Law.com has Circuit Judge Uses ChatGPT in Deciding Appeal, Encourages Others to Consider It — In a proposal he said “many will reflexively condemn as heresy,” Judge Kevin Newsom suggests that those who follow an “ordinary meaning” approach to law should consider how AI-powered LLMs such as ChatGPT can “inform the interpretive analysis.”

In a move he admitted might be seen by the profession as “heresy” or “unthinkable,” Newsom not only admitted to using ChatGPT, but wrote a 32-page concurrence outlining exactly how. In the May 28 opinion, Newson laid out his use of the generative AI chatbot to help inform his analysis of a key issue in an insurance appeal, and encouraged the legal community to consider following his lead.

Law360 has Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now? 

Bloomberg Law has More Black Women Ascend to Appellate Courts, While Men Stall

  • No Black circuit judges under Trump, Biden focused on Black women
  • Net loss of Black men on circuit courts under Biden

There are 13 Black women active judges on the 179-member appeals bench compared to 11 men, according to Federal Judicial Center data. The appointment of Black men to the US circuit courts has stagnated in the past decade.

7th Circ. Lambasts Lawyer’s ‘Twilight Zone’ Font – Law360

A Seventh Circuit panel criticized an attorney’s use of the typeface used in the “Twilight Zone” logo, urging lawyers to use more conventional fonts recommended in the court’s handbook that won’t “wear out judicial eyes,” though the attorney told Law360 he’s unlikely to change. 

Writing for the three-judge panel on Monday, U.S. Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook said lawyers practicing in the circuit should not use decorative texts — such as the Bernhard Modern typeface used by the attorney for virtual reality ride company AsymaDesign LLC in his appellate filings — because they’re better suited for movie posters and television title sequences rather than legal briefs.

Lawyers should follow the typography suggestions in the court’s handbook on the topic, “Practitioner’s Handbook for Appeals,” and typographer Matthew Butterick’s similarly helpful book, “Typography for Lawyers,” because they “promote the goals of reading, understanding and remembering” lengthy legal passages, Judge Easterbrook wrote.

In other 7th Cir. news Franchise Co. Faces Sanctions For ‘Frivolous’ 7th Circ. Appeal – Law360

In a Monday opinion authored by U.S. Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook, the three-judge panel said Sun Holdings “has followed up a frivolous defense during the arbitration with a frivolous strategy in court,” adding that the company ignored Seventh Circuit precedent and proceeded “as if the only possible meaning of the contract is the one it espouses.”

And Chief Justice’s Leadership Is Falling Short, Schumer Says – Law360 — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday criticized U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for what he sees as lackluster efforts to address ethical impropriety among high court members.