ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE [AI] IS NOT USED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN PREPARING NYPPL SUMMARIES OF JUDICIAL AND QUASI-JUDICIAL DECISIONS

Apr 19, 2025

Items selected from blogs posted on the Internet during the week ending April 19, 2025


10 Practical Ways for Legal Professionals to Start Using AI  Rochester, New York, Attorney Nichole Black, after attending the 2025 ABA Techshow in Chicago, reports on 10 Practical Ways for Legal Professionals to Start Using AI in her Law Blog, Sui Generis. Read the whole entry 

Children, Smartwatches Cause Most Accidental 911 Calls in Alabama Officials in Alabama's Morgan and Limestone counties report that a child playing with a parent's smartphone is the most common cause of an accidental call to 911. Apple Watches' fall detection feature is another culprit. READ MORE

The Road to Recovery: How Transportation Data Supports Climate Resilience Explore how real-time transportation data can help governments prepare for and recover from extreme weather. This paper uses case studies from hurricanes, snowstorms, and wildfires to show how mobility insights improve evacuation planning, infrastructure response, and long-term climate resilience strategies DOWNLOAD

Transforming Justice and Public Safety with Technology Today's justice system faces increasing complexity and mounting challenges. In response, agencies are turning to technology to modernize their processes, enabling better outcomes while fostering trust within the communities they serve. Videoconferencing, mobile devices and productivity tools streamline operations, improve communication and enhance services -- all while prioritizing accessibility, fairness and connection to the public. DOWNLOAD

Wisconsin's Construction Training Program Could Serve as National Model
The construction industry is short by nearly a half-million workers. More states could emulate Wisconsin's growing apprentice program. READ MORE

What Does It Take to Bring High-Speed Internet to Rural America? Expanding broadband takes grit and determination. Every Last Mile follows cable crews overcoming extreme conditions to connect rural America. Witness their journey now: EveryLastMile.film.

California's Failure to Complete High-Speed Rail Rather than an alternative to flying, California has spent billions on lines that can’t reach their destination. READ MORE 

Few Programs Help Medicaid Recipients Find Jobs Congress and some red states are pushing for work requirements, but most recipients work already. Medicaid and other state programs typically don’t offer job assistance or training. READ MORE 

Indiana Legislators Approve $1.2 Billion Property Tax Cut The state Senate passed a bill that falls short of proposals put forward by Gov. Mike Braun, but the Republican signaled he's open to signing it. READ MORE

As Anonymous Tip Lines Become Common, Cybersecurity Is Key Governments are increasingly using specialized anonymous digital tip lines to tackle niche community issues. The data, however, has become an attractive target for threat actors. Here's how one company is responding. READ MORE

Anti-Fraud in the Age of AI Whether it comes to managing cultural change in your organization or developing policies for AI governance, this guide outlines all the strategies that you need. Read more to learn about the best practices that can help you combat this new wave of fraud and manage digital identities! DOWNLOAD

Cyber Attack Impacting Oregon Environmental Department The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has reported a cyber attack that is affecting communications and operations including vehicle inspections. Some services will be shuttered through the weekend. READ MORE 

Navigating Cybersecurity Amid DOGE Cuts and Global Tariffs Tariffs and DOGE cuts are grabbing headlines at the moment, and both will likely impact government cybersecurity at the federal, state and local levels. Let’s explore. READ MORE 

Iowa Official Examines Pause to Federal Election Cyber Funds Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate talked about the federal government’s changes to cybersecurity funding and said he “would not want to see” programs go away. The state, he said, does “count a lot on those cyber protections.” READ MORE 

K-12 Leaders to Scrutinize Ed-Tech Vendor Security Practices Out of 310 school leaders surveyed by Education Week Research Center in January and February of 2025, 74 percent said they expect the information they collect about vendors' cybersecurity protections will increase. READ MORE

The Next Generation of Cloud Security As state, local and education organizations modernize their technology infrastructure, they must work within tight budgets while they strive to meet increasing demands for efficiency. Cloud adoption can cut costs and boost agility, but modern architectures can lead to complicated security and compliance processes. To rein in these complexities, agencies need a comprehensive strategy that builds in strong defenses from the first line of code all the way through runtime. DOWNLOAD

Optimize government operations Drive efficiency and innovation while transforming operations with scalable connectivity solutions from T-Mobile for Government. Explore Innovation

Data Laws Would Refine Privacy Strategies, Consumer Control Lawmakers in several states are considering bills that would give residents more control over their data. A measure under consideration in Texas would formally recognize global privacy controls. READ MORE 

Ohio and Indiana Test Partially Automated Truck Platooning The states’ departments of transportation are teaming up to test the autonomous driving technique, which uses technology to let the driver of the first truck control the speed and direction of the second. READ MORE

Navigating Cybersecurity Amid DOGE Cuts and Global Tariffs Tariffs and DOGE cuts are grabbing headlines at the moment, and both will likely impact government cybersecurity at the federal, state and local levels. Let’s explore. READ MORE 

Work Begins on Broadband Network in Flagstaff, Ariz. Construction has commenced on a high-speed Internet network that will connect 34 city facilities including City Hall. Kingman, Ariz.-based Wecom Fiber will build 1.1 million feet of fiber to nearly all of the city. READ MORE

Connectivity solutions for government T-Mobile for Government partners with government agencies to enhance citizen service through scalable connectivity solutions. Unlock Scalable Solutions for Your Agency

The Revitalization of Lowell, Mass. After a long economic slump, the post-industrial New England city is encouraging development, filling vacant properties and zoning for more housing. READ MORE

For-Profit Detention Grows With Trump's Deportation Push The administration is signing billion-dollar contracts with private prison operators. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is attempting to increase its detention capacity by 100,000. READ MORE 

Lack of Public Defenders Means Some Defendants Wait Months for Trial Shortages are so bad in some counties that defendants have had to be released because they can’t be tried in a timely manner. READ MORE 

Suspect Charged With Arson, Attempted Murder in Attack on PA Governor’s Mansion Cody Balmer said he would have beaten Gov. Josh Shapiro with a hammer if he’d gotten the chance. READ MORE

After 10 Years and $31M, Wash. Workers' Comp Upgrade Has Little To Show Despite spending $31 million, the project has yet to roll out any new technology and is at least $240 million and nine years from completion. READ MORE

Public Funds Wasted on Waste? Government agencies saved millions by optimizing waste contracts without service disruption. Watch the Masterclass

What’s Killing So Many Pedestrians? Experts argue about whether it’s mostly poor road design or dangerous drivers. But there’s no question that it’s gotten a lot riskier to travel on foot. READ MORE

Our Priority Should Be Small-Scale Manufacturing Makers of everything from food to hardware to components for bigger companies need a boost, which better state and local policies could provide. READ MORE 

After Spokane Schools Banned Cellphones, Attendance Went Up The Washington state district didn’t just make students put phones away. They increased field trips and extracurricular activities, bringing chronic absenteeism down among participants by 13 percent. READ MORE 

El Paso Hopes to Increase Water Desalination by 20 Percent in Three Years El Paso has one of the largest water desalination plants in the world. Its efforts will inform Texas’ efforts to use desalination to address its water shortage. READ MORE 

L.A. Mayor and Fire Recovery Czar Trade Shots Steve Soboroff has finished a three-month run coordinating wildfire recovery efforts. He says he was shut out of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ planning, but the mayor’s office calls him a loose cannon. READ MORE

San Diego's $2.85M Utility Savings Strategy How forensic utility analysis identified rate optimization opportunities across 1,500+ accounts. Get the Strategy

Brandon Ragle Named CIO, Secretary of Illinois DoIT Ragle brings more than two decades of experience to the role of state CIO, including in leadership roles managing enterprise applications and the state technology budget for the Department of Innovation and Technology. READ MORE 

Durham, N.C.’s Longtime Tech Leader Has Resigned Kerry Goode, who had served as chief information officer and director of the city’s Technology Solutions Department since 2010, has moved on. Officials have looked within to find Durham’s new interim CIO. READ MORE

States’ AI-Powered Hiring Platforms Aim to Bolster Workforces States are increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence into their employment platforms to help connect job seekers to opportunities. The impacts on their workforce, officials have said, are tangible. READ MORE 

Cyber Attack Impacting Oregon Environmental Department The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has reported a cyber attack that is affecting communications and operations including vehicle inspections. Some services will be shuttered through the weekend. READ MORE  

CLEMIS Police and Court Database Plans National Growth Based in Michigan, the data-sharing operation has about 250 agencies, with 2,000 members anticipated by 2030. One of the technology leaders behind this push details what’s coming next, and why. READ MORE 

St. Louis Connects Parks, Retail With Free Public Wi-Fi Officials have expanded the service to seven parks and a four-mile stretch of business corridor, in a bid to improve digital literacy and quality of life. An additional rollout is planned later this year. READ MORE

Vehicle Speed-Limiting Technology Gets a Foothold in State Law A new Virginia law will allow judges to require intelligent speed assistance devices for people with repeat reckless driving offenses. Advocates are pushing for similar policies in other states. READ MORE

Finding Innovation in Everyday Operations Thanks to connected data and mobile networks, any device or piece of equipment can be a vehicle for transformation. This paper shows how two cities are using real-time data from municipal equipment to boost efficiency, increase safety and improve constituent services. DOWNLOAD

Mississippi’s Historic Achievement: Eliminating the Income Tax The state recently became the first since 1980 to vote to eliminate its income tax. This will boost economic growth while removing barriers to work — and could ignite a wave of similar state-led reforms. READ MORE 

Trump Takes More Steps to Block State Climate Efforts  A new executive order directs the attorney general to identify and stop enforcement of state-level climate laws. The order says such laws hinder American energy dominance. READ MORE 

Indiana House Passes Bill Cracking Down on State Contracts Among other things, agencies would be barred from issuing no-bid contracts, which the secretary of state’s office has done repeatedly. READ MORE

The 2025 State of Online Payments Report In today's landscape, billing teams cannot achieve their organizational goals without a comprehensive digital transformation strategy. Whether the aim is to reduce costs, uncover time-saving efficiencies, or improve customer satisfaction, success depends on providing the digital payment experience billpayers expect. DOWNLOAD


NYPPL Publisher Harvey Randall served as Principal Attorney, New York State Department of Civil Service; Director of Personnel, SUNY Central Administration; Director of Research, Governor’s Office of Employee Relations; and Staff Judge Advocate General, New York Guard. Consistent with the Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations, the material posted to this blog is presented with the understanding that neither the publisher nor NYPPL and, or, its staff and contributors are providing legal advice to the reader and in the event legal or other expert assistance is needed, the reader is urged to seek such advice from a knowledgeable professional.

CAUTION

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