economics Professor Claudia Goldman say about this? How about the White House Council of Economic Advisers and the U.S. Department of Labor? Professor Ben reviews evidence and studies published by accepted authorities…to then argue that the gender earnings gap is rooted in our capitalist mode of production.

Our country is grieving the Parkland school shooting, which resulted in 17 deaths and 15 injuries. We are, again, embroiled in a debate about what measures could be taken to stop such a tragic incident from repeating. Do we need stricter gun control laws? Is mental illness to blame? Or is it the FBI's failure to investigate tips about would-be shooters? Professor Ben thoroughly explores these topics, and more, in this Podcast.

...so Samantha Elauf interviewed with Abercrombie & Fitch. They found her a suitable candidate (by interview rating), but she was not hired because she wore a headscarf, as a practicing Muslim. You may think this is a Supreme Court case of intentional discrimination, yet this is not the case. It is rather an interpretation, of Title VII, by the Supreme Court of the United States. Listen to learn about how the Supreme Court decided this case and set precedent, yet not based upon intentional discrimination as we perceive it.

…so can an employer require an applicant to disclose private social media account information as a condition for employment? Can an employer require the same for existing employees? Some say 'no', and others say, "…well, if you have nothing to hide, then what does it matter?" This argument is like what those who were for the government increasing surveillance, on us citizens, in the beginning years of the Global War on Terror. However, I argue it is the 'potential for data misuse' that is the concern, and there are specific data points, ripe for misuse, as it applies to employment. Listen to learn the dynamics surrounding this issue and what the current state laws are.

You throw a plastic bag, filled with a pound of Molly (only the coarse-crystally, purple and black hued, stinking like black licorice) in your backpack and zip it up. You go to your local library to use the Wi-Fi. You enter the library, find a table, sit down, and place your backpack on the table-top. The cops then conduct a raid, on the library, and eventually ask you if they can search your zipped backpack. Do you have to let them search? What if you say no? What if you say yes and they find the pills? What is you say NO and they find the pills? These nuances matter. Listen to learn all about your Fourth Amendment protections against government unreasonable search and seizure.

…in the United States, the issue of child sexual abuse, by Roman Catholic priests, was first publicized in 1985 when a Louisiana priest pled guilty to 11 counts of molesting minor boys. Most of you will remember the Boston Globe's series of articles, in 2002, reporting how the Greater Boston parishes allowed priests to abuse minor children for years. This reporting led to the 2015 movie, 'Spotlight'. How wide-spread is this problem? Have the offending clergy been prosecuted for their crimes? Listen to learn all about the Catholic Church sex scandal in the United States.

Did you know that California uses prison labor to fight the wild fires that frequent the states ecosystem? California has a program called the Conservation Fire Camps Program where 3,800 inmates live in a camp and perform duties such as creating firebreaks, fighting fires, and clearing fallen trees and debris. Each inmate is only paid two-dollars a day plus one-dollar for every hour worked. Is this exploitation of a prison population, or is the state efficiently using its resources? Listen to learn about this controversial topic.

…many moons ago, Professor Ben had his first trial as the lead attorney. He was young, eager, and an intern in law school. What was the trial? The defendant was charged with Driving While License Suspended or Revoked, which was a misdemeanor, for being almost 14,000-dollars in child support arrearage. The trial was the day after Mother's Day, and the jury consisted of five mothers and one grandmother. To boot, the defendant's four mothers, with all 5 children in tow, showed up to watch the trial. What happened? Was Professor Ben in a cruel 'hidden-camera', Maury-style show? No, but listen to learn if Professor Ben won the trial…