Criminal Law Library BlogH.R. 3087, Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act of 2026
Cost Estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), August 6, 2026.
Overview of Document:
Articles Posted in Abstracts and Overviews
Pacing the Frontier: Why Leading AI Researchers Are Calling for New Government Action
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.
Washington and Lee 2025 Law Journal Rankings
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.
The 2026 U.S. Iran Memorandum of Understanding: Ceasefire, Diplomacy, and Unfinished Business
Introduction
On June 17, 2026, representatives of the United States and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) intended to halt escalating hostilities and establish a framework for broader negotiations. The agreement attracted immediate international attention because it touches upon several of the most consequential issues in Middle Eastern and global politics: military conflict, nuclear proliferation, economic sanctions, energy security, and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Although some commentators have described the document as a “peace agreement,” it is more accurately characterized as an interim political understanding. It does not fully resolve the longstanding disputes between the two countries. Instead, it creates a temporary framework within which negotiators hope to reach a more comprehensive settlement.
Understanding Budget Reconciliation: How Congress Fast Tracks Major Fiscal Legislation
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:
Overview of Income Polarization Redux: NYC’s Wage Gains are (Again) Flowing to the Top
Source: Mohamed Obaidy, Associate Director, Economic Policy Team, Center for New York City Affairs (CNYCA), Income Polarization Redux: NYC’s Wage Gains Are (Again) Flowing to the Top (2026).
Introduction
In Income Polarization Redux: NYC’s Wage Gains Are (Again) Flowing to the Top, Mohamed Obaidy examines recent wage, employment, and productivity trends in New York City and concludes that economic gains are becoming increasingly concentrated among higher-income workers and higher-paying industries. While New York City’s economy continues to grow and workers are becoming more productive, the benefits of that growth are not being distributed evenly across the workforce.
Upcoming Presentations by Staff and Affiliates of CBO’s Health Analysis Division
From: Congressional Budget Office (CBO), June 8, 2026.
By Chapin White, CBO’s Director of Health Analysis.
This week, several of my colleagues in the Congressional Budget Office’s Health Analysis Division are participating in sessions at the 15th Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon) in Minneapolis. The sessions are part of CBO’s ongoing efforts to engage with the broader research community. Such engagement improves the quality of CBO’s analysis and makes the agency’s methods and findings more transparent and available. CBO looks forward to discussion and feedback on the following topics.
From Bucket List to Agentic AI: Inside the April/May Issue of Experience Magazine
OVERVIEW:
The April/May 2026 issue of the American Bar Association Senior Lawyers Division’s Experience Magazine (Volume 36, Issue 3) centers on a unifying and reflective theme: the meaning of the “bucket list” at different stages of life and professional maturity. The issue combines personal essays, reflections on retirement and reinvention, practical professional guidance, and a timely discussion of artificial intelligence in legal practice.
A major theme running throughout the issue is that fulfillment in later life is not necessarily tied to grand adventures or dramatic achievements, but often to purpose, service, mentoring, and appreciation for experiences already gained. Several contributors challenge the traditional notion of a “bucket list” as merely a checklist of destinations or accomplishments. Instead, they encourage readers—particularly senior lawyers—to think about meaning, contribution, relationships, and continued intellectual engagement.