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Robotic Risk—but Is the Ultimate Answer Still a Human One?
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May 26, 2026
Robotic Risk—but Is the Ultimate Answer Still a Human One?
By: Lauren Scribner
It now goes without saying that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a convenient solution for accomplishing certain tedious tasks, such as planning an upcoming trip, figuring out what to make for dinner with ingredients already on hand, or adding some professional flare to an email. But when it comes to some of the more high-stakes areas of life, such as obtaining financial, medical, or legal advice, the convenience of instantaneous feedback available at the push of the button may not be the be-all and end-all. OpenAI just implemented a new personal finance feature on ChatGPT where users can link their accounts to the application and “get more personalized advice.”[1] The company has advertised a demonstrated need for this feature, stating…
Murdaugh She Wrote
May 21, 2026
Murdaugh She Wrote
By: James Trusty
As the information regarding Alex Murdaugh’s conniving, murderous ways began to spread far beyond the Lowcountry of South Carolina and into the cable and social media airwaves, a curious and ominous thing took root. The temptation of star power and riches slumped stealthily behind the public face of the proceedings, causing a low-level bureaucrat to destroy the notion of an impartial jury in one of…
SPLC’s Informant Program – is Dangerously Unwise the Same as Unlawful?
May 11, 2026
SPLC’s Informant Program – is Dangerously Unwise the Same as Unlawful?
By: Lauren Scribner
THE INDICTMENT On April 21, 2026, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a nonprofit civil rights organization that works to “create a multiracial democracy” by “fight[ing] white supremacy and various forms of injustice”[1] was charged in an 11-count indictment[2] in the Middle District of Alabama. The indictment alleges that the SPLC operated “a covert network of informants who were either associated with violent extremist groups…
Officer Misconduct Reform Issues Highlighted in Brooklyn District Attorney’s Dismissal of Nearly 400 Convictions
September 20, 2022
Officer Misconduct Reform Issues Highlighted in Brooklyn District Attorney’s Dismissal of Nearly 400 Convictions
By: Jake Gray
On September 7, 2022, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office announced its request to vacate nearly 400 convictions, dating back to 1999, that were founded on testimony provided by officers who were later found guilty of crimes committed while on duty. Among the 13 officers’ crimes are murder, planting drugs, taking sex bribes, civil liberties violations, and perjury—crimes that called “into question the integrity of every…
More than a Mantra: Pitfalls of Excluding Time under Speedy Trial Analysis
July 1, 2022
More than a Mantra: Pitfalls of Excluding Time under Speedy Trial Analysis
By: James Trusty
This week the Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stinging reminder about the need for precision in the case of U.S. v. Pikus, No. 20-3080 (2d Cir. 2022). Aleksander Pikus was one of four defendants charged with money laundering conspiracy and related offenses for bilking Medicare and Medicaid through false billings. The scheme featured unnecessary ambulance rides to a Brooklyn medical clinic apparently run…
Michigan’s High Profile Boomerang
April 21, 2022
Michigan’s High Profile Boomerang
By: James Trusty
About one month before the 2020 election, the Department of Justice proudly announced their disruption of a scheme to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Six men were arrested and referred to as “violent extremists.” Gov. Whitmer’s surrogates indicated that the blame was not fully on the gnarly bearded men whose pictures dominated newscasts around the country, but on Donald Trump, who had whipped up crowds…
Modern Day Ceasar Faces Brutal End
August 23, 2021
Modern Day Ceasar Faces Brutal End
By: James Trusty
Last week’s Second Circuit Court of Appeals opinion in U.S. v. Sinmayah Ceasar, 2021 WL 3640387 (2nd Cir. Aug. 18, 2021) provides some insight into the challenging area of defining a “reasonable” sentence and ascertaining the circumstances when appellate courts might overturn a judge’s sentencing decision for being “unreasonably” lenient. The case against Ceasar was not built in a day. The government obtained evidence that…
Time to Face the (Hidden) Music
August 2, 2021
Time to Face the (Hidden) Music
By: James Trusty
A Texas man named Guy Reffitt has found himself at the edge of the new legal frontier, a place where privacy rights and encrypted technology face aggressive prosecutors willing to push for their strongest criminal case. This Guy did not bring a lot of sympathy to the legal battle—he is alleged to have traveled from Wylie, Texas to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, with…
