Latest news with #MichaelWilner
Los Angeles Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Meaningful immigration reform must come from both sides of the aisle
To the editor: If we are to have meaningful immigration reform, which hasn't happened for nearly 40 years, both sides of the aisle must participate ('Democrats, playing defense on immigration, see a flicker of hope in new polls,' July 17). Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida has introduced a bill called the Dignity Act of 2025, which provides legal status to undocumented migrants who meet certain requirements, have no serious criminal record, pay restitution and give 1% of their earnings to the U.S. government. As Washington bureau chief Michael Wilner notes, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona is also working on immigration reform. He is a centrist Democrat and has a proposal titled 'Securing the Border and Fueling Economic Prosperity.' His plan calls for significant border security enhancements as well as an increase in visa and green card opportunities and pathways to citizenship. Americans from both parties could support immigration reform that is humane and economically sensible. We now have two lawmakers from different political ideologies who have the opportunity to work together and get their colleagues on board on the way to making America a better place to live, and to create a more hopeful future for our children. Anastacio Vigil, Santa Monica
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Law Firms Caught and Punished for Passing Around "Bogus" AI Slop in Court
A California judge fined two law firms $31,000 after discovering that they'd included AI slop in a legal brief — the latest instance in a growing tide of avoidable legal drama wrought by lawyers using generative AI to do their work without any due diligence. As The Verge reported this week, the court filing in question was a brief for a civil lawsuit against the insurance giant State Farm. After its submission, a review of the brief found that it contained "bogus AI-generated research" that led to the inclusion of "numerous false, inaccurate, and misleading legal citations and quotations," as judge Michael Wilner wrote in a scathing ruling. According to the ruling, it was only after the judge requested more information about the error-riddled brief that lawyers at the firms involved fessed up to using generative AI. And if he hadn't caught onto it, Milner cautioned, the AI slop could have made its way into an official judicial order. "I read their brief, was persuaded (or at least intrigued) by the authorities that they cited, and looked up the decisions to learn more about them — only to find that they didn't exist," Milner wrote in his ruling. "That's scary." "It almost led to the scarier outcome (from my perspective)," he added, "of including those bogus materials in a judicial order." A lawyer at one of the firms involved with the ten-page brief, the Ellis George group, used Google's Gemini and a few other law-specific AI tools to draft an initial outline. That outline included many errors, but was passed along to the next law firm, K&L Gates, without any corrections. Incredibly, the second firm also failed to notice and correct the fabrications. "No attorney or staff member at either firm apparently cite-checked or otherwise reviewed that research before filing the brief," Milner wrote in the ruling. After the brief was submitted, a judicial review found that a staggering nine out of 27 legal citations included in the filing "were incorrect in some way," and "at least two of the authorities cited do not exist." Milner also found that quotes "attributed to the cited judicial opinions were phony and did not accurately represent those materials." As for his decision to levy the hefty fines, Milner said the egregiousness of the failures, coupled with how compelling the AI's made-up responses were, necessitated "strong deterrence." "Strong deterrence is needed," wrote Milner, "to make sure that lawyers don't respond to this easy shortcut." More on lawyers and AI: Large Law Firm Sends Panicked Email as It Realizes Its Attorneys Have Been Using AI to Prepare Court Documents
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Letters to the Editor: Readers weigh in on the first 100 days of Trump's second administration
To the editor: One would hope that everyone who reads Washington Bureau Chief Michael Wilner's excellent, comprehensive review of the first 100 days of President Trump's second administration would either be shocked or at least come to the realization that Trump is acting ruthlessly in executing his campaign promises ('News Analysis: 'Disrupt, break, defund': Trump's imperial first 100 days,' April 29). What is discouraging is the fact that 41% of the electorate is just fine with his actions; some even cheer each maneuver. It is their version of "making the trains run on time." Deportations are celebrated. Suppression of academic freedom at elite educational institutions and threatening the revocation of major news media licenses become applause lines. As "Pogo" said in the famous 1970 Walt Kelly comic strip: "We have met the enemy and he is us." Dave Sanderson, La Cañada Flintridge .. To the editor: Republicans, wake up! The Times article on the first 100 days of Trump's second administration quotes an earlier comment from him on election control: '... The states are just an agent of the federal government.' This comment was made in front of the National Republican Congressional Committee this year. This is certainly not a Republican idea. At least one of those weakling Republican representatives should have stood and protested right there and then. Scott W. Hamre, Cherry Valley .. To the editor: President Trump's first 100 days have already left a marked impact, but his actions are the logical culmination of a long-developing shift in American governance. Over the past century, the executive branch has steadily accumulated power at the expense of Congress. During the Cold War, the president's foreign policy powers expanded to new heights, yet Congress maintained its ability to compromise and pass landmark legislation. In the 21st century, as partisan polarization has grown more potent, Congress has fallen short on this critical responsibility, weakening its ability to check executive authority over successive administrations. Trump's approach is unprecedented in size and scope, but it reflects a broader institutional failure. Until the legislative branch overcomes gridlock and fulfills its constitutional responsibilities, policy-making power will by default remain in the president's hands. Charlie Henry, El Segundo .. To the editor: As of April 29, 562 college and university presidents have signed the American Assn. of Colleges and Universities statement that strikes back at the president's assaults on higher education. Your article cites 150; the number has climbed steadily since it was released on April 22. Bravo to them. Jackie Dooley, San Clemente .. To the editor: It should come as no surprise that Trump's approval ratings for his first 100 days are the lowest for any president in the last 80 years, according to one recent poll. At the end of his first term, Trump had one of the highest disapproval ratings of any outgoing U.S. president. With nearly 3 million jobs lost, more than $8 trillion added to the national debt, and the highest debt-to-GDP ratio since World War II, Trump decisively lost his bid for reelection in 2020. The American electorate, living up to its fickle nature, gave Trump a second chance, returning him to the White House four years later. Wasting no time, the president signed a series of ill-conceived executive orders that affected everything from our fundamental freedoms to economic security. It may not be long before the broad expression of negative judgment morphs into buyer's remorse. Jim Paladino, Tampa, Fla. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Readers weigh in on the first 100 days of Trump's second administration
To the editor: One would hope that everyone who reads Washington Bureau Chief Michael Wilner's excellent, comprehensive review of the first 100 days of President Trump's second administration would either be shocked or at least come to the realization that Trump is acting ruthlessly in executing his campaign promises ('News Analysis: 'Disrupt, break, defund': Trump's imperial first 100 days,' April 29). What is discouraging is the fact that 41% of the electorate is just fine with his actions; some even cheer each maneuver. It is their version of 'making the trains run on time.' Deportations are celebrated. Suppression of academic freedom at elite educational institutions and threatening the revocation of major news media licenses become applause lines. As 'Pogo' said in the famous 1970 Walt Kelly comic strip: 'We have met the enemy and he is us.' Dave Sanderson, La Cañada Flintridge .. To the editor: Republicans, wake up! The Times article on the first 100 days of Trump's second administration quotes an earlier comment from him on election control: '... The states are just an agent of the federal government.' This comment was made in front of the National Republican Congressional Committee this year. This is certainly not a Republican idea. At least one of those weakling Republican representatives should have stood and protested right there and then. Scott W. Hamre, Cherry Valley .. To the editor: President Trump's first 100 days have already left a marked impact, but his actions are the logical culmination of a long-developing shift in American governance. Over the past century, the executive branch has steadily accumulated power at the expense of Congress. During the Cold War, the president's foreign policy powers expanded to new heights, yet Congress maintained its ability to compromise and pass landmark legislation. In the 21st century, as partisan polarization has grown more potent, Congress has fallen short on this critical responsibility, weakening its ability to check executive authority over successive administrations. Trump's approach is unprecedented in size and scope, but it reflects a broader institutional failure. Until the legislative branch overcomes gridlock and fulfills its constitutional responsibilities, policy-making power will by default remain in the president's hands. Charlie Henry, El Segundo .. To the editor: As of April 29, 562 college and university presidents have signed the American Assn. of Colleges and Universities statement that strikes back at the president's assaults on higher education. Your article cites 150; the number has climbed steadily since it was released on April 22. Bravo to them. Jackie Dooley, San Clemente .. To the editor: It should come as no surprise that Trump's approval ratings for his first 100 days are the lowest for any president in the last 80 years, according to one recent poll. At the end of his first term, Trump had one of the highest disapproval ratings of any outgoing U.S. president. With nearly 3 million jobs lost, more than $8 trillion added to the national debt, and the highest debt-to-GDP ratio since World War II, Trump decisively lost his bid for reelection in 2020. The American electorate, living up to its fickle nature, gave Trump a second chance, returning him to the White House four years later. Wasting no time, the president signed a series of ill-conceived executive orders that affected everything from our fundamental freedoms to economic security. It may not be long before the broad expression of negative judgment morphs into buyer's remorse. Jim Paladino, Tampa, Fla.
