If you thought it was only corner-cutting lawyers and tech-savvy college students that were relying on artificial intelligence to do their work for them, this week may force you to reconsider. Reuters reports here that “[f]ederal judges in Mississippi and New Jersey have withdrawn written rulings in a pair of unrelated lawsuits after lawyers in the cases said they contained factual inaccuracies and other serious errors.” Although the judges have not revealed how the “inaccuracies” and “errors” came to be, the types of mistakes involved will be familiar to anyone who uses generative AI or even reads about it: phantom quotations from real cases; citations to testimony from non-existent declarants; recitations of allegations that were never made; and fundamentally flawed legal “interpretation.” Keep reading for more news, curated and written up by a real, live human being.
Duke Law Journal in the federal government’s crosshairs. The United States Department of Education has launched an investigation based on reports that the Duke Law Journal engaged in unlawful discrimination when selecting its members. This story in the Washington Free Beacon asserts that the focus will be the journal’s “2024 decision to award extra points to applicants who mentioned race and gender in their personal statements.” This follow-up story reports that the journal sent memos to members of the law school’s affinity groups with secret advice about how to write effective statements. As a former editor of the Duke Law Journal (many years before the time period in question) I will decline to comment further!
Not directly related, but perhaps connected in some way, Prof. Josh Blackman and Alison Somin have this interesting post up at the Volokh Conspiracy, arguing that “[t]he ABA [through its accreditation process] routinely encourages [law] schools to engage in unlawful discrimination, and rewards schools that are engaging in unlawful discrimination.” The post focuses on faculty hiring and admissions, not law journal membership. But the close examination of academia and academic culture is a common thread.
Colorado dentist convicted of murder for poisoning his wife. My cousin is a dentist in Colorado. She is very nice, but some dentists in the Centennial State are not nice. For example, WRAL reports here on Dr. James Craig, who “was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday after being convicted of killing his wife by lacing her protein shakes with poison before delivering a fatal dose of cyanide when she was in the hospital.” Hospital security camera images apparently showed him wielding a syringe before approaching his wife’s bedside. Dr. Craig was also “found guilty of trying to cover up the killing,” including by asking his daughter “to make a fake video of her mother asking to be poisoned” and seeking to pay someone to kill the lead investigator. Dr. Craig’s reported defense was that “he had helped his wife kill herself after he said he wanted a divorce following his repeated extramarital affairs.” If that was the defense version of the facts, a conviction is perhaps no surprise.
Old Lexington rape case, new momentum for clemency? The Assembly has a new story here that begins: “More than 45 years ago, Lexington police detectives helped put Charles McNeair behind bars for a rape he has long maintained he didn’t commit. Now, the town’s current police chief says Gov. Josh Stein should strongly consider granting McNeair clemency.” The story is a compelling read and I won’t spoil it except to say that it arises from the prosecution of a 16-year-old Black youth for raping a middle-aged White woman; the investigative file has been destroyed; and with the help of an attorney at Duke Law School, the youth-turned-middle-aged-man is seeking relief from Governor Stein.
Florida sets a state record for executions in one year. The Associated Press explains here that a “Florida man convicted of killing his wife and two children with a machete in 1994 is set for execution Thursday, which would be the ninth death sentence carried out in 2025 to set a new state record for a single year.” Two more executions are scheduled for August. Florida has executed more than twice as many defendants this year than the next-highest state.
Violent crime falling nationwide. The Council on Criminal Justice reports here that “[h]omicide and other violent crimes continued to decline in the first half of this year, falling below levels seen before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide social justice protests of 2020.” The decline in homicides, in particular, is largely a function of massive reductions in Baltimore and St. Louis. More generally, researchers and others continue to debate what drives crime, and what drives crime reduction.
Work as a Senior Legal Research Associate at the School of Government. We have a new position posted here. (If the link doesn’t work, find it through UNC’s employment site.) It’s for a Senior Legal Research Associate – a person who will lead a small team of lawyers who help our faculty with legal research in support of short-term advising and long-term writing projects. The job is varied and interesting and I can attest that the School is a wonderful place to work.
Chuck E. Cheese busted. Finally, Vice News reports here about a sad development in Tallahassee, Florida this week. It started off as a normal Wednesday: “The soda was flat, the pizza was stale . . . when, suddenly, the thin veneer of fun barely holding together Charles ‘Entertainment’ Cheese’s palace of mediocre wonderment was shattered.” Police apparently arrived at a local Chuck E. Cheese franchise to question an employee named Jermell Jones about his suspected involvement in credit card fraud. The officers spoke to Mr. Jones, then huddled up outside to assess next steps. They went back in to arrest the suspect, only to find that he had donned the costume of the eponymous animatronic band leader and was preparing to entertain the restaurant’s patrons. Just as he was about to take the stage, the officers grabbed him, reportedly saying “Come with me, Chuck E.” The suspect was escorted out of the pizza palace in cuffs – and still in his costume. Here’s the visual evidence, with credit to Vice News:
Choose your dining locations carefully this weekend, and we’ll see you next week.