Is This Legal?

Send us Fan Mail Chrissy Teigen's past social media activity has landed her in trouble recently. In 2014, the model and television personality directed unfavorable tweets at Courtney Stodden, including some that expressed a wish to see Stodden dead. Those tweets have now surfaced, and Teigen finds herself at the center of a renewed national conversation over cyberbullying. Colin and Russ use...

Send us Fan Mail Ready for more tips? Russ and Colin keep the legal tips flowing with more advice on what to do and what not to do when you're dealing with the police. If you see someone getting hassled unfairly, are you allowed to record the interaction? When do you have to answer questions that the police inevitably ask, and will it get you arrested if you don't cooperate?  What about...

Send us Fan Mail Get your notepads out! Episode 57 is overflowing with useful advice. In this one, Russ and Colin go over what to say and do, and more importantly what NOT to say and do, when you're dealing with the police in situations that come up in criminal defense all the time. When the cops stop you on the street and ask your name, what should you say? When they execute a traffic stop a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Russ and Colin take you on a tour of the Karen Garner case out of Loveland, CO, using it as a launchpad for a discussion of resisting arrest in general. Does the law uphold the decision of Loveland PD officers to tackle this elderly woman over a minor shoplifting offense, injuring her in the process? Plus, fellow podcaster Joy Parrish stops by to reminisce about h...

Send us Fan Mail On April 20, 2021, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd almost a full year before. Floyd’s death while he was restrained face-down on the street elicited nationwide protests, counter-protests, endless news coverage, and impassioned arguments from all sides on the nature of policing in America and the best way to bring law enforcem...

Send us Fan Mail Taylor Swift called it: the haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate.  Episode 54 of Is This Legal? covers bias-motivated crime in America, from the history of and rationale for hate crime laws as we know them now, to the elements that make an offense go from merely illegal to legally hateful, including real world examples such as the Atlanta massage parlor shootings of this year.  W...

Send us Fan Mail Sydney Powell, ex-lawyer to Donald Trump, made numerous statements in the aftermath of the 2020 election accusing Dominion Voting Systems of election crimes. Now, Powell finds herself on the wrong end of a defamation suit filed by Dominion. What defense will she put forward? What elements are required for a successful defamation suit? What's the difference between defamation,...

Send us Fan Mail Calling all dog fans!  Denver attorneys Russell Hebets and Colin McCallin share their love of dogs in the latest lighthearted Is This Legal episode.  How are dogs treated under the law, how do dogs run afoul of the dreaded "dangerous animal" designation, and some of the all-time great dogs of pop culture are on the agenda.  Curl up with your favorite furry companion and...

Send us Fan Mail One result of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 was a resurgence of public interest in Elijah McClain’s death several days after he was given an overdose of ketamine during police contact. In the push for criminal justice reform, McClain’s name has become shorthand for police misconduct and the damage it can do. In this episode of Is This Legal? Russ and Colin examine the de...

Send us Fan Mail In the early 2000s, plucky entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of college and started a company called Theranos,  promising to revolutionize blood screenings for medical patients. By 2014, Theranos was valued at almost 10 billion dollars. Fast forward a few years, and Theranos is gone, while Elizabeth Holmes awaits trial later this year on multiple counts of wire fraud. What...

Send us Fan Mail Russ and Colin dig deep into the Is This Legal mailbag to answer the best and brightest legal questions from our listeners.  Topics covered include eating marijuana edibles out of state, criminal charges and gun rights, and the introduction of our brand now segment: Dumb Criminal of the Week!  Don't miss out, it's going to be a fun ride! For the full transcript, click he...

Send us Fan Mail Colin and Russ break down the criminal charges and other fallout from the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.  These charges will be investigated by the FBI in cooperation with other law enforcement groups such as the ATF and the Marshalls Office, and include a cavalcade of protesters turned rioters, some facing decades in federal prison.  They examine potential criminal c...

Send us Fan Mail Your favorite legal analysts from Hebets & McCallin discuss the cash bond reform craze that is sweeping the nation.  From Michigan prosecutor Eli Savit's move to eliminate cash bail, to California's failed bid to remove cash bonds in the most recent election, states are increasingly including bond reform in their general criminal justice reform agenda.  Bondsmen and...

Send us Fan Mail Attorneys Russell Hebets and Colin McCallin make the yuletide gay with a review the year's most notable cases from the Supreme Court and beyond in this holiday spectacular.  Cases from Trump's attempt to quash subpoenas to major developments in the rights of religious institutions are explained.

Send us Fan Mail Attorneys Colin McCallin and Russell Hebets go crazy on the latest episode of Is This Legal.  The insanity defense to criminal charges has been around for thousands of years, but has gone through major transformations throughout the years.  The guys at Hebets and McCallin talk the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan by John Hinkley Jr., what happens when someone is found not...

Send us Fan Mail Oregon decriminalized personal use of hard drugs with the passage of Measure 110 in the 2020 election.  Criminal attorneys and former prosecutors Colin McCallin and Russell Hebets dive into the benefits and risks of this decriminalization.  Is decriminalization the same as legalization?  Does this apply to all drugs?  How will the police and jails be affected by Measure 110?  Will...

Send us Fan Mail Russell and Colin break down DUI stops, including what you should do, and what you should definitely not due if you've been drinking but aren't drunk driving.  Topics include roadside sobriety tests, blood alcohol tests, breath alcohol tests, and refusals, as well as how to interact with the police officer during an alcohol related stop.  Pull up a chair, crack a cold on...

Send us Fan Mail Attorney Russell Hebets and Colin McCallin talk all things self defense; highlighting the arrest of Matt Dollhoff in Denver.  When can you use lethal force?  Can you use self-defense in defense of others?  In defense of property?  What happens if someone breaks into your home?  When are you justified?  All these questions and more are covered for your listening pleasure!

Send us Fan Mail Can President Donald Trump be charged with a crime in office?  Does it matter if it's a federal or state crime?  If so, can he pardon himself or use executive privilege to avoid prosecution?  How will the 2020 election affect his criminal liability?  Can he hide in office for a second term and let the statute of limitations lapse?  Let's find out!

Send us Fan Mail Colin and Russ have dialed up 13 legal trivia questions to keep their faithful listeners on their toes!  How many questions can you answer correctly?  Have fun and good luck!

Send us Fan Mail Colin and Russell discuss the tragedy of wrongful convictions in America.  They talk about specific cases of exoneration, how DNA technology has played a role, and the importance of the Innocence Project.  

Send us Fan Mail Colin and Russ explain the current controversy regarding President Trump, the Postal Service, and 22 states who have filed a lawsuit claiming their rights to a fair election are being infringed.  Let's go postal!

Send us Fan Mail Using the scandal-ridden Aurora Police Department as a case study, Colin and Russ discuss the police in 2020 and what practical reforms can be put into place to make police agencies better, for both their officers and the communities they police.

Send us Fan Mail Colin and Russ give you the skinny on the highest court in the USA. They take on all things Supreme Court in this fact-packed episode!

Send us Fan Mail Masks or no masks? Colin and Russ discuss the laws regarding how businesses and governments can require (or not) facial mask coverings in the wake of COVID-19.