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Couples who want babies but can’t have them naturally are increasingly turning to surrogacy instead of adoption. And in many countries, the business of providing surrogates is big business. Thailand was a popular destination until…

The Bear

by Kalila Holt

June 30, 2015

When I first meet Frank Abramovitz, he’s wearing a leather Harley Davidson hat and jeans that are a little too short. He has bright blue eyes and a gold hoop in his ear. He’s 75…

The Trauma Room

by Annie Brown

June 16, 2015

When I met Deborah, she had just come home from a prison in upstate New York. Deborah, which is not her real name, had cycled in and out of prison for nearly 30 years, mostly…

Oswald is Still Dead

by Ashley Cleek

June 2, 2015

Lee Harvey Oswald was murdered before he could stand trial for the assassination of JFK. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying to get him into a courtroom, over and over again.

Drag.net

by Brit Hanson

May 19, 2015

Amateur sleuths armed with their own laptops, public information and a lot of spare time are working alone and in groups to crack criminal cases. Sometimes it works and sometimes it goes very, very badly. Welcome to the future of crowdsourced law enforcement.

Tipping the Scales

by Ashley Cleek

May 5, 2015

Are aggressive, expensive elections corrupting the court system? Or are they evidence of a strong democracy? The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states can prohibit judges from openly asking for money to pay for their judicial campaigns.

“Judges are not politicians,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts, “even when they come to the bench by way of the ballot.”

Marijuana Rules

by Peter Frick-Wright

April 20, 2015

Recreational pot has earned the state of Colorado $53 million dollars in tax revenue. All on a drug that, according to federal law,
is still illegal. How does a marijuana business navigate all the uncertainty? Find out this week, on Life of the Law.

Bad Gig

by Casey Miner

April 7, 2015

Exotic dancers, on-call drivers and writers might have a different name for what they do — freelancing, part-time work and independent contracting — but it all means the same thing. Work that doesn’t start at 9 and end at 5. And sure, it has its perks but do 1099 workers have protections?

Anatomy of a Confession

by Michael May

March 24, 2015

A triple murder, a habitual liar on a stolen motorcycle and a confession that doesn’t add up.
Why would anyone confess to a crime they didn’t commit? On Life of the Law, the story of a man
dying of cancer on Texas’s Death Row who confessed to a crime he says he didn’t do.

Birth Rights

by Renee Gross

March 10, 2015

A midwife cares for a pregnant woman before, during, and after they give birth. By developing relationships with their clients, midwives say they can help each women determine how and where they want to give…