Ellie Margolis
@elliemargolis.bsky.social
Law professor @TempleLaw, suburban gardener, avid reader. Happy to nerd out about legal writing anytime.
Seems like a good time for a feel-good story on the timeline.
share.inquirer.com/TE8sAK
share.inquirer.com/TE8sAK
A Mummers wedding on Market Street | Weekly report card
We grade a Mummers wedding on Market Street, SEPTA’s survival year, the Eagles resting starters, New Jersey’s wage flex, and one truly unhinged Philly commute.
share.inquirer.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Seems like a good time for a feel-good story on the timeline.
share.inquirer.com/TE8sAK
share.inquirer.com/TE8sAK
This is no surprise to anyone who knows how generative AI actually works. I am so tired.
New AIWeirdness post: ChatGPT will apologize for anything, including stuff that didn't happen. It's not reflecting on stuff it did wrong, it's improv.
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
January 3, 2026 at 3:04 PM
This is no surprise to anyone who knows how generative AI actually works. I am so tired.
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Happy New Year #LadyLawyerDiaries! We have high hopes and earnest wishes for all our peeps in 2026 ❤️❤️
January 3, 2026 at 4:49 AM
Happy New Year #LadyLawyerDiaries! We have high hopes and earnest wishes for all our peeps in 2026 ❤️❤️
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
I know we have bigger first to fry but this sucks so fucking bad.
Location: Midtown Hotel Boston
Location: Midtown Hotel Boston
January 3, 2026 at 12:35 AM
I know we have bigger first to fry but this sucks so fucking bad.
Location: Midtown Hotel Boston
Location: Midtown Hotel Boston
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Again, please explain why regular product liability law doesn’t apply to this software
the water thing about genAI is bullshit but the thing where it makes on-demand nudes and CSAM isn't and the thing where it talks you into killing yourself isn't and those seem pretty bad
January 2, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Again, please explain why regular product liability law doesn’t apply to this software
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Today in schadenfreude, former CA9 judge Alex Kozinki did not prevail in a copyright case he argued before his former colleagues.
cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
January 3, 2026 at 12:47 AM
Today in schadenfreude, former CA9 judge Alex Kozinki did not prevail in a copyright case he argued before his former colleagues.
cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
Yikes. I hate to see this as I prepare a bunch of travel in the upcoming months.
U.S. commercial airline fatalities since 2010 (excluding charter)
2010: 0
2011: 0
2012: 0
2013: 3
2014: 0
2015: 0
2016: 0
2017: 0
2018: 1
2019: 1
2020: 0
2021: 0
2022: 0
2023: 0
2024: 0
2025: 64
2010: 0
2011: 0
2012: 0
2013: 3
2014: 0
2015: 0
2016: 0
2017: 0
2018: 1
2019: 1
2020: 0
2021: 0
2022: 0
2023: 0
2024: 0
2025: 64
January 3, 2026 at 1:12 AM
Yikes. I hate to see this as I prepare a bunch of travel in the upcoming months.
Yikes
UPDATE: “The hybrid, or Canis latrans var., is about 55 pounds heavier than pure coyotes, with longer legs, a larger jaw, smaller ears and a bushier tail. It is part eastern wolf, part wester wolf, western coyote and with some dog.”
And it was all triggered by deforestation. WHEWWWWW!!!!!
And it was all triggered by deforestation. WHEWWWWW!!!!!
Coywolves Are Taking Over Eastern North America
Coywolves are not 'shy wolves'—they are coyote-wolf hybrids (with some dog mixed in) and now number in the millions
www.smithsonianmag.com
January 3, 2026 at 12:54 AM
Yikes
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Equating “advocates” with “academics and elites” really just punts on the news media’s actual role: distinguishing between the two.
January 3, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Equating “advocates” with “academics and elites” really just punts on the news media’s actual role: distinguishing between the two.
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Without ChatGPT, my dog Spot and my cat Tiger would not have names.
Thanks, ChatGPT!
Thanks, ChatGPT!
The parents of the first baby born in 2026 in this county outside Baltimore got their name ideas from ChatGPT. Hudson Oakley Winkler.
www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/01/c...
www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/01/c...
ChatGPT named Carroll County’s first-born baby in 2026
The first baby born in Carroll County in 2026 was named with help from ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot.
www.baltimoresun.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Without ChatGPT, my dog Spot and my cat Tiger would not have names.
Thanks, ChatGPT!
Thanks, ChatGPT!
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
universalize this please
If you are a resident of California, the state now has a portal where you can demand deletion of your personal data from 500+ registered data brokers with a single request form, for free.
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
January 2, 2026 at 3:35 AM
universalize this please
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Zohran’s inauguration brimmed w/the energy that NYC is “a shining beacon of possibility” per @jumaane.bsky.social.
Amidst the darkness of authoritarianism, inequality & hate, we have a chance to show what’s possible.
That’s always been our mission as New Yorkers—it was profoundly renewed today.
Amidst the darkness of authoritarianism, inequality & hate, we have a chance to show what’s possible.
That’s always been our mission as New Yorkers—it was profoundly renewed today.
January 1, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Zohran’s inauguration brimmed w/the energy that NYC is “a shining beacon of possibility” per @jumaane.bsky.social.
Amidst the darkness of authoritarianism, inequality & hate, we have a chance to show what’s possible.
That’s always been our mission as New Yorkers—it was profoundly renewed today.
Amidst the darkness of authoritarianism, inequality & hate, we have a chance to show what’s possible.
That’s always been our mission as New Yorkers—it was profoundly renewed today.
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
In 2026 I want all of the decent people to remember one thing.
You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics.
That is all.
You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics.
That is all.
January 1, 2026 at 10:30 PM
In 2026 I want all of the decent people to remember one thing.
You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics.
That is all.
You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics.
That is all.
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
My New Years Resolutions:
-Re-elect Gov. Shapiro + expand the PA House margin + flip the PA state senate
-Raise the minimum wage in PA
-Flip the US House and Senate
-Keep making MAGA mad
-Re-elect Gov. Shapiro + expand the PA House margin + flip the PA state senate
-Raise the minimum wage in PA
-Flip the US House and Senate
-Keep making MAGA mad
January 1, 2026 at 6:51 PM
My New Years Resolutions:
-Re-elect Gov. Shapiro + expand the PA House margin + flip the PA state senate
-Raise the minimum wage in PA
-Flip the US House and Senate
-Keep making MAGA mad
-Re-elect Gov. Shapiro + expand the PA House margin + flip the PA state senate
-Raise the minimum wage in PA
-Flip the US House and Senate
-Keep making MAGA mad
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
This is astounding: "According to The Washington Post, plaintiffs in roughly 75 percent of the lawsuits challenging Trump’s executive orders during his first term were represented by large top-tier law firms. Only 15 percent of such plaintiffs were represented by top firms in 2025."
January 1, 2026 at 6:45 PM
This is astounding: "According to The Washington Post, plaintiffs in roughly 75 percent of the lawsuits challenging Trump’s executive orders during his first term were represented by large top-tier law firms. Only 15 percent of such plaintiffs were represented by top firms in 2025."
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Happy Public Domain Day! Jan 1 marks the date when eligible works pass into the public domain in the United States. Notable works entering the public domain this year include certain early Mickey Mouse cartoons, the novel As I Lay Dying, and the Gershwin composition Embraceable You.
#copyright
#copyright
Public Domain Day 2026 | Duke University School of Law
January 1, 2026 is Public Domain Day: Works from 1930 are open to all, as are sound recordings from 1925! By Jennifer Jenkins and James Boyle[1] CC BY 4.0 Please note that this site is only about US l...
web.law.duke.edu
January 1, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Happy Public Domain Day! Jan 1 marks the date when eligible works pass into the public domain in the United States. Notable works entering the public domain this year include certain early Mickey Mouse cartoons, the novel As I Lay Dying, and the Gershwin composition Embraceable You.
#copyright
#copyright
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
The Trump admin’s censorship agenda is chilling & relentless. I counted 200+ attempts in 2025 to muzzle press, protesters, public servants, judges, law firms, universities, corporations. But resistance has blunted this campaign & we must fiercely defend free speech: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/o...
Opinion | I Counted Trump’s Censorship Attempts. Here’s What I Found.
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:04 PM
The Trump admin’s censorship agenda is chilling & relentless. I counted 200+ attempts in 2025 to muzzle press, protesters, public servants, judges, law firms, universities, corporations. But resistance has blunted this campaign & we must fiercely defend free speech: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/o...
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
fireworks for a muppet’s nye: thread
January 1, 2026 at 12:38 AM
fireworks for a muppet’s nye: thread
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Uh… check out what ChatGPT allegedly told a man before he killed his mother and then himself.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
December 31, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Uh… check out what ChatGPT allegedly told a man before he killed his mother and then himself.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
These weren’t all huge hits, but here are my favorite mushrooms of 2025
December 31, 2025 at 5:32 PM
These weren’t all huge hits, but here are my favorite mushrooms of 2025
If anyone is sending me DMs, I'm currently visiting a state that requires age verification and I refuse to do it, so I'm not going to see your message for a couple of days.
December 31, 2025 at 8:29 PM
If anyone is sending me DMs, I'm currently visiting a state that requires age verification and I refuse to do it, so I'm not going to see your message for a couple of days.
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
Every last Senator & Rep who voted for the Big Ugly Bill owns this and worse. They each voted to fund ICE to the tune of $170 Billion. (link threaded below to one of the many warnings about this before the bill's passage)
New: We got an internal ICE document revealing its $100 million ad plan to bring in 14,000 new hires: deals with "tactical" influencers; ads to gun & military buffs; and geo-targeting phones around NASCAR races and gun shows.
A "wartime recruitment" mode with paramilitary branding: wapo.st/44QrP5j
A "wartime recruitment" mode with paramilitary branding: wapo.st/44QrP5j
ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires
An internal ICE document shared among immigration officials details plans to use influencers and geo-targeted ads to rapidly hire thousands of deportation officers.
wapo.st
December 31, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Every last Senator & Rep who voted for the Big Ugly Bill owns this and worse. They each voted to fund ICE to the tune of $170 Billion. (link threaded below to one of the many warnings about this before the bill's passage)
Reposted by Ellie Margolis
THIS THIS THIS. ALL OF THIS
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
December 30, 2025 at 1:50 AM
THIS THIS THIS. ALL OF THIS
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context