Disappearing Juries, Olympic Cheating, VidAngel Lawsuit

Jury Trials Disappearing Guest: Dan McConkie, JD, Professor of Criminal Law at Northern Illinois University School of Law, Former US Prosecutor Trial by jury is a bedrock of America’s judicial system and a staple in crime dramas. So unless you’re in the legal profession, it’ll likely come as a surprise to you that jury trials rarely ever happen in US courts these days. The decline has been so steep over the last 30 years that some judges today might preside over only a few jury trials during their entire career on the bench.  Cheating is as Old as the Olympics Guest: Nigel Crowther, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Classical Studies and Former Director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies at Western University, Canada Dopers and suspected dopers are not getting a warm welcome from Olympic crowds in Rio. American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who has served two suspensions for using banned substances in his career, was booed loudly by the audience yesterday, before winning the silver medal in the men’s 100 meters.  While doping is primary scandal in elite sport today, other forms of cheating have a long history at the Olympics – going all the way back to Ancient Greece, in fact.  Analysis of Hollywood Suit Against VidAngel  Guest: Larry Iser, JD, Intellectual Property Attorney, Managing Partner at Entertainment Law Firm Kinsella, Weitzman, Iser, Kump, and Aldisert The filters in the year-old online movie service VidAngel lets users choose to automatically mute or skip over scenes that contain offensive material. Companies that have attempted to sell or rent edited movies in the past have lost copyright legal battles.  Now Disney, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. Entertainment are suing VidAngel for violating copyright and streaming laws.  Proving China’s Great Flood Guest: David Montgomery, PhD, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington You’re probably familiar with the great flood from the Bible – the one Noah survived with his ark. But there’s also a great flood story in China’s history, dating back millennia to what may or may not have been the first Chinese dynasty. But there’s been no archaeological evidence to support the story of a legendary flood 4,000 years ago that coincided with the start of Chinese civilization.  Now Chinese archaeologists believe they’ve found a link to suggest the ancient flood really did happen.  Parent Previews Guest: Rod Gustafson, Reviews Films at ParentPreviews.com  Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant star in the new film “Florence Foster Jenkins,” and Disney’s got another live-action remake of an animated classic out: “Pete’s Dragon.” Tech Transfer  Guest: Paul Farnsworth, PhD, Chemistry Professor at BYU; Mike Alder, Director of BYU’s Technology Transfer Office The pool at the Olympics turned so green officials actually ended up draining it completely so they could hold the synchronized swimming completion – which requires judges to be able to see what’s happening underwater. In the days that it took Olympic organizers to figure out what the problem was with the pool, they could have used a device invented by researchers at BYU—a portable laboratory.