Lawyers Untangle Superhero Legal Issues

Criminals of Gotham take note: any evidence Batman gathers on you is probably inadmissible in court. His partnership with Commissioner Gordon makes him a "state actor," and hence subject to search and seizure restrictions. At least, that’s the conclusion of James Daily and Ryan Davidson, the lawyers who run Law and the Multiverse, a new blog that tackles deeply nerdy legal questions about superheroes. Launched on Nov. 30, the blog has gained enough buzz that the New York Times featured it this week.

Other cases the blog has tackled include:

• Could the RICO Act be used against the Legion of Doom? (Probably, as currently organized.)
• Is Superman’s heat vision covered under the Second Amendment? (Maybe; many heroes should be protected, but “exceptional powers could be subject to a permitting system.”)
• Can Professor X read your mind, then testify about its contents? (Probably, though some might be rejected on hearsay grounds.)
• What if you murder someone, and they come back to life? (You’re screwed. “The elements of the crime are still complete. The defendant did, in fact, kill the victim.")

(More superhero stories.)