James Grimmelmann
@jtlg.bsky.social
I’m a professor at Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School.
One of "a number of very informative people." -WSJ
One of "a number of very informative people." -WSJ
The parallels to Larry Summers’s ouster from the Harvard presidency are striking. Simmering discontent at your allegedly pragmatic hard-headed leadership can boil over awfully quickly if you also display colossally bad personal judgment.
Brad Karp to step down as Paul Weiss chair after Epstein revelations ft.trib.al/H1vYT7B
Brad Karp to step down as Paul Weiss chair after Epstein revelations
Files released by US Department of Justice detailed his relationship with the child sex offender
ft.trib.al
February 5, 2026 at 2:30 AM
The parallels to Larry Summers’s ouster from the Harvard presidency are striking. Simmering discontent at your allegedly pragmatic hard-headed leadership can boil over awfully quickly if you also display colossally bad personal judgment.
Reposted by James Grimmelmann
Finally, aluminum electrolytic capacitors for women.
January 22, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Finally, aluminum electrolytic capacitors for women.
Reposted by James Grimmelmann
The old memes are dying, and the new memes struggle to be born
February 5, 2026 at 12:40 AM
The old memes are dying, and the new memes struggle to be born
Reposted by James Grimmelmann
“If I am killed doing this, throw my body at the White House, martyr the shit out of me & raise hell. Do not be sad. Do not think I would do anything differently. I would do it over & over again — this is too important to sit down & shut up and not do anything.” www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Pursued by federal agents, suburban ICE observers remain resolved
After a frightening pursuit by federal agents, suburban ICE observers say fear hasn’t stopped them from protecting their communities.
www.mprnews.org
February 4, 2026 at 3:45 PM
“If I am killed doing this, throw my body at the White House, martyr the shit out of me & raise hell. Do not be sad. Do not think I would do anything differently. I would do it over & over again — this is too important to sit down & shut up and not do anything.” www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Bloomberg Law made a fun video about Adam Unikowsky's experiments with LLM-based lawyering. I make an appearance to give some commentary, along with clips from Star Trek and Futurama.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgl9...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgl9...
Can AI Argue a Supreme Court Case Better Than a Human Lawyer?
YouTube video by Bloomberg Law
www.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Bloomberg Law made a fun video about Adam Unikowsky's experiments with LLM-based lawyering. I make an appearance to give some commentary, along with clips from Star Trek and Futurama.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgl9...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgl9...
They’re keeping 90% of sports, local, and international? That’s not so bad.
<touches earpiece>
I’ve just been informed that “decimate” is being used colloquially ..
<touches earpiece>
I’ve just been informed that “decimate” is being used colloquially ..
The Washington Post told employees on Wednesday that it was beginning a widespread round of layoffs that are expected to decimate the organization’s sports, local news and international coverage.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
Washington Post Begins Sweeping Layoffs
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:28 PM
They’re keeping 90% of sports, local, and international? That’s not so bad.
<touches earpiece>
I’ve just been informed that “decimate” is being used colloquially ..
<touches earpiece>
I’ve just been informed that “decimate” is being used colloquially ..
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would like a word.
February 4, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would like a word.
The other side looks like the same stack trace but in a different font size.
February 4, 2026 at 3:01 PM
The other side looks like the same stack trace but in a different font size.
This is one of the better malfunctioning transit displays I’ve seen in a while.
February 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM
This is one of the better malfunctioning transit displays I’ve seen in a while.
I ran for county Democratic committee here in Jersey City. I lost, and also learned that I’m not good at door to door work. But it was still a good gateway to other ways of being involved in local politics.
NJ folks, the paperwork to run for county committee is not hard!
NJ folks, the paperwork to run for county committee is not hard!
February 4, 2026 at 1:25 PM
I ran for county Democratic committee here in Jersey City. I lost, and also learned that I’m not good at door to door work. But it was still a good gateway to other ways of being involved in local politics.
NJ folks, the paperwork to run for county committee is not hard!
NJ folks, the paperwork to run for county committee is not hard!
February 4, 2026 at 3:00 AM
to *counterproductively* chilling any and all dissent
February 4, 2026 at 12:53 AM
to *counterproductively* chilling any and all dissent
*the Speedy Trial Act looks directly into the camera*
February 3, 2026 at 9:36 PM
*the Speedy Trial Act looks directly into the camera*
Reposted by James Grimmelmann
The @nytimes.com coverage of France's Grok investigation casts it as part of a conflict between U.S. & European speech rules. That's true only if you buy Elon's version.
This is a case about CSAM and NCII. Those are crimes in France, and crimes in the U.S. There's no transatlantic divide here. 1/
This is a case about CSAM and NCII. Those are crimes in France, and crimes in the U.S. There's no transatlantic divide here. 1/
February 3, 2026 at 5:01 PM
The @nytimes.com coverage of France's Grok investigation casts it as part of a conflict between U.S. & European speech rules. That's true only if you buy Elon's version.
This is a case about CSAM and NCII. Those are crimes in France, and crimes in the U.S. There's no transatlantic divide here. 1/
This is a case about CSAM and NCII. Those are crimes in France, and crimes in the U.S. There's no transatlantic divide here. 1/
Oh, what I would give for a SCOTUSblog RSS feed that had only the news and none of the analysis.
February 3, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Oh, what I would give for a SCOTUSblog RSS feed that had only the news and none of the analysis.
"actually-existing American fascism"—a good phrase in a good passage from @lioneltrolling.bsky.social
www.unpopularfront.news/p/magas-peop...
www.unpopularfront.news/p/magas-peop...
February 3, 2026 at 1:29 PM
"actually-existing American fascism"—a good phrase in a good passage from @lioneltrolling.bsky.social
www.unpopularfront.news/p/magas-peop...
www.unpopularfront.news/p/magas-peop...
Reposted by James Grimmelmann
That time I found a pile of old NASA research documents in a skip and took them home for a lark.
January 3, 2026 at 11:04 AM
That time I found a pile of old NASA research documents in a skip and took them home for a lark.
EVEN PUTTING THE TRAFFICKING AND SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN ASIDE, every single email in the Epstein files is a vivid illustration of how not to live.
February 3, 2026 at 2:50 AM
EVEN PUTTING THE TRAFFICKING AND SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN ASIDE, every single email in the Epstein files is a vivid illustration of how not to live.
Moltbook = Eliza + Parry
change my mind
change my mind
February 3, 2026 at 2:33 AM
Moltbook = Eliza + Parry
change my mind
change my mind
This is part 6,784,902 in the ongoing series, "In Which I Rant About How Lawyers and Law Professors Should Situate Their Subjects in Relation to Adjacent Bodies of Law, Rather Than Treating Them in Isolation"
Why is this an individual NDA, rather than a statement of rules applicable to all court employees? (I ask this with an IP professor’s eye toward the difference between trade secrets, employees’ duties of confidentially and loyalty, and NDAs that go beyond the two.)
February 3, 2026 at 12:45 AM
This is part 6,784,902 in the ongoing series, "In Which I Rant About How Lawyers and Law Professors Should Situate Their Subjects in Relation to Adjacent Bodies of Law, Rather Than Treating Them in Isolation"
Why is this an individual NDA, rather than a statement of rules applicable to all court employees? (I ask this with an IP professor’s eye toward the difference between trade secrets, employees’ duties of confidentially and loyalty, and NDAs that go beyond the two.)
February 3, 2026 at 12:32 AM
Why is this an individual NDA, rather than a statement of rules applicable to all court employees? (I ask this with an IP professor’s eye toward the difference between trade secrets, employees’ duties of confidentially and loyalty, and NDAs that go beyond the two.)
Really feeling great (sarcastic) about Cornell’s willingness to pay $30 million to the extortionists currently running the Department of Education.
You may recall the many stories the paper ran—clearly fed to them by the administration—saying Harvard was about to fully capitulate any second now.
Trump Drops Demand for Cash From Harvard After Stiff Resistance
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Really feeling great (sarcastic) about Cornell’s willingness to pay $30 million to the extortionists currently running the Department of Education.
Just for the record, Iron Lung—a YouTuber’s self-produced and self-distributed film based on an indie videogame—did more than twice as well at the box office as Melania, despite having a *total* budget roughly 10% the size of the bribe Amazon paid her.
www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2026...
www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2026...
Domestic 2026 Weekend 5
www.boxofficemojo.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:10 PM
Just for the record, Iron Lung—a YouTuber’s self-produced and self-distributed film based on an indie videogame—did more than twice as well at the box office as Melania, despite having a *total* budget roughly 10% the size of the bribe Amazon paid her.
www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2026...
www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2026...