Improving the Civil Justice System
Access to technology can greatly improve access to justice. The Institute is dedicated to improving access to the civil justice system and does so through partnerships with: Self Represented Litigation Network (SRLN)—which connects lawyers, judges, and other professionals; the Iron Tech Lawyer program, which brings together students from across the world to develop new and innovative solutions for individuals to navigate legal obstacles; and the Civil Justice Data Commons (CJDC), which is laying the foundation for a data commons connecting civil justice institution data to study and improve the civil justice system. The Institute serves as a thought leader on the role technology has to address civil legal needs. By conducting research, advancing legal education, and engaging in solution building, the Institute is well-positioned to leverage technology to help improve the civil justice system.
CHECK OUT the new Civil Justice Data Commons Blog to learn about Georgetown’s pioneering work in data analytics and access to justice.
December 8, 2020 - Senator Warner Talks Tech at Institute’s Book Launch Event: Which Side of History?
Last week, the Institute co-hosted with Common Sense Media a virtual book launch for Which Side of History?: How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives. The event was part of Georgetown Law’s 150th Anniversary celebrations.
The panel highlighted several authors, including Senator Mark Warner (VA), current tech policy advisor and former Chief of Staff to Vice-President Joe Biden Bruce Reed, and Common Sense Media CEO and founder James Steyer. The authors were joined by Georgetown Law Professor and founding Institute for Technology Law & Policy Faculty Director Julie Cohen.
The discussion, moderated by Common Sense Washington Director April McClain-Delaney (L’89), focused on the role technology companies play in shaping our democratic structures and values, such as privacy, security, elections and public speech. Jim Steyer opened the panel by describing how he put together the book and highlighted concerns regarding children and technology issues.
Senator Warner and Bruce Reed focused on current issues with social media and general content moderation and the need to reform existing regulations, such as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, to better incentivize moderation decisions.
Professor Cohen said that we need to look more holistically at the challenges created by networked information platforms. Cohen explained that simply applying current law to platforms is similar to viewing every problem as a nail simply because your preferred tool is a hammer. Instead, Cohen believes, policymakers should more closely examine and define the actual problems caused by a new paradigm of information and communications and then develop appropriate tools.
Institute Acting Director Hillary Brill and Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor provided opening remarks highlighting Georgetown and the Institute’s role in convening events with thought leaders, policy makers, and academics on issues at the forefront of technology, law, and policy.