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Lawrence Solum

@lsolum.bsky.social

8.9K followers 100 following 2.7K posts

Law professor at the University of Virginia. Legal theory, originalism, textualism, virtue jurisprudence, artificial intelligence, philosophy of language, moral and political philosophy.

Lawrence Byard Solum is an American legal theorist known for his work in the philosophy of law and constitutional theory. He is the William L. Matheson and Robert M. Morgenthau Distinguished Professor of Law and the Douglas D. Drysdale Research Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he has taught since 2020. He was previously the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. .. more

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Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 34m

Singh & Singh on the Constitution and Environmental Law in India

Manjit Singh (Guru Nanak Dev University) & Sahibpreet Singh (Lovely Professional University) have posted Constitutional Dimensions of Environmental Jurisprudence (in India: An Analysis Indian Constitution: Changing Paradigms, Pp.…

Singh & Singh on the Constitution and Environmental Law in India

Manjit Singh (Guru Nanak Dev University) & Sahibpreet Singh (Lovely Professional University) have posted Constitutional Dimensions of Environmental Jurisprudence (in India: An Analysis Indian Constitution: Changing Paradigms, Pp. 114-125, Pacific Books International) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This study undertakes a doctrinal jurisprudential analysis of evolving environmental constitutionalism, with a particular emphasis on the Triveni Sangam framework, an integrative schema comprising Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP), and Fundamental Duties.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 5h

Book on “Untaxed” by Blank & Glogower

Leslie Book (Villanova University - Charles Widger School of Law) has posted Book Review: Untaxed: The Rich, the IRS, and a New Approach to Tax Compliance on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In their book, Untaxed: The Rich, the IRS, and a New Approach to Tax…

Book on “Untaxed” by Blank & Glogower

Leslie Book (Villanova University - Charles Widger School of Law) has posted Book Review: Untaxed: The Rich, the IRS, and a New Approach to Tax Compliance on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In their book, Untaxed: The Rich, the IRS, and a New Approach to Tax Compliance, Professors Joshua Blank and Ari Glogower address noncompliance among the wealthiest and highest earning taxpayers.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 9h

Nachmany on Diamond Alternative Energy, LLC v. EPA

Eli Nachmany (Covington & Burling LLP) has posted Vacatur as Complete Relief on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Remedies are the next frontier in administrative law. One question vexes jurists and scholars in particular: What does the Administrative…

Nachmany on Diamond Alternative Energy, LLC v. EPA

Eli Nachmany (Covington & Burling LLP) has posted Vacatur as Complete Relief on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Remedies are the next frontier in administrative law. One question vexes jurists and scholars in particular: What does the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) mean when it instructs courts to “set aside” agency action? On one reading, “set aside” means “vacate”— the court wipes the agency action off the books entirely.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 10h

Andrew Coan, Reverse Marbury buff.ly/BZEXAio

Balkinization: Reverse Marbury

A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 11h

Legal History Blog: Siddiqui's "Islamic Law on Trial"

Siddiqui's "Islamic Law on Trial"

Sohaira Siddiqui, Georgetown University , has published Islamic Law on Trial: Contesting Colonial Power in British India (University of Ca...

Reposted by Kristin E. Hickman

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 13h

Legal Theory Blog is at legaltheoryblog.com. The Legal Theory Lexicon is at legaltheorylexicon.com. Thanks in advance for you help.

Legal Theory Blog

Discover our latest articles and updates. Stay informed with recent posts that cover a variety of topics you care about!

legaltheoryblog.com

Reposted by Anthony Burke, Robert L. Tsai

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 13h

Please help me get the word out about the new websites for Legal Theory Blog and the Legal Theory Lexicon. Reposting here and on other social media sites is great. It would be especially helpful if law school faculty members could send an email to their colleagues with the new addresses.

Legal Theory Blog

Discover our latest articles and updates. Stay informed with recent posts that cover a variety of topics you care about!

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 13h

After Neoliberalism: Predistribution and the Law and Economics of Income Inequality - LPE Project buff.ly/UIxHbnD

After Neoliberalism: Predistribution and the Law and Economics of Income Inequality

Law and Economics scholars argue that if income redistribution is to happen at all, it should occur exclusively through the tax system, rather than through supposedly less efficient methods…

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 15h

Jotwell: “Consumer” Protection for Small Businesses - Contracts contracts.jotwell.com/consumer-pro...

“Consumer” Protection for Small Businesses - Contracts

Rachel G. Ngo Ntomp, The Small Business Dilemma, 81 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 1939 (2025).Eboni NelsonAlthough often eclipsed by the prominence of large companies, small businesses play a critical role in…

contracts.jotwell.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 16h

Rabanos on Authority and Practical Reason

Julieta A. Rabanos (University of Girona) has posted On the Concept of Authority and the Unity of Practical Reason on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In recent decades, the concept of authority has been treated and discussed almost exclusively as a concept…

Rabanos on Authority and Practical Reason

Julieta A. Rabanos (University of Girona) has posted On the Concept of Authority and the Unity of Practical Reason on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In recent decades, the concept of authority has been treated and discussed almost exclusively as a concept based on reasons of some kind within a broader theoretical framework that views legal philosophy (only) through the lens of practical reasoning.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 16h

Jackson & Dooling on Corner Post Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Katharine Jackson (University of Cincinnati - College of Law) & Bridget C.E. Dooling (Ohio State University (OSU) - Michael E. Moritz College of Law) have posted Corner Post, Caremark and the Rule of Law:…

Jackson & Dooling on Corner Post Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Katharine Jackson (University of Cincinnati - College of Law) & Bridget C.E. Dooling (Ohio State University (OSU) - Michael E. Moritz College of Law) have posted Corner Post, Caremark and the Rule of Law: When Corporate Fiduciaries Should Reject Corner Post's Invitation to Sue on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The Supreme Court’s ongoing overhaul of administrative law is not limited to blockbuster cases striking down Chevron deference and invigorating the Major Questions Doctrine.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 21h

Startari on AI and Power

Agustin V. Startari (Universidad de la Republica; Universidad de Palermo; Universidad de la Empresa (UDE)) has posted AI Syntactic Power and Legitimacy: How AI Structures Shape Power on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This book consolidates a cycle of research on the…

Startari on AI and Power

Agustin V. Startari (Universidad de la Republica; Universidad de Palermo; Universidad de la Empresa (UDE)) has posted AI Syntactic Power and Legitimacy: How AI Structures Shape Power on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This book consolidates a cycle of research on the structural foundations of authority in artificial intelligence. It brings together a series of peer-reviewed articles that demonstrate how power in AI systems no longer depends on meaning, interpretation, or intention, but on syntactic sufficiency.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 1d

Baldini & Francis on Regulation of AI Cybersecurity

Davide Baldini (Maastricht University - Faculty of Law; University of Florence - Law School) & Kate Elizabeth Francis have posted AI Regulatory Sandboxes between the AI Act and the GDPR: the role of Data Protection as a Corporate Social…

Baldini & Francis on Regulation of AI Cybersecurity

Davide Baldini (Maastricht University - Faculty of Law; University of Florence - Law School) & Kate Elizabeth Francis have posted AI Regulatory Sandboxes between the AI Act and the GDPR: the role of Data Protection as a Corporate Social Responsibility on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This paper investigates the potential for regulatory sandboxes, a new and innovative regulatory instrument, to improve the cybersecurity posture of high-risk AI systems.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 1d

Does History Defeat Removal Doctrine? | Re’s Judicata buff.ly/wB9vUfP

Does History Defeat Removal Doctrine?

With Special Attention to Professors Mortenson and Nelson In an important 2020 article entitled The Executive Power Clause, Professor Julian Mortenson advanced an historical account.…

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 1d

Reid on a Broadcaster Obligation to Resist Jawboning

Blake E. Reid (University of Colorado Law School; University of Colorado at Boulder - Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship) has posted The Broadcaster's Obligation to Resist Jawboning (Symposium, ___ Conn. L. Rev.…

Reid on a Broadcaster Obligation to Resist Jawboning

Blake E. Reid (University of Colorado Law School; University of Colorado at Boulder - Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship) has posted The Broadcaster's Obligation to Resist Jawboning (Symposium, ___ Conn. L. Rev. ___ (forthcoming 2026)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Although the First Amendment is broadly understood to protect the public against unwarranted state interference with political and other discourse, the freedom of speech often depends in practice on the willingness of private speech platforms to resist government overreach.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 1d

Skarin on Colonial Governors’ Authority over Lower Officials

Kenton Skarin (Northwestern University - Northwestern Pritzker School of Law) has posted Our Captain General and Governor in Chief: Executive Power over Lower Officials in Colonial America on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The authority of…

Skarin on Colonial Governors’ Authority over Lower Officials

Kenton Skarin (Northwestern University - Northwestern Pritzker School of Law) has posted Our Captain General and Governor in Chief: Executive Power over Lower Officials in Colonial America on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The authority of American colonial governors over lower officials is an unexplored area of law and history with significant insights for ongoing debates about the modern president’s authority over officials within the executive branch.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 1d

Walker on Agency Independence

Christopher J. Walker (University of Michigan Law School) has posted Introduction: The Future of Agency Independence Symposium (University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, Vol. 58, pp. 547–554, 2025) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: On the Friday after the election…

Walker on Agency Independence

Christopher J. Walker (University of Michigan Law School) has posted Introduction: The Future of Agency Independence Symposium (University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, Vol. 58, pp. 547–554, 2025) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: On the Friday after the election last November, the student editors and I convened scholars from across the country at the University of Michigan Law School to discuss the future of agency independence.

legaltheoryblog.com

Reposted by James Goodwin

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 1d

Falsifying the Unitary Executive: Popperian Empiricism and History’s Uses and Misuses - Constitutional Law buff.ly/tPtOedp

Falsifying the Unitary Executive: Popperian Empiricism and History’s Uses and Misuses - Constitutional Law

Christine Kexel Chabot, Rejecting the Unitary Executive, __ Utah L. Rev. __ (forthcoming, 2025), available at SSRN (Sept. 21, 2024).Andrea KatzIt’s no secret that the President is having a great run…

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 1d

Weidemaier, Gulati, & Panizza on US Loans to Cambodia in the 1970s

Mark C. Weidemaier (University of North Carolina School of Law), Mitu Gulati (University of Virginia School of Law; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)), & Ugo Panizza (Graduate Institute of International and Development…

Weidemaier, Gulati, & Panizza on US Loans to Cambodia in the 1970s

Mark C. Weidemaier (University of North Carolina School of Law), Mitu Gulati (University of Virginia School of Law; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)), & Ugo Panizza (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) - Department of Economics; CEPR) have posted "FOOD FOR PEACE?" CAMBODIA'S 1970S DEBTS TO THE UNITED STATES on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This is the story of three loans that were made by the United States in the 1970s, under the Food for Peace program, to the embattled Lon Nol regime in Cambodia.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 1d

Hacker, Kasirzadeh, & Edward on AI and Systemic Risk

Philipp Hacker (European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) - European New School of Digital Studies), Atoosa Kasirzadeh (Carnegie Mellon University), & Lilian Edwards (Newcastle Law School) have posted AI, Digital Platforms, and the New…

Hacker, Kasirzadeh, & Edward on AI and Systemic Risk

Philipp Hacker (European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) - European New School of Digital Studies), Atoosa Kasirzadeh (Carnegie Mellon University), & Lilian Edwards (Newcastle Law School) have posted AI, Digital Platforms, and the New Systemic Risk on SSRN. Here is the abstract: As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in digital, social, and institutional infrastructures, and AI and platforms are merged into hybrid structures, systemic risk has emerged as a critical but undertheorized challenge.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Zeidan & ElHassan on Human Artists and AI

Juliette Zeidan (Media University for Applied Sciences) & Azza ElHassan (Media University for Applied Sciences) have posted The Ethics of Creativity: Human Artists and the Rise of AI on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly…

Zeidan & ElHassan on Human Artists and AI

Juliette Zeidan (Media University for Applied Sciences) & Azza ElHassan (Media University for Applied Sciences) have posted The Ethics of Creativity: Human Artists and the Rise of AI on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the world around us, and the art world is no exception. From generating images to composing music and even writing poetry, AI is pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and challenging our very notion of what it means to be creative, nevertheless this technological revolution is not without its ethical dilemmas.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Speta on FCC Authority and Broadcaster Viewpoints

James B. Speta (Northwestern University - Pritzker School of Law) has posted The FCC Lacks Authority To Punish Broadcasters for their Viewpoints (Yale Journal on Regulation Notice & Comment, Sept. 26, 2025) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Does the…

Speta on FCC Authority and Broadcaster Viewpoints

James B. Speta (Northwestern University - Pritzker School of Law) has posted The FCC Lacks Authority To Punish Broadcasters for their Viewpoints (Yale Journal on Regulation Notice & Comment, Sept. 26, 2025) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Does the federal government have the power to punish broadcasters, by exercising its power over their licenses to use the airwaves, for speech the government does not like, including speech that criticizes the government?

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Ahmed on Two Theories of Representative Democary

Ashraf Ahmed (Columbia University - Law School) has posted The Two Faces of Representation (California Law Review, Forthcoming 2026) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In pluralistic democracies, representation is the process that mediates difference…

Ahmed on Two Theories of Representative Democary

Ashraf Ahmed (Columbia University - Law School) has posted The Two Faces of Representation (California Law Review, Forthcoming 2026) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In pluralistic democracies, representation is the process that mediates difference and translates the preferences of free and equal citizens into political will. Despite broad judicial and scholarly agreement that representation is central to election law, the Supreme Court is deeply ambivalent in how it treats the concept.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Authority (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) buff.ly/w9ytliU

Authority (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Large social groups face many grave problems, such as violence, injustice, disorder, public bads, and war, that require a coordinated collective response. Because disagreement about the nature of and…

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Jotwell: Informational Accountability for the President - Administrative Law buff.ly/9Wkunxl

Informational Accountability for the President - Administrative Law

Jonathan David Shaub, White House Inspection, 103 Wash. U. L. Rev. __ (forthcoming 2026) available at SSRN (Feb. 25, 2025).Margaret KwokaAllegations of illegality—sometimes quite serious in…

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Reversing The Burger Court reason.com/volokh/2025/...

Reversing The Burger Court

The Supreme Court has largely left Warren Court precedents in place, but is consistently undoing precedents from the Burger Court.

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Chief Justice Burger Set the Stage for the Originalist Revolution reason.com/volokh/2025/...

Chief Justice Burger Set the Stage for the Originalist Revolution

While conservative criticisms of the Burger Court may be justified, those criticisms do not apply to the "The Chief." He had only one vote on the Court ... and, too often, too little support from his…

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Shugerman on Removal of Federal Reserve Members

Jed H. Shugerman (Boston University - School of Law) has posted The Fed, Offices as Property, and the Meaning of "Cause" on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The Federal Reserve Act states that "each member shall hold office for a term of fourteen years…

Shugerman on Removal of Federal Reserve Members

Jed H. Shugerman (Boston University - School of Law) has posted The Fed, Offices as Property, and the Meaning of "Cause" on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The Federal Reserve Act states that "each member shall hold office for a term of fourteen years from the expiration of the term of his predecessor, unless sooner removed for cause by the President." 12 U.S.C.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Macey & Richardson on Separations of Powers

Joshua Macey (Yale University - Law School) & Brian Richardson (Cornell University - Law School) have posted Structural Indeterminacy and the Separation of Powers on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Despite ongoing disagreement about how the Constitution…

Macey & Richardson on Separations of Powers

Joshua Macey (Yale University - Law School) & Brian Richardson (Cornell University - Law School) have posted Structural Indeterminacy and the Separation of Powers on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Despite ongoing disagreement about how the Constitution allocates powers among the different branches, the two dominant schools of thought in American separation-of-powers debates— formalism and functionalism—agree on three premises: Certain powers inhere in certain government branches, some powers are vested exclusively in one or another branch, and the judiciary is the final arbiter of separation-of-powers disputes.

legaltheoryblog.com

Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 2d

Baldini & Jacopo on AI and a Right to Explanation

Davide Baldini (Maastricht University - Faculty of Law; University of Florence - Law School) & Jacopo Dirutigliano have posted The Right to Explanation: Legal Challenges and the Future of Fairness in Automated Decision-Making on SSRN. Here is the…

Baldini & Jacopo on AI and a Right to Explanation

Davide Baldini (Maastricht University - Faculty of Law; University of Florence - Law School) & Jacopo Dirutigliano have posted The Right to Explanation: Legal Challenges and the Future of Fairness in Automated Decision-Making on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This article examines the legal foundations, scope, and practical challenges of the emerging "Right to Explanation" (RTE) in the European Union's regulatory framework on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

legaltheoryblog.com