Grab your passport, doughty listener. We're headed across the Atlantic to see how justice works in England and France, and why it looks so different from the U.S.

While a judge in France takes an active role seeking the absolute truth, the U.S. system functions more like a high-stakes sporting event, where the judge serves as a referee between two competing sides.

In our fifth episode this season, we trace the evolution of trials from the Middle Ages, when "trials of ordeal" involved boiling water and "cursed morsels," to the Salem witch trials and how lawyers came to dominate U.S. courts.

Which system comes out on top? The answer may depend on what you think justice is supposed to do.

Special guests:

• Benjamin Legendre, journalist for Agence-France-Presse
• Walter Olson, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and founder of Overlawyered
• Carlton Larson, professor of constitutional law at UC Davis
• Lissa Griffin, professor of comparative law at Pace University

This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens. 

Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.