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Civil Law

Why the Conspiratorial Responses to Canada’s Antisemitism Guide Demonstrate Its Necessity

Delegates from dozens of countries gathered nearly 25 year ago in Stockholm, Sweden for the Stockholm International Forum, where they affirmed a global commitment to combatting racism, antisemitism, ethnic hatred, and ignorance of history. That meeting sparked what became a 16-year open process to develop much-needed anti-racism tools, including the creation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

Antisemitism is generally understood as a certain perception of Jews that veers into hatred, but specific examples … Read the rest

Supreme Court

Anti-abortion activists ask justices to overrule ban on expressive activity outside clinics

The Petitions of the Week column highlights some of the cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here.

In its 2000 decision in Hill v. Colorado, the Supreme Court upheld a Colorado law enacted to prevent groups or individuals who oppose abortion from protesting, handing out materials, or speaking to patients, doctors, or staff outside of medical facilities that offer the procedure. Two years ago, when the … Read the rest

Civil Law

An Empty Man.

He was an empty man,

so he tried to fill his life

with trinkets

and things

and people

who did his bidding.

He grasped at money

and straws

and put them in the emptiness

of his vessel.

Everything he saw

that gleamed

or shined

or smelled or tasted nice,

he shoved inside

his body

with abandon.

After a while,

everything left him,

emptier than before,

and he despaired

of ever filling the void.

Then, old age

slowed his urges,

and

… Read the rest

Supreme Court

Court declines RNC request to intervene in Pennsylvania voting dispute

The Supreme Court on Friday night left in place a ruling by Pennsylvania’s highest court that requires election boards in the state to count provisional ballots submitted by voters whose mail-in ballots had been deemed invalid.

The brief unsigned order came just four days before election day. Recent polls show former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris tied in Pennsylvania, which both candidates regard as a key part of their hopes of winning the White House. The … Read the rest

Supreme Court

The morning read for Wednesday, Oct. 30

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Wednesday morning read:

Supreme Court allows Virginia to purge voter rolls ahead of election (Lawrence Hurley, NBC News)
Supreme Court allows Virginia to resume its purge of voter registrations (Mark Sherman, The Associated Press)
Supreme Court Declines to Remove R.F.K. Jr. From Ballot in Two Key States (Abbie VanSickle, The New York Times)
There’s no such thing as a guaranteed

… Read the rest

Civil Law

H5N1 in a pig, Oregon: separating risk from buzz

The recent report of H5N1 influenza in a pig in the US is getting a lot of attention. That’s warranted since it’s noteworthy, but as is typical, a lot of the social media buzz is overblown. This is a concerning situation that we need to watch, and we need to up our overall game with H5N1. However, this recent finding is neither unexpected nor a doomsday situation.

The highlights of the recent event:

H5N1 flu was found in a pigs

… Read the rest

Supreme Court

Republicans ask Supreme Court to block decision to count Pennsylvania provisional ballots

The Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Pennsylvania came to the Supreme Court on Monday, asking the justices to block a ruling by Pennsylvania’s highest court requiring election boards to count provisional ballots submitted by voters whose mail-in ballots had been deemed invalid.

The RNC and the Pennsylvania Republicans argue that the state supreme court had “dramatically change[d] the rules governing mail voting.” And in so doing, they contend, the state court had violated the U.S. Constitution … Read the rest

Civil Law

Unlocking the Power of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Models in the Legal Industry (Or Play Some of that Ragtime Music)

As we navigate the fast-evolving world of artificial intelligence, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) models have become a staple in the legal industry. These models combine information retrieval with natural language generation, offering legal professionals new ways to efficiently manage complex data and generate relevant, insightful responses. There are several different types of RAG models, so it is beneficial to understand how each can uniquely support legal work,

How RAG Models Work

At the core of RAG models is a two-step process: … Read the rest