Andrea brings the case against her friend Joe. Joe has adopted a minimalist lifestyle, and has vowed not to own more than a single car-load's worth of belongings. Andrea thinks he's shunned material possessions to an extreme degree and should acquire some creature comforts. Who is right, and who is wrong? Only one man can decide.
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Special thanks to Jon Ahjudah Barr for suggesting this title.
DVR WARS! Anthony brings this case against his good friend Joseph. Their issue arose when Anthony asked Joseph to record a reality TV cooking program for him. Joseph has an extensive cable TV package with digital video recording service, while Anthony has a much more basic set of channels and no DVR. Anthony has asked his friend to record multiple shows for him, but never consistently comes over to watch them. The shows sit on the DVR, taking up space and annoying Joseph.
Is Anthony obligated to watch the shows after he's requested them?
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John Hodgman's final book of trivia and world knowledge, THAT IS ALL, is now available in bookstores (that are still around) and online retailers. To find out when he may be visiting a city near you, see Areas of My Expertise.
We are joined again by guest bailiff Jake Tapper, Senior White House Correspondent for ABC News (who last was on duty for the case of De Plane). We are delighted he could join us and lend us an air of legitimacy.
Today, a case of Beard Science. A few years ago, college pals Bilder, McElroy and Pattley agreed to a game of beard chicken. The game is traditionally is played when two or more men face-off against each other by not shaving; the man who goes the longest without a shave wins the game. Bilder claims that he participated only because they settled on a modified version of the game, which would allow him to shave partway through.
In the course of the game, Bilder accumulated the most days unshaven, but McElroy claims he is the winner, with the most consecutive bearded days.
Was their original agreement valid? Did the modified terms fundamentally alter the essence of the game? And who is the real winner of beard chicken?
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John Hodgman's new book of fake trivia and world knowledge, THAT IS ALL, can now be pre-ordered for its release on 11/1/11. To find out when he may be visiting a city near you, see Areas of My Expertise.
For this case, we are joined by guest bailiff Jake Tapper, who you may know from his day job as ABC News Senior White House Correspondent and occasional hosting of ABC's This Week. Thanks again to Jake, who took time away from covering important political events to join us.
Elisabeth and Melissa are good friends and enthusiastic travelers, who often journey together on planes and in cars across the country. While their traveling styles mesh for the most part, they are divided on a hot-button issue: the correct way to de-plane once you've arrived at your destination.
Elisabeth, who prefers to take the aisle seat, believes that the aisle-sitter bears some burden of judgment, and may choose to wait a reasonable amount of time before stepping into the aisle, without asking permission of his or her seatmates.
Melissa, on the other hand, is frequently a window-seater, and believes that people should abide by the "row by row" rule as a general rule. Melissa thinks that Elisabeth (or whoever is aisle-sitting) should ASK before letting others off the plane before them.
WHO IS RIGHT, and WHO IS WRONG? Only Judge Hodgman can decide.
Pat and Joe come before the court with a case about that famous rock band, The Beatles. Pat claims that The White Album is one of The Beatles' worst albums and has a scattered approach. Joe argues that the album benefits from its variance and is one of their best works. Who is correct?
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Friends Adam and Will have a dispute about social networking. Is it Adam's responsibility as a young adult to get with the program and join the online social networking world, or is Will pushing his own life choices on his friend?
College pals Corey, Tyler and Caitlyn are moving into a new apartment in the coming school year at Ball State University. The apartment has three bedrooms: two small, one gloriously spacious. Who deserves the biggest room? Corey, the eldest; Tyler, the musician; or Caitlyn, one of the current occupants?
You may view the evidence after the jump, and as always, you may subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or through this RSS feed.
Is it appropriate to ask a cab driver to take you through a drive-thru after a long night of drinking? Nick brings this case against his friend Brandon, whom he considers a repeat offender in a breach of taxicab etiquette.
Take a ride in the Justice Cab to find out who's in the right!
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You can also find the photo referred to in our Docket Clearing segment behind the jump.
In this episode, we are joined by SPECIAL GUEST and EXPERT WITNESS Morgan Webb, of G4 TV's X-Play. John argues that using a strategy guide when playing a video game is cheating, pure and simple. His friend Josef argues that while it provides an advantage, it's not out of line to use a guide and constitutes no cheating.
You may view the evidence for this case behind the jump, and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or through this RSS feed.
A friends' night out at a Polynesian restaurant, several Scorpion Bowls and an abandoned bag of takeout are all involved in this accusation of impropriety and substandard hygiene. Longtime pals Evan and Ryan bring this case of the Tahitian takeout before the judge.
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Also, you may view the evidence AND a recipe for a potent Scorpion Bowl behind the jump.