The Problem with Judges Acting Like Linguists | Otherwords

In a court of law, your fate can be determined by how a judge interprets a word or sentence... but should judges be acting as armchair linguists?

Otherwords is a PBS web series on Storied that digs deep into this quintessential human trait of language and finds the fascinating, thought-provoking, and funny stories behind the words and sounds we take for granted. Incorporating the fields of biology, history, cultural studies, literature, and more, linguistics has something for everyone and offers a unique perspective on what it means to be human.

Host: Erica Brozovsky, Ph.D.
Creator/Director: Andrew Matthews & Katie Graham
Writer: Andrew Matthews
Producer: Katie Graham
Editor/Animation: Dano Johnson
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Fact Checker: Yvonne McGreevy

Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell

Stock Images from Shutterstock
Music from APM Music
Otherwords is a production of Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
© 2026 PBS. All rights reserved.

sources:
https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-129/state-v-rasabout/#footnote-ref-13
https://www.neh.gov/article/corpus-linguistics-changing-how-courts-interpret-law
https://taxlawcenter.org/moore-versus-united-states-the-landmark-tax-case-at-the-supreme-court
https://www.law.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/2024tnf34-16.pdf
https://reason.com/volokh/2021/10/31/corpus-linguistics-and-the-second-amendment/
https://www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2025/04/Fact-Sheet-on-Sanctuary-Cities-and-the-Federal-Crime-of-Harboring-FINAL.pdf
https://www.oyez.org/cases/1992/91-8674
https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Commentary-pdf-1.pdf
https://www.oyez.org/cases/2015/14-8358
https://ballsandstrikes.org/legal-culture/legal-corpus-linguistics-explainer/
https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/7/23153218/legal-corpus-linguistics-mask-mandate-judges
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/19/1093566982/florida-mask-mandate-judge-kathryn-mizelle

Видео The Problem with Judges Acting Like Linguists | Otherwords канала Storied