Alan N. Walter

Should Thanksgiving be Abolished? A Legal Analysis

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SUMMARY This legal analysis examines whether Thanksgiving could be banned in the U.S. Arguments for prohibition include Establishment Clause violations via presidential turkey pardons, Commerce Clause issues from nationwide traffic disruptions and Eighth Amendment concerns about forced family gatherings. Defenses cite First Amendment assembly rights, pursuit of happiness principles and Ninth Amendment protections for unenumerated … Read more

Gambling Laws and Prediction Market Apps

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SUMMARY Prediction market apps like Kalshi claim federal CFTC regulation as derivatives exchanges exempts them from state gambling laws, allowing nationwide operation even where betting is banned. Seven states issued cease-and-desist orders, arguing these platforms are essentially unlicensed sportsbooks evading state authority and taxes. Courts have split on preliminary injunctions. This federalism clash pits innovation … Read more

What Happens if the Supreme Court Rules Against Trump’s Tariffs?

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SUMMARY If the Supreme Court rules against Trump’s tariff authority under IEEPA, he retains multiple alternatives. These include Section 232 for national security tariffs, Section 301 for unfair trade practices, other statutory provisions and non-tariff barriers. However, these options require more process, justification and targeted application than IEEPA’s sweeping powers. While the President wouldn’t be … Read more

California’s Transparency in Frontier AI Act: A New Standard for AI Safety

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SUMMARY California’s Transparency in Frontier AI Act, enacted September 2025, regulates advanced AI systems requiring over 10^26 computational operations. Companies must publish annual safety frameworks addressing catastrophic risks, disclose model information before release and submit quarterly assessments to regulators. The law includes whistleblower protections and $1 million penalties per violation. It targets major developers like … Read more

Solo Lawyers Are Thriving

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SUMMARY Solo attorneys report high career satisfaction, with nearly 75% content in their practice. Flexibility in scheduling, client selection, and work matters drives their well-being. Challenges include workload stress, income inconsistency and burnout risk affecting about half of practitioners. Success depends on maintaining boundaries, building professional networks and practicing financial prudence. Solo practice offers a … Read more

AI’s Gaming Journey: From Tic-Tac-Toe to…

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SUMMARY Artificial intelligence has evolved dramatically through gaming, from mastering simple tic-tac-toe in the 1950s to defeating world champions in chess and Go. Modern AI systems like AlphaZero learn through self-play, while MuZero masters games without knowing rules. Beyond board games, AI conquered real-time strategy games like Dota 2 and StarCraft II, achieved olympiad-level mathematics, … Read more

Whatever Happened to NFTs?

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SUMMARY NFTs exploded in 2021 with collections selling for millions, but crashed dramatically in 2022 as values plummeted 95% and trading volume fell 97%. The collapse exposed pump-and-dump schemes, undisclosed celebrity endorsements and unregistered securities offerings. Investors who suffered losses may have legal remedies through securities violations, fraud claims or class actions, though recovery faces … Read more

Should Halloween Be Outlawed? A Legal Analysis

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SUMMARY This “light-hearted” legal analysis explores whether Halloween should be banned. Arguments against include safety concerns, property rights violations, liability issues and health risks. Arguments for keeping it legal cite First Amendment protections, community building, cultural tradition, parental rights and proportionality. Existing regulations address concerns without banning the holiday. Conclusion: Halloween would easily survive constitutional … Read more

White House East Wing Demolition: Legal Options

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SUMMARY The Trump administration has begun demolishing the White House East Wing for a privately funded ballroom without required federal reviews, violating property and historic preservation laws. Congressional and agency enforcement mechanisms are ineffective because the president controls the agencies that would normally stop illegal work. Litigation offers the only realistic enforcement option, but faces … Read more

Artificial Intelligence and Attorney-Client Privilege

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SUMMARY Attorney-client privilege faces significant challenges with AI use. When lawyers input client information into AI systems, they risk waiving privilege by sharing confidential data with third-party providers. The Rules of Professional Conduct require attorneys to maintain confidentiality, demonstrate technological competence and ensure adequate safeguards. Lawyers should anonymize information, use specialized legal AI tools with … Read more

Navigating Early-Stage Funding

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SUMMARY Tech startups should typically pursue friends-and-family and angel funding before approaching venture capitalists. This sequence offers crucial advantages: founders retain more equity (giving up 5-15% versus 20-30% to VCs), gain negotiating leverage through early traction, maintain operational autonomy and use simpler legal structures like convertible notes. Early capital provides time to experiment without board … Read more

George Santos: From Congress to Prison to Freedom

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SUMMARY Former Congressman George Santos served just 84 days of his seven-year federal prison sentence for wire fraud and identity theft before President Trump commuted it in October 2025. Santos, who lied about virtually everything to get elected and stole from donors and family members, walked free based on political loyalty rather than justice, highlighting … Read more