Portland, OR, USA - Sep 1, 2024: ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and Perplexity app icons are seen on a Google Pixel smartphone. AI competition concepts.

AI Conversations Feel Private. Could They Be Privileged?

AI Conversations Feel Private. Could They Be Privileged?

June 11, 2025

AI Conversations Feel Private. Could They Be Privileged?

By: Robert Ward

The New York Times’ lawsuit against OpenAI continues to spark debate, and not just about copyright. Most recently, a federal magistrate judge ordered OpenAI to preserve chats that the company might otherwise have deleted at a user’s request. In response, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested that it may be time for a version of the attorney-client or physician-patient privilege, but for AI. While any attempt to define such an  “AI privilege” would involve tackling difficult questions about our relationships with AI systems, the more likely barrier will be the general reluctance to recognize new evidentiary privileges, particularly in federal courts. The expansive AI privilege Altman appears to envision is therefore unlikely to materialize any time soon. The premise of Altman’s…

Read More about AI Conversations Feel Private. Could They Be Privileged?

It is Time for a “Second Look” at Legislative Efforts to Combat Mass Incarceration & Recidivism

May 19, 2025

It is Time for a “Second Look” at Legislative Efforts to Combat Mass Incarceration & Recidivism

By: Sara Dalsheim

Government efficiency and spending is a hot topic of controversy in the United States. But even in the context of heated “DOGE” fights, there are proven examples of government efficiency and reduced spending that are clearly working—the passing of measures like the Second Chance and First Step Acts in an effort for mass incarceration and recidivism reduction. The U.S. government spends a total of $80.7…

Read More about It is Time for a “Second Look” at Legislative Efforts to Combat Mass Incarceration & Recidivism

A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial

April 15, 2025

A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial

By: James Trusty

The Attorney General’s recent announcement that DOJ will seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione raises a host of interesting legal and philosophical issues, and it almost certainly reflects a dramatic about-face from the Biden administration’s approach towards federal prosecutions for death-eligible offenses. Aside from having personally prosecuted three death penalty trials while I was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland and when I was…

Read More about A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial

Judge Delivers Rebuke to Prosecutors in Sentencing NSA Official

August 17, 2011

Judge Delivers Rebuke to Prosecutors in Sentencing NSA Official

By: Ifrah Law

The recent sentencing of a government intelligence official saw a dramatic and unusual rebuke of the U.S. Department of Justice by a federal judge. Four years after searching the home of National Security Agency official Thomas Drake, who was suspected of illegally leaking classified information to a reporter, and more than year after actually indicting him on 10 felony counts, the government dismissed those charges…

Read More about Judge Delivers Rebuke to Prosecutors in Sentencing NSA Official

Major FCPA Case in Jeopardy Because of Prosecutors’ Errors

August 5, 2011

Major FCPA Case in Jeopardy Because of Prosecutors’ Errors

By: Ifrah Law

In late June, U.S. District Court Judge Howard Matz of the Central District of California, the judge in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) case against Lindsey Manufacturing Co. and two of its executives, invited both sides to submit briefs on the question of whether the defendants’ convictions should be dismissed. It had been revealed in post-verdict proceedings that the government violated a court order…

Read More about Major FCPA Case in Jeopardy Because of Prosecutors’ Errors

Is Unsealing False Claims Act Complaints the Right Answer?

August 3, 2011

Is Unsealing False Claims Act Complaints the Right Answer?

By: Ifrah Law

Companies should make vigorous efforts to unseal civil False Claims Act complaints against them earlier in the process in an effort to achieve better results, argues Michael K. Loucks, a former acting U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts who is currently a Boston-based partner in a major law firm. Loucks also co-authored a post on his firm’s website, further explaining why companies should take…

Read More about Is Unsealing False Claims Act Complaints the Right Answer?

Illinois Court Ruling Upholds State’s New Video Gaming Act

August 2, 2011

Illinois Court Ruling Upholds State’s New Video Gaming Act

By: Ifrah Law

In a 7-0 decision, the Illinois Supreme Court recently upheld legislation that will allow video gaming in the state for the first time. Earlier this month, the court ruled in favor of the Illinois legislature’s 2009 omnibus bill for funding capital projects that included the Video Gaming Act. The legislation had been challenged by Chicago Blackhawks owner and liquor distributor Rockwell Wirtz as violating the…

Read More about Illinois Court Ruling Upholds State’s New Video Gaming Act

Court: Prosecutors Need to Probe Witness’s Veracity When Challenged

July 25, 2011

Court: Prosecutors Need to Probe Witness’s Veracity When Challenged

By: Ifrah Law

On June 17, 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit ruled in United States v. Freeman that federal prosecutors in criminal cases have an affirmative duty to investigate the viability of a defense challenge regarding whether a cooperating witness could be lying on the stand. This requirement, as expressed in this new opinion, differs from and goes well beyond the well-known existing…

Read More about Court: Prosecutors Need to Probe Witness’s Veracity When Challenged

Articles and Presentations by Our Firm Attorneys

AI Conversations Feel Private. Could They Be Privileged?

AI Conversations Feel Private. Could They Be Privileged?
By: Robert Ward

It is Time for a “Second Look” at Legislative Efforts to Combat Mass Incarceration & Recidivism

It is Time for a “Second Look” at Legislative Efforts to Combat Mass Incarceration & Recidivism
By: Sara Dalsheim

A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial

A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial
By: James Trusty

Subscribe to Ifrah Law’s Insights