Both Sides of the Bench

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down how modern relationships, breakups, smartphones, and social media are creating criminal cases in Mississippi every single day. We discuss domestic violence charges, protective orders, no-contact orders, harassment laws, revenge porn statutes, gun rights, and the growing role phones, screenshots, texts, and social media posts play in criminal investigations. What is the difference between a protective order and a no-contact order? Can a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction affect your federal gun rights? Can repeated texting become a criminal offense? What happens when private photos get used as revenge after a breakup? We also discuss celebrity examples involving Sean Combs, Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Tiger Woods, and others to show how digital evidence now dominates modern relationship disputes. Because relationships no longer just end. Now they leave behind screenshots, Ring camera footage, deleted messages, and evidence. Real law. Real cases. Real-world consequences.

Are social media companies intentionally designing platforms to keep kids addicted? Today’s show dives into the growing wave of lawsuits and massive verdicts against Meta, YouTube, and other tech giants over claims that their algorithms are engineered to maximize addiction, especially among children and teenagers. Shaun breaks down why these cases are starting to resemble the Big Tobacco litigation of the 1990s, how juries are reacting to the evidence, and what it could mean for the future of social media. Who’s really responsible—the companies designing the platforms or the parents handing kids unlimited access to them? A conversation about technology, liability, personal responsibility, and where the law may be headed next.

This week on Both Sides of the Bench, Shaun Yurtkuran spends two full hours breaking down the legal myths and internet “advice” that get people convicted every day. Hour one focuses on modern criminal investigation myths in the digital age: • Can police use your ChatGPT conversations against you? • Does deleting text messages actually delete evidence? • Do police have to tell you they’re recording? • Does passing a polygraph make a case disappear? • Can you sue just because you were arrested? • Do police really need a warrant to search your car? Then hour two becomes a deep dive into Mississippi DUI misconceptions that people still get completely wrong: • “If I refuse the breathalyzer, they can’t convict me.” • “I can demand a blood test instead.” • “Field sobriety tests are scientific.” • “If I’m under .08, I can’t get convicted.” • “Miranda applies the second I get pulled over.” • The real difference between roadside breath tests, intoxilyzers, and field sobriety exercises. As a former homicide prosecutor and current criminal defense attorney, Shaun explains what actually happens in court versus what people think happens from TikTok videos, Facebook comments, and stories from “a guy they know.” If you’ve ever wondered how these laws really work in Mississippi, this is the episode.

Everybody thinks they know how criminal law works… until they’re the one in the system. In this episode, I break down some of the biggest misconceptions I hear every day—things people believe that actually end up hurting their case. From Miranda rights to DUI refusals, to the idea that a victim can “drop charges,” we walk through how these situations really play out in court. I’ve handled these cases from both sides—as a former prosecutor and now a defense attorney—and I can tell you this: most people don’t get in trouble because they’re guilty. They get in trouble because they rely on bad information. If you’ve ever said “they can’t do that,” this episode is for you. Listen in and learn how the system actually works—before you find yourself in it.

Most people think they understand how criminal cases work. They don’t. In this episode, I break down three real scenarios that show how quickly things fall apart between what seems obvious and what the law actually requires. First, an aggravated DUI case where the driver was well over the legal limit, caused a crash, and the victim died—but that still wasn’t enough to guarantee a conviction. The missing piece? Causation. Then we get into why juries hang up on cases. It’s not always about the evidence. It’s about doubt, personalities, and the one issue jurors just can’t get past. And finally, a burglary case that makes absolutely no sense on its face—a neighbor breaks into a woman’s home, goes through her personal items, and is later caught wearing her clothing. No theft. No logical motive. Just a reminder that real cases are often stranger than anything you see on TV. This is how the courtroom actually works.

I kicked off my new show by telling the story of how my legal career actually started—and it’s not what you think. At 25 years old, fresh out of law school, I walked into federal court to try my first case with no file, no partner, and no clue what I was doing. The client? A man who had killed two cops and was now suing the State of Mississippi.  From there, I get into how I first met Robert Shuler Smith back in Jackson Municipal Court, my initial reaction to him, and how that encounter eventually pulled me into a DA campaign—and into one of the most chaotic, dysfunctional environments I’ve ever seen inside the criminal justice system. This show is going to be different. I’ll be breaking down real cases, talking about how the system actually works, mixing in news and politics, and taking your calls along the way. If you’ve ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes in courtrooms, prosecutor’s offices, and criminal cases—you’re in the right place.