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INTRODUCTION
The movement to limit political terms is steamrolling through American politics. Voters have approved term limits for Congressmen in each of the fifteen states where referenda have been held, with votes averaging over 66 percent in support, and another four to ten states will permit their citizens to vote on congressional term limits this November. If past elections and current polls are any indication, these proposals also will pass easily. In addition, eighteen states and hundreds of cities and counties across the country have adopted term limits for state and local officials.
Such substantial public support suggests widespread distaste for careerism in politics, as well as a conviction that continual infusion of fresh blood into the federal legislature will be good for both the Congress and the country. Support for term limits extends to significant majorities of diverse demographic groups: polls show that majorities of men, women, blacks, whites,
December 2020
Two islands in the Pacific – American Samoa and Palau – sit nearly 4,000 miles apart, but are united by the rich ocean waters that surround them. In September, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC), which honors this inherent connection and opens the door for international collaboration. Representatives from NOAA and Palau spoke at a virtual event announcing the agreement between the two countries’ marine sanctuaries on December 15th.
Reaching Across Borders
Fagatele Bay is part of National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. It was formed by a collapsed volcanic crater and is surrounded by steep, forested cliffs. Photo: Matt McIntosh/NOAA
Judgments from the courts of England and Wales are being opened to mass analysis by AI for the first time.
The move is taking place under an agreement announced yesterday, in which the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) has granted academics at Oxford University bulk access to its database of 400,000 judgements for research purposes.
This breaks a long deadlock over access to the principal free online courts database.
BAILII, a nonprofit organisation set up by a group of academics and lawyers 20 years ago, posts judgments under a contract with the Ministry of Justice. Although they are available for free, the site has refused to allow its database to be downloaded in bulk or scraped by software, due to fears it would enable the development of AI systems for predicting the outcome of cases on a judge-by-judge basis.
Don t forget your sheep survey thescottishfarmer.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thescottishfarmer.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
BAILII grants access to judgments for mass AI analysis lawgazette.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lawgazette.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.