Law Report - Separate Stories Podcast

Edited highlights of an expert panel debating whether our laws strong enough to protect people who hold sincere religious beliefs.

NSW Supreme Court judge rules that popular Australian author Colleen McCullough's estate belongs to widower. And Malaysian civil and women's rights activist Ivy Josiah on building robust institutions following the landslide victory of former strongman, now reformist leader, Mahathir Mohamad.

There have been reports social media network Facebook is facing multiple lawsuits on behalf of users whose personal data was improperly leaked to Cambridge Analytica. Its next legal challenge could take place here in Australia.

Cannabis grow house syndicates are rampant across Australia. And former addicts helping to break the cycle of drug addiction and drug related crime.

Freedom of religion versus equal rights is tested in the Canadian and US Supreme Courts, and Portugal's unique approach to drug addiction.

Australian courts have ruled on two prominent defamation cases, Rebel Wilson v Bauer and Milorad Trkulja v Google. And what laws apply if something goes wrong when travelling on a holiday cruise in international waters?

An innovative program HaiR-3R's aims to help hairdressers recognise and support Victorian clients who may be experiencing family violence. Also on the program, what is a reasonable legal fee in a relatively straightforward wills and estate case? A Victorian Supreme Court Judge had some strong words to say in a dispute about lawyers costs.

Can Border Patrol demand your mobile devices at an airport without a warrant? In the US, this question may go to the Supreme Court, but in Australia, the laws are very clear. And what powers do police have to search and seize on suburban streets?

Jurors can misbehave, threatening the right to a fair trial in many ways: Google searches; social media rants, contacting an accused, visiting a crime scene, even playing Sudoku in the jury box. How do we convince jurors to follow the rules?

When juries retire to the deliberation room, should they leave all of their personal beliefs and prejudices at the door? And is this even possible?

Hearing and seeing gruesome evidence in criminal trials can take a terrible toll on jurors, sometimes leading to stress and trauma. What harm can juror stress then cause trials? And what can we do to minimise its impact?

It’s the most notorious case ever of jury misbehaviour. In the 1994 double murder trial of Stephen Young, drunk jurors used a Ouija board to ask the murder victims, "who killed you?". But is there more to this story than just hapless, irresponsible jurors?

Examining the laws governing the use of anti-psychotic and other drugs to sedate residents in aged-care facilities in the US and Australia. And smart contracts are an emerging area of the law, but exactly what are they and what happens if they go rogue?

Corporations, as well as nations are venturing into space for satellite technology, mining even tourism. Are the laws created over fifty years ago up to speed in this new space race?

Why will some survivors of institutional sexual abuse be locked out of the Commonwealth Redress Scheme? And when using a really offensive word in South Africa multiple times lands you in jail.

Perinatal psychiatrist Anne Buist is a women's mental health advocate and expert witness who works with protective services, and as an expert witness in the courts, in cases of abuse, kidnapping, infanticide and murder. She is also a novelist who explores many of the darker aspects of her work in fiction.