Library Reference and Research

September 3, 2026

Summary of Academic Library Technology Leadership: Information Technology (ISBN no 929-8-88577-372-8)

“This library technology study examines IT budget sufficiency, capital funding, technology refresh cycles, upgrade delays, collaboration with academic departments, strategic alignment, generative-AI subscription spending, cloud and AI spending, and technology budget composition.

The report finds that library IT budgets are only moderately sufficient. 12.12% say their current library IT budget is sufficient, while 42.42% call it moderately sufficient. One-third, 33.33%, say it is insufficient, though no respondent calls it critically insufficient.

Capital funding for equipment replacement is usually irregular. 60.61% receive capital funding irregularly, and 6.06% never receive it. Only 18.18% receive such funding annually, and 3.03% every two to three years.

August 20, 2026

Learning How to Think Like a Lawyer in the Age of AI: Complementary Advice for Incoming Law Students

by David Badertscher

Introduction

Two distinguished law professors recently offered incoming law students advice from different but unusually complementary perspectives. Vikram David Amar, writing broadly about the habits of mind and disciplined effort required to succeed in law school, is principally concerned with how students learn to think like lawyers. Michael C. Dorf, focusing more specifically on artificial intelligence, considers how that learning process can be preserved and adapted at a time when AI systems can produce seemingly authoritative answers almost instantly.

Considering their essays together reveals an important relationship that might be less apparent if each were read in isolation. The traditional methods through which law students develop legal reasoning, judgment, and intellectual independence are now encountering technologies capable of retrieving information, summarizing complex material, and generating plausible responses with remarkable speed. The question is therefore not simply whether students should use AI, but how they can take advantage of useful technological tools without allowing those tools to displace the intellectual work that legal education is intended to cultivate.

August 14, 2026

Selected Case Summaries Published by Justia, Week Ending August 14, 2026

by David Badertscher

During the week ending August 14, 2026 we have received listings of 26 Government and Administrative Law Summaries, 26 Constitutional Law summaries, 60 Criminal Law Summaries, 3 Intellectual Property Summaries, 3 White Collar Summaries 1 Internet Summary, and 6 Medical Malpractice Summaries. We plan is to continue posting opinion summaries, under corresponding areas of law, weekly whenever possible in order to keep blog readers updated. To gain access to these case summaries, click on the corresponding links below:

Opinion Summaries Posted for Week Ending August 14 ,2026

Criminal Law

July 29, 2026

Pacing the Frontier: Why Leading AI Researchers Are Calling for New Government Action

by David Badertscher

Introduction

Artificial intelligence policy has often been characterized as a contest between those urging rapid innovation and those seeking greater regulation. A recently released statement entitled Pacing the Frontier suggests that this characterization may no longer be sufficient.

Signed by more than one thousand researchers and employees from leading AI organizations (including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and others) the statement does not advocate halting AI research. Instead, it urges governments to help develop the technical and institutional mechanisms needed to ensure that future advances remain under meaningful human oversight.

July 27, 2026

CBO: S3733, A Bill to Authorize Certain Public Libraries to Collect and Retain a Fee for the execution of a Passport Application

by David Badertscher

From the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

S. 3733, a bill to amend the Passport Act of June 4, 1920, to authorize certain public libraries to collect and retain a fee for the execution of a passport application as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on June 17, 2026. This bill would authorize the Department of State to restore the ability of nongovernmental public libraries to accept passport applications. The bill also would require the department to report to the Congress within 30 days of enactment on whether it has done so.

COST ESTIMATE,

July 16, 2026

Washington and Lee 2025 Law Journal Rankings

by David Badertscher

FROM THE LAW LIBRARY AT THE WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW:

The 2025 W&L Law Journal Rankings are now available!

Released on July 15, 2026, the 2025 Rankings provide citation data and calculated ranks for the top 400 U.S.-published law journals and the top 100 law journals published outside the United States. Journals ranked below these thresholds display “NR” (Not Ranked) for each data category and are listed alphabetically. The survey span of the 2025 ranking is five years (2021-2025). For more information about the new and previous rankings, please see our Methodology page.

June 14, 2026

Understanding Budget Reconciliation: How Congress Fast Tracks Major Fiscal Legislation

by David Badertscher

Budget reconciliation is a special congressional procedure created by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 that allows Congress to consider legislation affecting federal spending, revenues (taxes), and the debt limit under expedited procedures. Most notably, reconciliation bills can pass the Senate with a simple majority vote rather than the 60 votes normally needed to overcome a filibuster. As a result, reconciliation has become one of the most important tools for enacting major fiscal policy changes. The following is an overview of the congressional budget reconciliation process and a discussion of its importance to librarians, researchers, and the general public.

What Is Reconciliation?

Reconciliation is designed to align existing laws with the fiscal goals established in a congressional budget resolution. It can be used to:

May 25, 2026

When Leaders Become Saviors: The Rise of Messianic Leadership in Authoritarian Systems

by David Badertscher

Introduction

The purpose of this essay is not to criticize leadership itself. Every society requires leaders. Effective leadership can inspire, unify, and guide communities through difficult circumstances. Rather, the focus here is on a recurring historical phenomenon: the tendency of some societies to elevate leaders into figures of redemption and the tendency of some leaders to embrace that role.

Temptation of Political Salvation

May 20, 2026

Debt Without End? Examining America’s Long Term Fiscal Challenges

by David Badertscher

Few issues in American public life generate more political rhetoric, and less public consensus, than the growth of the national debt. Democrats and Republicans alike frequently accuse one another of fiscal irresponsibility, while voters struggle to determine which party has actually contributed more to the nation’s long-term debt burden.

Two recent sources help illuminate this debate from different perspectives: an article distributed by The Epoch Times and an analytical report published by Investopedia titled “Democrats vs. Republicans: Who Had More National Debt?” Together, these sources underscore both the political complexity and the historical nuance surrounding America’s growing fiscal challenges.

According to Investopedia, the United States national debt exceeded $38 trillion in 2025–2026, continuing a decades-long pattern of expansion under administrations of both political parties. The article notes that, when adjusted for inflation and measured per presidential term since 1913, Republican presidents have added slightly more debt on average than Democratic presidents: approximately $1.4 trillion per term versus $1.2 trillion for Democrats. However, Democratic presidents collectively added more total debt overall because Democrats occupied the White House for more years during the period studied.

May 5, 2026

Interpretability and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG): How They are Reshaping AI Legal Research

by David Badertscher

Artificial intelligence is now woven into the daily fabric of legal work. From case law research to contract analysis and compliance monitoring, AI systems are accelerating tasks that once required hours of manual review. But as these tools become more capable, the legal profession faces a central challenge: How can lawyers trust AI in high‑stakes environments where accuracy, transparency, and defensibility are non‑negotiable?

Two concepts have emerged as foundational to answering that question: interpretability and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). While distinct, they work together to create AI systems that are transparent, grounded in evidence, and aligned with professional legal standards. Although both have existed for some time, their integration into legal research remains in its infancy, and there is much to learn. This post explores how these systems are reshaping AI legal research based on a review of current industry sources.

Understanding Interpretability in Legal AI