Welcome back to another Case Brief! Buckle up, because this episode delves straight into the collision of survival, morality, and murder.
We’re unpacking cases that force courts to confront the question: Is it ever legal to kill an innocent person to save yourself from certain death? Courts claim to have settled this long ago, but the answer may not be as simple as the law would have you believe.
We begin with the 17th-century sailors stranded at sea who drew lots, killed the loser, and ate him—and what the court had to say about it. Next, we examine United States v. Holmes, where crew members threw passengers off a sinking boat to stay afloat. Then, we move on to the jaw-dropping British classic The Queen v. Dudley & Stephens, where sailors, adrift in the open ocean for 20 days on a dinghy after their boat was destroyed, killed a dying cabin boy to survive. Finally, we turn to a modern California case asking whether being forced by another person to kill an innocent third party can ever excuse a homicide.
We’re providing you with the facts, the aftermath, and the rulings that shaped today’s doctrine: necessity, duress, the Court’s requirement that one resist, and the strict line the law draws when an “innocent life” hangs in the balance.
Join us as we discuss ethics, cannibalism, survival instinct, natural law versus civil law, and pure legal chaos.
Please note that the information provided in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The content should not be construed as legal advice or any lawyer-client relationship. It is not a substitute for professional legal counsel. THESE ARE JUST OUR OPINIONS!!!
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