Month: March 2023

In August 2022, the State of California restricted the use of rap lyrics by prosecutors in criminal trials by passing a Bill which now requires judicial review of rap lyrics prior to admittance. 

This new Bill across the border offers an opportunity to assess the admissibility of rap lyrics in Canadian criminal trials.

This is not a podcast that is aimed to make you like rap music. This podcast is not trying to claim that all rappers who are charged with criminal offences are innocent. This podcast is concerned with something much more simple; the denial of justice.

Our esteemed guest, Professor Lisa Kelly, joins us on this discussion to help us break down and critically analyze the use of rap lyrics in court as it concerns the law of evidence. Professor Kelly is currently an assistant professor at the Queen’s Faculty of Law where she teaches Criminal Law and Evidence and has been known for her scholarship particularly in the area of evidence.

Production

Afsheen Chowdhury – Producer, Host, Editor, Researcher 

Nazneen Sindha – Researcher, Producer

A.J Davidson – Researcher

Music: https://www.epidemicsound.com/ (Alcove Pacino, Jobii)

Pro Bono Radio is part of the Queen’s chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada. The Pro Bono Radio team are not lawyers, and this is not legal advice.

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As a historical point of contention for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, section 33, also known as the Notwithstanding Clause, has been a topic of discussion for decades. What does section 33 mean? How did it come about? What have courts said about it in the past? Can its use be limited? These are inquiries from various media sources that are answered in this podcast.

In this episode, I am joined by Professor Jacob Weinrib to discuss section 33 of the Charter. As a public and constitutional law instructor, Professor Weinrib has taught at Queens Law since 2015. He has been published in several books and is the author of his own book (Dimensions of Dignity: The Theory and Practise of Modern Constitutional Law) with a second one currently in the works.

Shayla Joshi: Host, Producer, Editor

Music: https://wavs.com/ by Aaron Dean

Pro Bono Radio does not provide legal advice as this is a student driven initiative aiming to increase access to legal education.

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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