Penn State U.’s Dickinson School of Law will be showcased on an international stage with the filming of the first episode of “World on Trial” featuring Cherie Booth Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The Penn State Public Broadcasting (PSPB) television show will stage trials examining controversial legal decisions regarding human rights, Ted Krichels, PSPB General Manager, said.
Blair, a distinguished human rights barrister, will serve as presiding judge of the pilot episode, said Ellen Foreman, Dickinson School of Law director of communications.
Program co-director Joe Myers said the format of “World on Trial” is differemt for television.
“We haven’t seen anything that puts human rights issues and the concerns about them together like this because there is no right answer,” Myers said.
The show’s pilot episode will analyze the French government’s 2004 “headscarf law,” which banned children from wearing conspicuous religious attire in public and secondary schools, Foreman said.
Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree will serve as lead prosecutor against the law. Rémy Schwartz of France will support the ban as lead defense, Foreman said.
Several experts will provide testimony as witnesses as well.
The program will be hosted by Randall Robinson of the Dickinson School of Law and School of International Affairs.
Krichels said the program will be aired on PBS stations across the United States and streamed online with the hope that Penn State creates international relationships with other universities.
Project associate Lindsey Faussette said the “World on Trial” website will serve as an interactive supplement to topics covered on the show.
Topics slated to be covered on future programs include issues like the use of unpiloted drones by the United States in warfare and India’s response to child labor violations within certain castes, Foreman said.
Foreman said Penn State Law students performed the research for episodes of “World on Trial.”
The show’s first episode should premiere in January, Faussette said. Filming of “World on Trial” will occur in the Lewis Katz Building courtroom.