Featured Articles from Inside the ALI

The American Law Institute appropriately describes itself as “the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law.” From time to time, it is important for the ALI, as for all organizations, to spend time and energy clarifying its own mission. Over the past year, we have devoted significant effort to this important endeavor.

At its January meeting, the Council approved the launch of the final three components of the Restatement Third of Torts. The projects tentatively are titled: Remedies; Defamation and Privacy; and Concluding Provisions. With these projects, the ALI aims to complete an effort that began nearly three decades ago, when we started work on the Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Products Liability. And when these projects are completed, the ALI will have produced a body of work that entirely supersedes the Restatement Second of Torts.

In an effort to show that the ALI’s influence is not confined to the states, in my last letter I focused on the impact of our work on the development of federal common law, both in the Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals. In this letter, I look more specifically at the use of ALI materials by the Supreme Court during the 2013 to 2015 Terms.

More from Inside the ALI

Reimagining Access to Justice: Legal Innovations in Small Claims Disputes

Small claimants often face significant hurdles in pursuing justice for civil disputes. Traditional resources like pro bono services, legal aid, and family loans remain crucial, but they are often insufficient for claimants with limited resources or claims too small to attract funding.

The ALI’s Rule of Law Mission

ALI President David F. Levi and former Director Richard L. Revesz helped bring together a bipartisan group in an effort to articulate a uniform set of ethical standards for election administration professionals.

January 2024 Council Meeting Updates

At its meeting on January 18 and 19, 2024, the ALI Council reviewed and discussed Council Drafts of the following projects and approved drafts and portions of drafts as listed.

October 2023 Council Meeting Updates

At its meeting on October 19 and 20, 2023, the Council reviewed and discussed Council Drafts of the following projects and approved drafts and portions of drafts as listed.

January 2023 Council Meeting Updates

At its meeting on January 19 and 20, 2023, the Council reviewed and discussed Council Drafts of five projects and approved drafts and portions of drafts as listed.