Harvard Law School to Conduct Mock Trial of Josh Wolf “Coercive Custody” Case in Second Life
April 19th, 2007 by Benjamin Duranske
Blogger and video journalist Josh Wolf (his blog is The Revolution Will Be Televised) was recently released after 226 days in federal “coercive custody” for refusing to turn over video footage of an anti-G8 anarchist protest in San Francisco that he recorded in 2005. The case still raises issues of importance, especially to the blogosphere. To explore those issues, Harvard Law Professor Charles Nesson and HLS Graduate/Computer Science Ph.D. Candidate Rebecca Nesson are preparing to run a moot court trial of the Josh Wolf case on Berkman Island in Second Life this weekend.
The lawyers in this trial will be HLS students, and Professor Nesson will be the judge. Second Life citizens will act as mock jurors. The trial will be held Sunday, April 22nd from 1:00-3:00 pm SLT (Pacific) on Harvard’s Berkman Island in Second Life (here’s a SLURL), and the event is open to the public.
Harvard Law School also conducted a mock trial of the Bragg v. Linden case earlier this year.
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4 Responses to “Harvard Law School to Conduct Mock Trial of Josh Wolf “Coercive Custody” Case in Second Life”
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[...] After going through the reality of this ordeal this past year; I will be on trial again in a virtual world: Second Life. From Duranske [...]
After Josh linked to this post and suggested he might attend, I posted to his blog offering to give him a hand with the SL software, verify his avatar’s identity and accompany him to his virtual trial Sunday if he decides to come. His presence would change the dynamic of the trial, but my feeling is that if someone is the subject of a virtual trial, he’s got every right to attend it if he can and wants to.
Not to speak for them, but I’m virtually certain that the HLS folks would agree, and would be pleased to have Josh there if he wants to be there.
That should be fascinating! Please send out a group notice on the SLBA to remind us all to go.
After this reading this case…I am still uncertain of the meaning of Coercive Custody; therefore, I am wondering what is the definition of “Coercive Custody”?