Daily Update - Tuesday, May 23
What Happened Today at the Annual Meeting – Tuesday Edition
The second day of this year’s Annual Meeting began with a presentation from ALI Early Career Scholars Medal recipient Ashley S. Deeks of the University of Virginia School of Law. Her presentation is titled “The Double Black Box: National Security, AI and Democratic Accountability.”
The day’s first program, Artificial Intelligence and Society, focused on the ways that AI technology and innovation have already affected and will continue to affect our society and our laws in the future. Moderator Travis LeBlanc of Cooley was joined by panelists Ruth Okediji of Harvard Law School, Marc Rotenberg of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, and Brad Smith of Microsoft.
The first project session on the agenda was Children and the Law. Council member Troy A. McKenzie joined Reporter Elizabeth S. Scott and Associate Reporters Richard J. Bonnie, Emily Buss, Solangel Maldonado, and Clare Huntington in the presentation of Tentative Draft No. 5. The draft contains material from Chapter 1, Parental Authority and Responsibilities, Chapter 2, State Intervention for Abuse and Neglect, and Chapter 3, Child in Need of Services, of Part I on Children in Families; Chapter 13, Delinquency Proceedings, of Part III on Children in the Justice System; and Chapter 18, Minors’ Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Outside the School Context, and Chapter 20, Minors’ Obligations and Responsibilities, of Part IV on Children in Society.
Actions Taken*
Membership voted to approve Tentative Draft No. 5.
Today’s morning session concluded with the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award to ALI President Emeritus Roberta Cooper Ramo of Modrall Sperling by ALI Director Diane P. Wood. Upon receiving the award, Ramo thanked the membership for their distinguished service, highlighting the significance of the Institute’s culture to both its work in the fair administration of justice. Learn more about Ramo and the award here.
In celebration of ALI’s first 100 years, a volume of essays titled The American Law Institute: A Centennial History has been produced exploring ALI’s founding, examining some of the Institute’s most influential projects, and contemplating adoption and criticism of our work so far. Editors Andrew S. Gold of Brooklyn Law School and Robert W. Gordon of Stanford Law School and Yale Law School were joined by chapter authors Richard R.W. Brooks of NYU School of Law, Deborah A. DeMott of Duke University School of Law, and G. Edward White of UVA School of Law for a discussion on the book. The panel looked back on what the Institute has accomplished in its first century.
The final project session of the day was Torts: Remedies, chaired by Paul L. Friedman. Reporters Douglas Laycock and Richard L. Hasen presented Tentative Draft No. 2, which contains a portion of Chapter 1, Topic 1, General Rules for Measuring Compensatory Damages; all of Chapter 1, Topic 2, Injury to the Person; and a portion of Chapter 3, Topic 1, Permanent Injunctions.
Actions Taken*
Membership voted to approve Tentative Draft No. 2 in its entirety with the exception of §§ 11, 26-27, which were discussed but not presented for voting.
At the Annual Dinner, Associate Justice Elena Kagan of the Supreme Court of the United States presented the Henry J. Friendly Medal to Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr. When presenting the medal, Justice Kagan praised the Chief Justice’s writing. “The Chief is incapable of writing a bad sentence. His writing has depth, intelligence, crystal clarity, grace, humor and understated style,” said Justice Kagan. “That writing is, in my humble opinion, the best writing in law. He is a consummate legal craftsman.”
During his acceptance of the award, Chief Justice Roberts reflected on his path toward a career in the law and how his one-year journey as Judge Friendly’s law clerk taught him that one can live a good and full life in a career dedicated to the law. In closing, the Chief Justice thanked The American Law Institute on behalf of the federal courts for its significant contribution to the rule of law.
Videos of Annual Meeting events will be available soon.
*All approvals by membership at the Annual Meeting are subject to the discussion at the Meeting and usual editorial prerogative.