To suggest that Breaking Bad is a cultural phenomenon would be an understatement of biblical proportions. It shattered TV records, spawned a critically-acclaimed spinoff, forced Vince Gilligan to publicly denounce people who throw pizzas onto roofs, and introduced conservative America to the proper use of the term “bitch.”
And now it’s being used to educate legal professionals in the state of New Mexico.
The New Mexico Law Review just published an issue dedicated entirely to Breaking Bad. It features eight articles that analyze the illegal acts committed on the show, their real-world parallels, and the consequences attached:
Given the array of legal issues raised, our editorial board was excited to take the opportunity to present analysis of Breaking Bad by scholars and legal practitioners. In April 2014 we issued a call for papers requesting abstracts on topics including the application of the Fourth Amendment to drug crimes under the New Mexico and/or U.S. Constitutions; the War on Drugs; ethical duties of lawyers; drug-offense sentencing; drug enforcement in rural, urban, and/or Tribal areas; and substance abuse and the law.
Some of the greatest legal minds in New Mexico (and the country) came together to examine how Walter White would look to a jury, how the war on drugs affects peripheral citizens like Skyler, and whether Heisenberg could have stayed legit by fighting for his stake in Grey Matter in the courts.
Now if we can just get IHOP to issue an official Walt Jr. breakfast cookbook, we’d be all set. (Seriously, would buy.)
(Via New Mexico Law Review via the Wall Street Journal)
