Publication Announcements and Reviews

October 16, 2024

The Digitalist Papers: Artifical Intelligence and Democracy in America, An Overview

Following the introduction of Chat GPT3.5 to the public on November 30, 2022, there have been growing concerns about how the emerging AI revolution can be utilized to reimagine and , if necessary, reinvent new technologies capable of preserving our democracy– as we enter another technological, economic, and political crossroads in our society. Sharing these concerns, I have been searching the literature hoping to discover institutionally backed efforts dedicated to addressing them. Recently, I learned about the publishing by the Stanford Digital Lab of The Digital Papers: Artificial Intelligence in America, Volume 1 of a projected ongoing series. Learning of this publication, I immediately went to Amazon and ordered my own copy. The following is my Overview of this first volume:

In the late 18th century, the Federalist Papers emerged as a groundbreaking series of essays advocating for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay—under the pseudonym “Publius”—articulated a vision for governance that reflected the challenges of their time: an unstable political landscape, shifting economic forces, and burgeoning democratic ideals. Fast forward to the 21st century, the world again finds itself at the intersection of disruptive change where the political, economic, and technological forces at play call for a similar intellectual effort to chart a way forward.

The Digitalist Papers: Artificial Intelligence and Democracy in America takes inspiration from the spirit of the Federalist Papers, yet it aims to address an even more complex landscape. The technological revolution now driven by artificial intelligence (AI) offers immense potential to reshape every aspect of human life—from how we communicate to how we govern ourselves. As Hamilton, Madison, and Jay once grappled with how to mold governance to fit the emerging United States, today’s thought leaders must confront the challenge of integrating AI into existing democratic institutions. This is the goal of the Digitalist Papers series: to explore the possibilities of AI’s impact on democracy and to consider how governance structures must evolve to preserve and enhance democratic values in this era of unprecedented technological change.

September 14, 2024

Book Launch: Disinformation, Misinformation and Democracy

by David Badertscher

On Thursday September 19 2024, at 12:30-17:30 EDT (16:30-21:30 UTC) Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, The University of Alabama School of Law, The University of Minnesota Law School, and Columbia Law School present a book launch ‘Disinformation, Misinformation, and Democracy‘ at Columbia University in NYC.

As the US presidential election approaches and half of the world’s population heads to the polls in this “super-election year” of 2024, Cambridge University Press has published ‘Disinformation, Misinformation, and Democracy: Legal Approaches in Comparative Context‘, in which legal scholars from around the world explore the global threat to democracy posed by false information through a comparative legal analysis. This hybrid event gathers co-editors, contributors, and other special guests at three thematic sessions, examining solutions from the perspectives of government regulation, media self-regulation, and the role of civil society.

(ALL TIMES EDT = UTC-4)

12:30 – 1:45pm Framing the Problem
Ron Krotosynski, Co-editor / John S. Stone Chair, Director of Faculty Research and Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law
Andras Koltay, Co-editor / Research Professor, University of Public Service (Budapest) / Professor of Law, Pázmány Péter Catholic University (Budapest)
Andie Tucher, H. Gordon Garbedian Professor of Journalism and Director of the Communications Ph. D. Program, Columbia Journalism School
Moderator: David Pozen, Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law, Columbia Law School.

2:00 – 3:30pm National and transnational regulatory approaches
Artur Pericles Lima Monteiro, Resident Fellow, Information Society Project, Yale Law School
Bernát Török, Director, Institute of the Information Society, Ludovika University of Public Service (Budapest)
Ahran Park, Associate Professor, School of Media & Communication, Korea University, South Korea
Moderator: Jeremy Kessler, Stanley H. Fuld Professor of Law, Columbia Law School

3:45 – 5:00pm Social groups and institutions, outside government
Charlotte Garden, Co-editor, Julius E. Davis Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota
Anya Schiffrin, Director of the Technology, Media, and Communications specialization, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Katie Fallow, Senior Counsel, Knight First Amendment Institute, Columbia University
Moderator: Costanza Sciubba Caniglia, Anti-Disinformation Strategy Lead, Wikimedia Foundation

ATTEND IIN PERSON https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launch-disinformation-misinformation-and-democracy-tickets-1004689632737

Livestream provided by the Internet Society U.S .New York Chapter

LIVESTREAM https://livestream.com/internetsociety/cgfoe-disinfo

PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/3zr58YD

TWITTER #disinformation #misinformation #democracy @ColumbiaGFoE @UofMNLawSchool @UALawSchool @ColumbiaLaw @knightcolumbia @columbiajourn
,
MASTODON #disinformation

SIMULCASTS
https://twitter.com/ISOC_Live
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/cgfoe-disinfo

June 6, 2024

Bill Gates Memoir Coming Out Next February

by David Badertscher

FROM BILL GATES:

I’m excited to announce my new book, Source Code, which will be published next February. It’s a memoir about my early years, from childhood through my decision to leave college and start Microsoft with Paul Allen. I write about the relationships, lessons, and experiences that laid the foundation for everything in my life that followed.

I’ve been in the public eye since my early twenties, but much of my life before then isn’t well known. Over the years, I’ve often been asked about my upbringing, my time at Harvard, and co-founding the company. Those questions made me realize that people might be interested in my journey and the factors that influenced it.

May 7, 2024

Ethical Standards for Election Administration: A Report from the American Law Institute (ALI)

by David Badertscher

Election administrators and their staff, spread throughout thousands of voting jurisdictions in the United States, perform a core service dedicated to maintaining and preserving our democracy. Their work has become significantly more difficult, as our contentious politics have clouded much of what they do with misunderstanding and distrust. These challenges have made clear that election administrators may, and typically do, lack the full range of resources they need.

As election officials gain both increasing public visibility and scrutiny, it has become increasingly obvious that the time has come for identifying the ethical standards unique to the election administrator profession. It is essential to identify national standards for election officials that provide guidance in the administration of voting throughout the United States. It is therefore encouraging to learn that the American Law Institute (ALI) has provided a forum, released to the public on January 29, 2024, for a working group developing such standards, resulting in a report Ethical Standards for Election Administration

The report sets out seven principles, discussed in detail, along with the basis for each. It is the hope of the working group that these principles provide the professional election administration community with a common vocabulary for communicating the moral underpinning of their work; assist in the training of the next generation of officials; and help guide officials in carrying out their responsibilities when the law does not supply the answer and public scrutiny is keenest. These principles also supply the grounds for specific standards of conduct that reflect these principles and put them into practical effect.

May 5, 2024

Testimony on the Congressional Budget Office Request for Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2025 – Updated

by David Badertscher

On April 10, 2024, CBO’s Director, Phillip Swagel, testified before the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch regarding the Congressional Budget Office’s request for appropriations for fiscal year 2025. This posting includes a summary of the Director’s testimony followed by a link to his complete testimony and links to supporting documents.

CBO SUMMARY:

Chairman Amodei, Ranking Member Espaillat, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the Congressional Budget Office’s budget request. CBO requests appropriations of $73.5 million for fiscal year 2025: About 89 percent would be for pay and benefits; 7 percent would be for information technology (IT); and 4 percent would be for training, expert consultant services, office supplies, and other items. The request amounts to an increase of $3.5 million, or 5 percent, from the $70 million that CBO received for 2024. That increase would address increased costs brought about by inflation, sustain investments in IT infrastructure, and enable CBO to expand its staff in key areas.

April 1, 2024

American Criminal Law: A captivating Journey Through Justice–A Review

by David Badertscher

Thinking back on my fifty plus years as a practicing law librarian, I have come to believe that criminal law is one of the more humanistic of legal disciplines because it can reach people at such a personal level. Paul H Robinson* and Sarah M Robinson capture this thought in their book, “American Criminal Law: Its People, Principles, and Evolution” (Routledge 2022). It offers a refreshing take on this complex subject.

This book breaks away from dry legal jargon and instead weaves a compelling narrative that explores the history, core concepts, and ongoing debates within American criminal law. The authors write, “Criminal law is one of the most interesting perspectives on the human adventure,… it requires us to examine how we want people to act, what we will do when they act improperly, and how we decide what we can reasonably expect of people. And to do this, we must assess what makes a successful society, what citizen protections and obligations a society should enforce, as well as the principles of justice that the community shares.”

The authors’ strength lies in their engaging, approach. Each chapter delves into a specific principle, like legality or culpability, by presenting a historical case that illuminates its foundation. This is then contrasted with a modern case, highlighting the evolution of the concept. This back- and- forth through time keeps the reader engaged and demonstrates how the law adapts to societal changes.

February 16, 2024

Federal Budget and Economic Outlook: 2024-2034

by David Badertscher

Projections of the Congressional Budget Office,

“The Congressional Budget Office regularly publishes reports presenting its baseline projections of what the federal budget and the economy would look like in the current year and over the next 10 years if laws governing taxes and spending generally remained unchanged. This report is the latest in that series.”

“In CBO’s projections, federal budget deficits total $20 trillion over the 2025–2034 period and federal debt held by the public reaches 116 percent of GDP. Economic growth slows to 1.5 percent in 2024 and then continues at a moderate pace.”

January 21, 2024

50 Best Law Librarian Blogs and Websites

by David Badertscher

Feedspot has recently updated their listing of 50 Best Law Librarian blogs and websites (updated January 18, 2024). According to Feedspot, the law librarian blogs and websites included in this listing were selected “from thousands of blogs on the web and are ranked by traffic, social media followers and freshness”.

The Criminal Law Library Blog is proud to have been included in this list. As publisher, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have contributed articles to this blog throughout the years (since 2007) and especially Justia for their continuing support.

December 14, 2023

Google Announces the Public Release of Gemini: Can it be Used to Support Legal Research?

by David Badertscher

“Google launched its most ambitious AI model called Gemini on Wednesday [December 6, 2023], which is described as Google’s “largest and most capable AI model.” The company announced a “Gemini era” where the model will be used widely in companies and consumer devices like Google Pixel phones. Unlike existing AI models that focus on one type of input like text or images, Gemini is “multimodal” and can accept different types of media like text, images, audio and video as inputs. Google’s AI chatbot Bard has been upgraded with Gemini, and Google plans to add Gemini to widely used products like Search, Chrome and its cloud services”

Benzinga News, December 7,

INTRODUCTION