Category «Congress»

Unclassified Documents Contain Troubling Information About Dragnet Phone Surveillance Program

“Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on Attorney General Merrick Garland [Read the full letter to Attorney General Garland here] to make public documents related to the Hemisphere phone surveillance program, which allows federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies to request searches of trillions of U.S. phone records, usually without warrants. Although the documents …

Subjects: Congress, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Privacy

As mass shootings multiplied, the horrific human cost was concealed

Washington Post: “States reeling from gun violence made graphic imagery confidential — part of a charged debate over privacy and public awareness. States have increasingly restricted records showing the impact of gun violence. How? Some have used or created exemptions to public records laws to withhold crime scene evidence, such as photos of mutilated bodies …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Privacy

Virtual Cloud Portals

Dark Clouds: Can Government Agencies Evade Public-Records Laws by Storing Documents in Privately Owned Digital Portals? Frank D. LoMonte, Adjunct Instructor, University of Georgia School of Law. Newsroom Legal Counsel, Cable News Network, Inc. J.D., University of Georgia School of Law, 2000. B.A., Georgia State University, 1992. “Laws enabling the public to inspect government records …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Artificial intelligence experts discuss legal implications on ABA Presidential Speaker Series

“A panel of experts on artificial intelligence and how it will affect the legal landscape are featured in the next installment of the ABA Presidential Speaker Series. The program, titled “A.I. – The New Frontier,” will feature a panel of special advisers to the ABA Task Force on the Law and Artificial Intelligence. The program …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Congress, Data Governance, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

Ban Trump from 2024 ballot? Why courts should rule he can’t serve as president again.

USA Today – To allow Donald Trump to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot, the courts will need to explain why any ruling that keeps the former president in the running doesn’t itself betray the Constitution. Laurence H. Tribe and Dennis Aftergut, Opinion contributors: “A trial that began Monday in Colorado and legal arguments scheduled …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

Freedom Under Fire

Read the AP Reporting Package – When Guns Outnumber People, Which American Liberties Prevail? “American identity is deeply grounded in the belief that everyone, no matter who they are, is entitled to certain rights and liberties. But what happens when one of those freedoms – a nearly unfettered right to own guns – upends the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Education, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

The yearly issue of Air Street Capital’s Nathan Benaich slide deck

State of AI Report – Produced by Nathan Benaich and Air Street Capital team: “Artificial intelligence (AI) is a multidisciplinary field of science and engineering whose goal is to create intelligent machines. We believe that AI will be a force multiplier on technological progress in our increasingly digital, data-driven world. This is because everything around …

Subjects: AI, Congress, E-Commerce, Economy, Education, Financial System, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

AI’s Threats to Election Security

Brennan Center for Justice: “Increasing awareness of the power of artificial intelligence coincides with growing public anxiety about the future of democracy, with significant concern about AI’s potential to harm elections. A new series from the Brennan Center and Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology explores how AI could impact various parts of …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Congress, Cybercrime, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Social Media

Israel and Hamas October 2023 Conflict: Frequently Asked Questions

CRS – Israel and Hamas October 2023 Conflict: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Updated October 20, 2023. [77 pages] “…Hamas’s attack preparations may have extended over several years. Possible motivating factors for the attacks’ timing include the potential to disrupt Arab-Israeli normalization efforts, bolster Hamas’s domestic and regional position, capitalize on Israeli political turmoil, and use …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

The Necessary and Proper Stewardship of Judicial Data

Huq, Aziz Z. and Clopton, Zachary D., The Necessary and Proper Stewardship of Judicial Data (September 20, 2023). Stanford Law Review, Vol. 76, Forthcoming , Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 23-55, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4578337 – “Governments and commercial firms create profits and social gain by exploiting large pools of data. One source of …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, E-Records, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Climate-exacerbated wildfires cost the U.S. between $394 to $893 billion each year in economic costs, damages

Joint Economic Committee, Democrats – Report [PDF]: “Wildfires represent a growing threat to the health and well-being of communities across the country. The United States has already seen a devastating string of catastrophic wildfires this year in places like Maui, the western United States, and Louisiana as these disasters become more and more damaging due …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, Economy, Education, Environmental Law, Financial System, Health Care

Americans’ Dismal Views of the Nation’s Politics

65% say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics: “Americans have long been critical of politicians and skeptical of the federal government. But today, Americans’ views of politics and elected officials are unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon. Majorities say the political process is dominated by special interests, …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research