Articles Posted in Commentary and Opinion

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Introduction

Between now and 2030, law-librarian roles will transform rather than vanish. While routine tasks like first-pass reference triage, some technical cataloging, and current-awareness pathfinders will increasingly be automated, demand will rise for librarians with expertise in AI policy, knowledge architecture, data stewardship, research quality assurance, vendor evaluation, and legal analytics.

Institutions that pair clear AI governance, staff training, and data management will not only retain headcount but also create specialist positions, reshaping the profession.
Key sources: AALL State of the Profession 2025 · ILTA 2024 Tech Survey · ABA AI TechReport 2024 · Thomson Reuters Future of Professionals 2024 · WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025

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These News Briefs and Decision Summaries are from  the  the New Jersey State Bar Association. They are an exclusive benefit of the Association in partnership with the New Jersey Law Journal. A subscription may be necessary to access the full text of some of the items listed:

Legal News

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Historical Background

The history of capital punishment in the United States reflects a cycle of reform, reinstatement, and continued controversy. In 1972, the Supreme Court’s decision in Furman v. Georgia temporarily halted executions nationwide, finding that death penalty statutes were applied in arbitrary and capricious ways. Just four years later, in Gregg v. Georgia  the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty. This decision upheld new death penalty statutes that aimed to address the arbitrariness concerns raised in Furman by providing revised sentencing guidelines and procedures for capital cases. These revised guidelines typically included a bifurcated trial process (separate guilt and sentencing phases) and required the identification of aggravating circumstances before a death sentence could be imposed. 

Since then, abolition efforts have proceeded along two main paths: statutory repeal by state legislatures and judicial decisions striking down death penalty schemes. A small number of jurisdictions, such as Michigan and Puerto Rico, have gone further by embedding abolition directly into their constitutions; a step that offers stronger, more lasting protection.

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Two months ago, during a media briefing at its New York City offices, Thomson Reuters offered a glimpse of what it called the “next generation” of its CoCounsel artificial intelligence platform, a shift, the company said, from AI tools that simply respond to prompts to intelligent agentic systems capable of planning, reasoning, and executing complex, multi step workflows in professional settings.

That vision became reality on August 5, 2025 with the official launch of CoCounsel Legal, a platform that blends agentic workflows with advanced research capabilities, all powered by Westlaw’s vast legal content. Thomson Reuters is positioning it as the most comprehensive AI solution yet for legal professionals.

First unveiled to the media during a July 24 press briefing, the new platform introduces two major innovations: guided workflows that can manage sophisticated legal tasks from start to finish, and Deep Research, an AI-powered research engine that leverages Westlaw’s proprietary tools to deliver thorough, authoritative results. In an August 5 posting in LawSites Weekly Bob Ambrogi writes… “Unlike traditional AI-assisted research that summarizes search results, Deep Research creates research plans, executes them iteratively, and delivers comprehensive reports with transparent reasoning”

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As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) systems become increasingly integrated into search engines, legal research platforms, healthcare diagnostics, and educational tools, questions of factual accuracy and trustworthiness have come to the forefront. Erroneous or hallucinated outputs from large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude can have serious consequences, especially when these tools are used in sensitive domains.

The sheer volume of information processed by AI systems makes comprehensive auditing a significant challenge. This necessitates finding efficient and effective strategies for human oversight.  In this context, the question arises: Should librarians, especially those trained in research methodologies and information literacy, be involved in auditing these systems for factual accuracy? The answer is a resounding yes.

The Librarian’s Expertise in Information Validation

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Introduction

Honoring Émilie du Châtelet: A Mind Ahead of Her Time grew out of my earlier poem, In Celebration of Émilie du Châtelet: A Truly Renaissance Woman. While both poems honor the same remarkable figure, they differ in purpose and tone. The first poem was written with public occasions in mind, shaped for oral recitation and offering, in essence, an outline of her extraordinary life, a concise tribute to her genius and achievements.

This new poem, however, seeks something more reflective. I think of it as a continuation rather than a mere revision, an effort to move beyond a broad sketch and invite deeper contemplation. Here, I aim to provide a richer sense of Émilie du Châtelet’s intellectual daring, her profound humanity, and her concern for women’s rights. Where the earlier poem celebrated her in bold strokes, this one lingers on the subtler dimensions of her life and character, offering a deeper basis for readers to pause and reflect on the legacy of this truly exceptional woman.

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Articles and observations about the art of living a meaningful life included in the July/August 2025 issue of Experience magazine published by the Senior Lawyers Section of the American Bar Association:

As we dive into the July/August 2025 issue of Experience, we celebrate the empowering theme at its heart: living with intention, creativity, and deep human connection. Across a diverse array of articles  contributors explore how seniors, especially those transitioning from long legal careers, are crafting lives rich in meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. For example:

  • In Living Is the Meaning of Life, Seth D. Kramer affirms Herb Cohen’s uplifting mantra that “the meaning of life … is more life,” underlining that fully embracing new experiences, from arts to sport to technology, is its own art form.

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The Staffing, Operations and Technology: 2025 Survey of State Courts, the third annual report by Thomson Reuters Institute with support from the National Center for State Courts AI Policy Consortium, captures insights from 443 judges and court professionals across State, County, and Municipal courts, gathered via an online questionnaire between March 26 and April 15, 2025.  It examines how digital transformation and technological advancements are reshaping court operations, access to justice, and workforce trends.

Key findings highlight significant operational strain: 68% of courts reported staffing shortages last year, and 48% of court professionals say they lack sufficient time to perform their duties . Workloads have increased.  45% of respondents noted heavier caseloads, 39% flagged rising complexity, and 24% observed increases in court delays and continuances  according to Thomson Reuters. 

While many courts now conduct virtual hearings, there are growing concerns about the digital divide impacting litigant participation. Technological adoption is progressing. Most courts use key automated tools, but gaps remain, especially in budgets and infrastructure, despite the broader legal environment embracing AI and Generative AI.

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INTRODUCTION.

Émilie du Châtelet (1706–1749) was a pioneering scientist, philosopher, and translator whose intellect shone brightly in the Age of Enlightenment. Best known for her French translation and commentary on Newton’s Principia Mathematica, still the standard version today, she brought clarity and depth to Newtonian physics while offering original insights into energy and motion.

Living and working alongside Voltaire at Cirey, she helped shape the intellectual life of her time, challenging assumptions in science, philosophy, ethics, and society. Although Émilie du Châtelet wasn’t a legal scholar or actively involved in the legal profession, her writings and critiques demonstrate awareness of the role of laws and social structures in shaping individuals’ lives, particularly for women, and highlight her philosophical arguments for justice, equality, and the importance of intellectual freedom for all. 

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The Social Security Administration (SSA) and legal scholars have offered sharply differing perspectives on the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill. In an official communication, the SSA hails the legislation as a historic victory for seniors, emphasizing tax relief for nearly 90% of Social Security recipients. By contrast, in a commentary published by VERDICT: Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia, Amherst professor Austin Sarat criticizes the SSA’s messaging as a politicized distortion, arguing that it prioritizes presidential branding over transparency and fails to address the deeper structural challenges facing Social Security. These conflicting narratives raise important questions about policy substance, public trust, and the politicization of federal agencies.

VIEW ONE:

From the Social Security Administration:

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