ABA Journal

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How ChatGPT and other AI platforms could dramatically reshape the legal industry

ChatGPT represents a dizzying leap in the capabilities of generative AI, which can create original content based on the dataset the technology draws upon. But while some in the industry are exploring its potential to aid in legal research, contract review, communications and litigation strategy, there is plenty of hand-wringing about how it could make lawyers obsolete.



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Some law schools already are using ChatGPT to teach legal research and writing



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Citizen Sleuths: True-crime fans are on the case, but what happens when they're wrong?

With the popularity of social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube, online armchair detectives have been able to help authorities in some cases by offering tips. But there also have been instances of misinformation, fake experts and unsupported theories being presented as fact and of innocent people being targeted.



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School districts sue social media platforms, saying they're harming youths' mental health



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Municipal ordinances can banish low-level offenders for petty offenses



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States reconsider the permanent sanctions of child abuse registries

Just one phone call accusing someone of child abuse, whether it turns out to be true or not, can mark that person for life, slapping them with a host of collateral consequences outside of the criminal justice system.



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Parental Penalties: Collateral consequences reverberate through families long after sentences are served

Parents, like all those returning from prison, face more than 40,000 statutes and regulations nationwide that make reentry into their communities a challenge. Many consequences are imposed indefinitely, impacting the family for the rest of the parent’s life, no matter how long they have been home or how well they reintegrate into society.



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Rights Work: UChicago constitutional law course brings together incarcerated youths, law students

The eight-week class is designed to give incarcerated youths an opportunity to consider their rights while exposing the law students to the younger students’ worldview through in-class discussions on topics that include freedom of speech, due process and reproductive freedom, along with weekly mentoring sessions.



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Law school clinics tackle challenging issue of heirs’ property rights

Heirs’ property is a name given to a home or land left to family members without an effective deed or will. With no clear title proving ownership, it can be difficult for descendants to sell or lease their property, build equity, or take advantage of homeowner assistance funds or disaster relief.



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Supreme Court decision in wetlands case will impair flood control, affect water quality, Kavanaugh warns

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday in its bid to classify an Idaho property as protected wetlands.



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SCOTUS rules for grandmother in tax foreclosure takings fight; Jackson again pairs with Gorsuch

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a 94-year-old woman could pursue a claim that a tax foreclosure sale violated her rights under the Fifth Amendment’s takings clause.



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Planned structure of new practice skills questions shared by National Conference of Bar Examiners

Updated: In-depth questions aimed at allowing candidates to demonstrate knowledge and skill of attorney functions, in addition to multiple-choice questions and essays, are expected to be part of the NextGen bar exam, according to a May 24 news release from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.



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Thomson Reuters partners with Microsoft for generative AI push

Thomson Reuters said Tuesday it had partnered with Microsoft to create a contract drafting plug-in for Word powered by artificial intelligence and plans to roll out generative AI integration for its suite of legal products, including Westlaw Precision, later this year.



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Trump's post-trial sexual assault denials are relevant in separate defamation suit, lawyer for accuser says

A lawyer for the woman who accused former President Donald Trump of sexual assault told a federal judge Monday that Trump’s post-trial comments denying the incident are relevant in a separate pending lawsuit against Trump.



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ABA Military Pro Bono Project has been connecting volunteer attorneys to servicemembers in need for 15 years

It hardly makes sense to ask military members to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country—and then deprive them of access to legal services, says Pamela Stevenson, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel.



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How can lawyers be better allies? ABA presidents share their advice

“You’re not trying to kick anybody out,” says Paulette Brown, who was the first Black woman to become ABA president. “You’re trying to have people understand that everyone has not been given the same basic tools that others have been given.”



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SCOTUS sidesteps Section 230 case after absolving Twitter of liability for terror attack

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declined to address a long-standing provision that protects technology companies from being held liable for third-party content posted on their platforms after ruling in a related case that Twitter had not aided and abetted a terror attack.



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Retired state supreme court justice tapped to lead law school

North Carolina Central University has appointed Patricia Timmons-Goodson, a retired North Carolina Supreme Court justice, as the dean of its law school.



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Kagan, Sotomayor write dueling opinions in SCOTUS fair-use ruling against Andy Warhol Foundation

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan complained in a dissent Thursday that a majority ruling by liberal colleague Justice Sonia Sotomayor had adopted a “posture of indifference” and left “in shambles” part of a fair-use test used in copyright cases.



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Justice Stevens' papers let researchers peek into Supreme Court's inner workings

According to case files in the 741 manuscript boxes full of Justice John Paul Stevens’ papers newly opened to the public this month by the Library of Congress, Stevens had to take some extra strokes to preserve his tentative 7-2 majority in PGA Tour v. Martin and to keep it from being saddled with concurrences.



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Questions remain after manslaughter charges in New York subway killing

There are still plenty of questions surrounding the killing of a homeless man on a New York City subway May 1. The Manhattan district attorney’s office in New York has filed second-degree manslaughter charges against 24-year-old Marine veteran Daniel Penny, but the debate continues over the delayed response by police and prosecutors.



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Program rolls out next generation of civil rights attorneys

A new generation of civil rights lawyers is being trained and deployed to fight racial injustice and inequity across the South, thanks to a program started in 2021 through a $40 million donation to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.



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Policy allowing migrants to be expelled during COVID-19 emergency has ended; what will be its legacy?

A federal policy used to expel migrants expired May 11, when the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency ended. The government’s authority to invoke the public health policy had been used to expel migrants without evaluating their potential asylum claims. Legal analysts are now turning their attention to the longer-term influence of the policy and potential precedents.



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Can US lawmakers sue for information on Old Post Office lease to Trump company? SCOTUS to decide

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether individual lawmakers have standing to sue a U.S. agency for information on the lease of the Old Post Office building to a Trump-owned business. The General Services Administration had leased the Old Post Office in 2013 to a business owned by Donald Trump and his children. The agreement specifically barred any elected official from participating in or benefiting from the lease.



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