When Law Goes Pop: The Vanishing Line Between Law And Popular Culture

In recent years, the two-way traffic between law and popular culture has exploded, from the media blitzes surrounding high-profile trials and the flood of television judges ruling on real-life conflicts to the use of a feature film as a closing argument within the courtroom. What becomes of law when it takes the same paths as advertising and public relations? What becomes of law when it turns into spectacle? These are fateful questions for law in an age of images, and Richard K. Sherwin tackles them with insight and vigor.

The past few decades have seen the legal system entering American popular culture like never before, from the media blitzes surrounding high-profile trials to the countless television programs in which judges rule on everyday disputes. What, if anything, does this mean for the legal system itself? According to Richard K. Sherwin, it is a dangerous development--one that threatens to turn law into spectacle, undermining public confidence as legal style and logic begin to resemble advertising and public relations.