Earlier this school year, there was a question posed by René Lafayette to his Street & Practical Law students about the law itself.  What impact do current events and inventions have on the law?  Does the law and legal procedure have to change and if so how should the changes occur?  During the course of 2021, several high-profile cases were directly influenced or impacted by the use of video as evidence that jurors viewed.  In these cases, defendants are referred to as the "alleged perpetrator" despite the clear proof that it was them, captured on video that committed crimes that resulted in their being tried by the legal system.  Thinking back to a 1982-1983 Rhode Island probate case that first used video taped evidence to prove the mental state of a person who wanted to change their will, and was considered a legal novelty then to the widespread use and acceptance of video today, there can be an argument for changing legal procedures including the presumption on innocence in the face of insurmountable proof.

Listen as René Lafayette reviews the impact on legal procedure and is it time to apply these changes to how the legal system deals with defendants.