Bonnie Shucha recently published a paper examining NotebookLM, a document-grounded artificial intelligence tool developed by Google that helps users interact with and analyze texts they upload. Read the paper: buff.ly/eVh5LH6. #FridayReads

#TBT to Jan. 29, when Justice Goodwin G. Liu, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, spoke at the Thomas E. Fairchild Lecture. Following the presentation, he was gifted a Gargoyle replica by Dean Dan Tokaji. Learn more about the lecture series: buff.ly/iCLXdv4

Amanda White Eagle tells The Badger Herald: Tribal members should ensure their IDs are not expired and are properly addressed in the event they encounter federal immigration agents. buff.ly/0vqAf2a

@derekclinger.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social -- Fulton County suggests a much more plausible scenario: one where the seizure of ballots is conducted with the appearance of a legal process.

Judge sanctions Kenosha district attorney for AI in court; case dismissed. @johnpgross.bsky.social: "Your credibility is undermined if you are filing something that is simply incorrect.” Read more at @cbs58.bsky.social -- cbs58.com/news/judge-s...

During a recent faculty workshop, Professor Heinz Klug discussed a forthcoming paper on the role of law in enabling an emerging autocracy. We look forward to the final paper. Until then, learn more about Professor Klug: buff.ly/KqqF9Yz.

Bonnie Shucha raises concerns over Academia.edu's AI-generated podcasts and comic strips based on research papers. Read the full story: buff.ly/881f7Wj

Jim Brownlow has been charged with disorderly conduct after he wrote "Jan. 6" on the sidewalk outside the Muskego Post Office in chalk. It’s hard for this case to meet the incitement standard, Franciska Coleman tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. buff.ly/MObF3bm

Professor Emerita of Law and bioethics specialist Alta Charo joins the Science Policy IRL series to discuss the impact of science policy on people's lives. Listen to the podcast:

@derekclinger.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social cites conflicting reports behind the federal government's voter information request

Join us this Thursday and Friday for the 2026 Wisconsin International Law Journal Symposium, "Challenges Posed to Judges and Lawyers by Creeping Authoritarianism." Learn more and register: buff.ly/HgLmMNj.

Join us for the next installment in our Election Matters series, "The Battle Over Mid-Decade Redistricting" on March 6, 3-4:15 pm CT. Panelists will offer an update on mid-decade redistricting and how it may impact the 2026 midterms. Register here: go.wisc.edu/95y7s8

Amanda White Eagle joins the Wisconsin Law in Action podcast to discuss the impact of the Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center and initiatives like the Native November Symposium and the Coming Together of People's Conference. Listen and subscribe: buff.ly/2r5Ary3

@harrisonstark.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social tells @washingtonpost.com: “It is arguably harder today in 2026 than at any other time in American history to sue federal officials for money damages if they violate your constitutional rights.”

Happy Opening Day of the Olympics! We’re cheering on Team USA — and celebrating a couple of UW Law alumni who had their own unforgettable Olympic moments: Alison Carlson carried the Olympic torch during the 1980 Games and Joe Bersch competed on the 1988 Sailing Team.

Peter Carstensen analyzes how consolidation in the seed industry affects food prices, farmers and innovation, and whether the DOJ should reopen the 2017-18 mergers among major seed companies. Read more:

@derekclinger.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social: “It’s a dramatic escalation even among recent Trump administration actions like suing nearly half the states for their sensitive voter data.”

@harrisonstark.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social tells @npr.org: "There is no structural or blanket barrier to states bringing a criminal prosecution against federal officials." www.npr.org/2026/02/03/n...

During a recent faculty workshop, @joshuabraver.bsky.social presented a draft of a paper arguing that "the Insurrection Act supports deference in one narrow setting" and "demands judicial scrutiny in all the rest." Read the paper: buff.ly/1hJA0KF.

During a panel on reproductive justice by the University of Pittsburgh, Hastie Fellow Arti Walker-Peddakotla examined how surveillance technologies and racial profiling in immigration enforcement can be used to track people seeking reproductive care. Read the full story: buff.ly/uGy8Pzh.

Relevant to this essay, UT's Republican governor signed a bill this weekend to add two new supreme court justices that he would appoint. Unlike a constitutional amendment, which goes to voters, the bill did not give voters a chance to directly weigh in. www.sltrib.com/news/politic...

Check out @miriamseifter.bsky.social & @bgodar.bsky.social 's forthcoming essay for Northwestern U. L. Rev., exploring how state constitutional principles inform permissible state court reforms and highlighting recent legislative efforts at odds with these principles. go.wisc.edu/4fr1x1

@rachelburg.bsky.social of the Wisconsin Innocence Project writes in an op-ed for @Madison.com: "No amount of money can undo the trauma of wrongful imprisonment. But meaningful compensation, paired with support services, recognizes the harm done." buff.ly/83CsaFa

Check out the latest paper by @joshuabraver.bsky.social, "Deference Due? 'Considers' and the Insurrection Act," now available on SSRN: buff.ly/1hJA0KF. #FridayReads

Dean Dan Tokaji writes for @law360.bsky.social that the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections makes it easier to challenge electoral practices alleged to be unfair or inaccurate. 1/2

“Criminal Justice System: A Lived Experience Perspective” is a new two-credit course examining how theory, policy and practice line up with reality — or diverge from it. Read more in this @wisconsinexaminer.com story with Dant'e Cottingham and @clastevenson.bsky.social:

@bgodar.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social: “That privileged language does not mean that when you vote absentee, you don’t have a right to have your vote counted.”

@derekclinger.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social: “It’s a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to expand federal control over our country’s historically state-run election infrastructure.”

Wisconsin Innocence Project co-director Christopher Lau comments on a bipartisan bill to increase compensation for people wrongfully incarcerated in Wisconsin. He calls the state's current pay "technically the worst of any state that has compensation." Read the full story:

@rachelburg.bsky.social of the Wisconsin Innocence Project writes an op-ed for @Madison.com: "No amount of money can undo the trauma of wrongful imprisonment. But meaningful compensation, paired with support services, recognizes the harm done." buff.ly/83CsaFa

Congratulations to our UW Law faculty who were honored this month at the Association of American Law Schools (@theaals.bsky.social) 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans: Bonnie Shucha, Elizabeth Mertz, @christopher-lau.bsky.social and @slwashington.bsky.social.

Today’s unprecedented legal landscape demands innovators and visionaries. Last year, UW Law faculty led and shaped national conversations, particularly on the themes of technology and democracy. View their work in this visual retrospective. buff.ly/SI40aSz

@bgodar.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social: Constitutional limits make it difficult, although not impossible, for states to prosecute federal officers for violations of state law. See all of her ICE-related media appearances here: law.wisc.edu/faculty/topi...

@derekclinger.bsky.social won first place in the Institute for Election Administration Funding Solutions Contest, a national contest to propose innovative election administration funding solutions. Read his winning proposal: buff.ly/qSWyilv.

@johnpgross.bsky.social: "Their approach to policing is extremely violent."

For SanDee Priser ’02, it all comes down to making practical impacts. It’s what first drew her to UW Law and what most excites her as a member of the Board of Visitors. Read more: buff.ly/VGl5R0t.

As @uwchancellor.bsky.social's academic home, we thank her for her leadership and commitment to the Law-in-Action tradition.

Join us this Thursday, Jan. 29, for the 2026 Thomas Fairchild Lecture, featuring Justice Goodwin G. Liu, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. Learn more and register: buff.ly/8YYugnS.

So honored and excited to be apart of this, which is definitely Dant’e’s baby, and so important for law students of all future paths

@bgodar.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social: “This is extremely out of the norm.”

To learn more about states’ powers in this moment, check out our checks on federal overreach pieces, including on state prosecutions of federal officials and on DOJ’s efforts to access state voter rolls (which Bondi raised in her MN letter yesterday) statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/research-exp...

Public defenders nationwide face excessive caseloads that force them to triage cases, creating ethical conflicts. In his new article, John Gross argues that transparency—not case refusal—is the proper response. Read the full essay: buff.ly/dGv6VFy #FridayReads

New resource: We're tracking all 25 DOJ lawsuits seeking states' sensitive voter data, including status, key decisions (2 dismissals + 1 tentative dismissal so far), and upcoming hearings. Check it out here: go.wisc.edu/93o421 Read our deep dive on the legal issues here: go.wisc.edu/070765

@bgodar.bsky.social of @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social has been at the forefront of this topic's conversation; see all of her media appearances on our Minnesota ICE media roundup page law.wisc.edu/faculty/topi...

Prof. Renagh O'Leary presented a draft of "The Age of Sentencing Reform" during this week's faculty workshop. It examines the role of age and age-based rules in contemporary sentencing reform efforts. We look forward to the final paper. Learn more about Professor O'Leary: buff.ly/mkVKrx0.

Extreme Weather Update for Friday, January 23: • All UW Law Classes are canceled • UW Law Library will be closed • Campus buildings are open and all other campus operations will take place as normal Read the campus news release: buff.ly/qebEbKQ For up-to-date news on campus operations: wisc.edu

@derekclinger.bsky.social @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social ponders what could happen next

@joshuabraver.bsky.social joins the Wisconsin Law In Action podcast to talk about a common theme in his recent writing: What happens when law and morality come into conflict for members of the military. Listen and subscribe: buff.ly/jqfSL8J.

Join us for the 2026 Thomas E. Fairchild Lecture with Justice Goodwin G. Liu, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. 📅 Jan 29 | ⏰ 4 p.m. CT Learn more and register: buff.ly/8YYugnS.

@alex-huneeus.bsky.social discusses the US intervention in Venezuela, highlighting the framing of the operation around drug trafficking and the differences between domestic and international legal systems. Listen to the @civicmedia.us interview: