The American Law Institute

Today, The American Law Institute elected Wallace B. Jefferson, Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, as its next ALI President, effective at the conclusion of the Institute’s 2026 Annual Meeting in May.

“I am profoundly grateful for the confidence my colleagues have placed in me. The American Law Institute has long stood for careful deliberation, independence, and respect for the rule of law. It has been one of the great privileges of my professional life to work alongside so many dedicated members and leaders of the Institute. David Levi’s extraordinary leadership has inspired all of us to aim higher in service to the law and our country. I am eager to carry that spirit forward, collaborating closely with the Council, the Director, and our membership to advance ALI’s mission and promote the better administration of justice.” – Wallace Jefferson

Read the announcement: https://bit.ly/49UxmcH

We are excited to welcome our newly elected members to The American Law Institute. https://bit.ly/4grinc9

ALI launches Principles of the Law, Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence. To be led by Reporter Mark Geistfeld NYU School of Law. The project will focus on the core problem of physical harms.

ALI Launches Principles of the Law, Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence | American Law Institute ALI Launches Principles of the Law, Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence

We're excited to welcome our newly elected new members. Their passion and expertise will help continue our mission of clarifying the law through Restatements, Principles, and Model Codes. https://bit.ly/3YdP991

The American Law Institute elects new members. https://bit.ly/4cSVgFf

Membership has voted to approve TD No. 6 of Restatement of Children and the Law, marking the completion of this project. Thank you to our Reporters and project participants for all of your work on this important area of law. https://bit.ly/4bofqXj

ALI membership votes to approve Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Medical Malpractice, marking the completion of this project. Thank you to our Reporters and project participants for their work on this important project. https://bit.ly/3WMwZfs

At today’s Annual Meeting opening session, ALI membership elected six new members to its Council. They will take part in determining projects and activities to be undertaken by ALI and approve that work as representing the position of the Institute. https://bit.ly/3QOv7yT

The Annual Meeting is underway. View the agenda here: https://bit.ly/3TKZrej

Discover the evolving legal terrain of AI liability and ethical obligations: Join us for insights on how the law is adapting and how to navigate the risks in this rapidly changing landscape.

The program will be led by moderator Colleen Chien (Berkeley Law) who will be accompanied by panelists Judge Richard Franklin Boulware II (U.S. District Court, District of Nevada), Mark Geistfeld (NYU Law), Tom Lue (Google DeepMind), and Andy Song (Manifold).

This ALI CLE program is taking place this Sunday, May 19 in San Francisco. We hope to see you there. https://bit.ly/3UKDiNV

Guidance for Insurrection Act Reform Issued by Bipartisan Group

Today, a bipartisan group led by Bob Bauer (NYU School of Law and former White House Counsel to President Obama) and Jack Goldsmith (Harvard Law School and former Assistant Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration) issued “Principles for Insurrection Act Reform.” The distinguished group, convened at the invitation of The American Law Institute, is made up of persons with a range of legal and political views who have a rich variety of backgrounds in constitutional law, national security law, and military law, and have held senior positions in government.

The Principles propose deleting antiquated terms that lack settled contemporary meaning and strengthening conditions for the Act’s use. The Principles state that “a reformed Insurrection Act should more clearly specify (i) the goal of ensuring enforcement and (ii) the requirement that the deployment be necessary to protect public safety and security.” For example, many states and municipalities now have robust police forces, and the president has access to substantial federal law-enforcement capacity. The Principles suggest that the Insurrection Act be amended to make clear that the president may not deploy the armed forces unless “the violence [is] such that it overwhelms the capacity of federal, state, and local authorities to protect public safety and security.”

The Principles also urge Congress to adopt reporting and consultation requirements, and time-limit constraints, on presidential deployments under the Insurrection Act. In particular, the Principles recommend that the reformed Insurrection Act:

- Require consultation with the governor before deploying troops into any state;
- Require the president to report to Congress, within 24 hours of deployment, on the need to invoke the Insurrection Act and on consultations held with state authorities;
- Limit the president’s authority to deploy troops under the Act to a maximum of 30 days absent renewed congressional authorization; and
- Establish a fast-track procedure for Congress to vote on renewal of presidential authority under the Insurrection Act.

Finally, the Principles state that Insurrection Act reform need not and should not include a provision for judicial review.

Read more or download the full report: https://bit.ly/3vQVuN9

The latest edition of The ALI Reporter is now available. https://bit.ly/3TUaBPq