Sign in

Jeff Bellin

@bellinj.bsky.social
961 followers 355 following 71 posts

William & Mary Law School Professor

PostsRepliesMedia
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
My latest article, "Evidence Law's AI Problem and the Hearsay Solution" is now available on SSRN. Comments welcome! papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Evidence Law’s AI Problem and the Hearsay Solution
by Jeffrey Bellin 
140 HARV. L. REV. (forthcoming 2027)
Abstract
As artificial intelligence (A.I.) seeps into our daily lives, A.I. generated evidence and testimony will increasingly appear in court. For the most part, American evidence rules are up to the task. The rules require testifying experts to demonstrate the reliability of any A.I. tools they rely on, and allow courts to deter and detect forgeries, even those generated by A.I.
There is a gap in the evidence rules, however, when non-expert witnesses testify about the outputs of artificial intelligence. For example, no evidence rule squarely prevents a victim or police officer from testifying that ChatGPT concluded that the defendant was the perpetrator. Evidence policymakers are scrambling to fill this gap. States have been unable to reach consensus on a solution, however, and a proposed federal rule that would have routed “machine-generated” evidence through the expert rules did not survive its public comment period.
This article proposes a different approach. Evidence law’s A.I. problem is that non-expert witnesses can testify about what A.I. “told” them without triggering any clear evidentiary obstacle. The evidence rules solve this problem with respect to the most complex machines of all – other persons – through the hearsay framework. Witnesses generally cannot testify about what another “person” told them; that is hearsay. Expanding the hearsay definition to also capture statements by artificial intelligence closes the gap in the evidence rules. Importantly, this does not make all A.I. statements inadmissible. Capturing A.I. statements within the hearsay definition enlists a robust, and surprisingly well-suited, framework for distinguishing A.I. evidence that should be admitted from evidence that should be excluded.
0132
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Thanks to all the students, professors and practitioners switching to this inexpensive, annually updated book that sets out the updated Federal Rules of Evidence w accompanying Advisory Committee Notes and key legislative history: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CLHPSR5...
Snipped picture from the Amazon website showing the cover of the book w/ a short description and annotation, "#1 Best Seller"
010
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
One of the many great things going on at Vanderbilt Law School - the annual Evidence Summer Workshop!
pic of attendees
162
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Seems pertinent...
011
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
My quote for this story: "This is part of the reason that the DOJ has long sought to remain independent and non-partisan. Once it loses the benefit of the doubt, it is difficult to gain that trust back...” www.cnbc.com/2026/04/08/f...
cnbc.com
Pirro's Powell probe faces a difficult road to appeal, former prosecutors say
Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh may be in limbo while the legal process plays out.
010
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Quoted in this story: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
news.bloomberglaw.com
Bondi’s Ouster Paves Way for an Even More Trump-Appeasing DOJ
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s removal is raising concerns that her successor will escalate attempts to evade institutional norms and ethics to satisfy President Donald Trump’s expectations for running ...
010
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
law.vanderbilt.edu/three-vander...
law.vanderbilt.edu
Three Vanderbilt Law Faculty Ranked Among Top 100 Law Scholars of 2025 in New Study -
“The Top 100 Legal Scholars of 2025,” published by George Mason University Law Library, features three Vanderbilt Law Faculty members.
150
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
The W&M Bill of Rights Journal has published the contributions to the Constitutional Law Casebooks Symposium. Lots of interesting stuff here - and thanks again to the editors for letting me crash the symposium to talk about casebook costs. scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmborj/
List of symposium contributions also available at the link.
064
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
More blogging about law school casebooks with this guest post at CrimProf Blog: crimprof.blog/selecting-a-...
crimprof.blog
Selecting a Criminal Procedure Casebook – Crimprof Blog
020
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Thanks @aaronbruhl.bsky.social - you are the most reasonable human on the planet, so I very much appreciate the support.
020
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Thanks @alahav.bsky.social!
020
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
My guest post on Prawfsblawg is up: prawfsblawg.com/the-persiste...
prawfsblawg.com
The High Cost of Law School Casebooks: A Case for Change
Explore the challenges of casebook selection in legal education, highlighting costs, quality, and market influences in this insightful essay.
2133
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
My first guest post on the new Crimprof Blog! crimprof.blog/faithless-pr...
crimprof.blog
Faithless Prosecution – Crimprof Blog
010
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
My latest article "Faithless Prosecution" is now available on SSRN. Comments welcome via email. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Faithless Prosecution
58 Pages Posted: 7 Jan 2026 Last revised: 4 Feb 2026
Jeffrey Bellin
Vanderbilt University - Vanderbilt Law School

Date Written: January 02, 2026

Abstract
In Fall 2025, Donald Trump publicly urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to initiate prosecutions of his political foes. This disturbing directive may signal the beginning of a new norm, rather than a temporary break in the old one. Trump’s interference with DOJ independence is inconsistent with the practices of Republican and Democratic administrations over the past fifty years. But the DOJ’s acquiescence models the “unitary executive,” a theory of constitutional law that has become popular with legal influencers, including Justices on the Supreme Court.

Left unchecked, these developments are poised to add federal prosecutions to the toxic stew of American politics. And while Congress shows little interest in intervening, judges possess limited tools to do so. “Selective” and “vindictive” prosecution doctrines forbid a narrow set of prosecutions but these undertheorized doctrines, anchored in the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, only tangentially address the problem of a politicized DOJ.

To counteract the politicization of federal prosecutions, this Article urges the Supreme Court to recognize a new doctrine anchored in a distinct constitutional provision. Article II, Section 3 states that the President “shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” This provision is rarely invoked and somewhat obscure, but it offers one clear and enforceable command: when a President intervenes in individual law enforcement decisions, the President must act in good faith.  Overruling career prosecutors to initiate cases against political enemies is the opposite of taking care that the laws are faithfully executed. It is “faithless prosecution,” and should be voidable in the courts.
0105
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
law.vanderbilt.edu/vanderbilt-l...
law.vanderbilt.edu
Vanderbilt Law Faculty Score High Marks in HeinOnline Scholarly Impact Ranking
Ranking highlights the scholarly impact of ABA-approved law schools by identifying the most-cited authors within 25 major legal subject areas
030
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Just wrapped up the 17th Criminal Justice Roundtable hosted by Chris Slobogin at Vanderbilt Law School w/ @rachelbarkow.bsky.social @richardre.bsky.social @erinmurphyslaw.bsky.social @joeljohnson13.bsky.social @profrgold.bsky.social @meganstevenson.bsky.social and others not on Bsky
me in front of roundtable announcement poster
0141
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
The inaugural Evidence Roundtable at Vanderbilt Law School. We theorized "simplified evidence rules" for disputes that don't require the complexity of the federal rules with a group of wonderful scholars (pictured) and judges (not pictured). Stay tuned evidence world for future roundtables...
picture of about 10 scholars
050
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Perhaps of interest.... While legal ethics codes and the U.S. Constitution require a prosecutor to have "probable cause" to support a charge, there is broad agreement that prosecutors should apply a stricter charging standard, although exactly what is less clear. I offer my take in a 2020 article:
Putting the above-described standards together reveals a concrete
evidentiary charging standard: a prosecutor should only charge a case when the prosecutor expects that the evidence introduced at trial will prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I
140
Reposted by Jeff Bellin
gelbach @gelbach.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Not hearsay if offered to prove he didn’t Or is it A riff on one of my favorite problems in @bellinj.bsky.social’s excellent casebook
141
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Not a lot of mystery here. DC prosecutors traditionally didn't charge these cases as felonies. This is why.
131
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
if you teach Evidence, the casebook landscape is shifting...
pic of Amazon listing for Evidence casebook with tag "#1 Best Seller"
020
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Amazon’s "Best Sellers in Law" offers an interesting snapshot of the otherwise non-transparent law school casebook market. www.amazon.com/best-sellers...
amazon.com
020
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
A legitimate - I think - retailer selling used copies of my $35 casebook for $250. (I guess they just assume the retail price is $300 since it is a law school casebook.)
Used copy of book selling for $249.
020
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
A slice of Amazon's best selling evidence books. What do you notice?
picture that shows best selling evidence casebooks on amazon
120
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
This is one of the many - how have they not answered that yet? - cases in Fourth Amendment doctrine. Might also offer guidance on analyzing exigent circumstances that are safety- not crime-focused.
020
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Touching tribute to Justice Souter from my colleague Alli Larsen www.scotusblog.com/2025/05/the-...
scotusblog.com
The heartbeat of the law is human connection
This article is part of a series on the legacy and jurisprudence of the late Justice David Souter.  Allison Orr Larsen is the Alfred Wilson & Mary I.W. Lee Professor […]
030
Reposted by Jeff Bellin
The Wolf Law Library @wolflawlibrary.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
The library has *doubled* sales of @bellinj.bsky.social's 2nd edition of 'The Law of Evidence'! www.amazon.com/Law-Evidence...
Jeffrey Bellin, 'The Law of Evidence,' 2nd ed. (2025).
031
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Thanks to Paul Caron and TaxProf Blog for the shoutout to my symposium essay about law school casebooks.
taxprof.typepad.com
TaxProf Blog: The High Cost Of Law School Casebooks
Jeffrey Bellin (William & Mary; Google Scholar), The High Cost of Law School Casebooks: Commentators have forecasted the demise of high-priced commercial casebooks for two decades. Yet little has chan...
120
Reposted by Jeff Bellin
Bennett Capers @bennettcapers.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
It's live! Very proud of this piece I wrote with Jeffrey Bellin (@bellinj.bsky.social) for the Yale Law Journal. And thanks to Dave Pozen of Columbia Law School for writing such a provocative book for us to engage with! www.yalelawjournal.org/review/race-...
yalelawjournal.org
Race, the Academy, and <i>The Constitution of the War on Drugs</i>
David Pozen’s new book chronicles the constitutional arguments that American litigants once deployed to protect a “right” to use drugs. This Review supplements and critiques Pozen’s important contribu...
1121
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
The good news is there are high quality, low-cost alternatives in many fields (especially Evidence 😀). My take on the general question - "The High Cost of Law School Casebooks" - is available here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
221
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
👀 In separate statements today, Justices Gorsuch and Alito argue that the Confrontation Clause doctrine introduced by Justice Scalia in 2004 is flawed and needs to change. Alito suggests narrower protections for defendants and Gorsuch hints at broader ones. www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
Picture of caption of Justice Alito's statement - full statement available at link.
010
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
The Second Edition of my low-cost Evidence casebook is now available for adoption in Summer or Fall 2025. Instructors can reach out by email for a review copy. amazon.com/dp/B0F13TCCR7
amazon.com
The Law of Evidence
The Law of Evidence [Bellin, Jeffrey] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Law of Evidence
2100
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
A draft of my contribution to the @wmborj.bsky.social symposium on constitutional law casebooks is now available on @ssrn.bsky.social My essay explores, "The High Cost of Law School Casebooks"
papers.ssrn.com
The High Cost of Law School Casebooks
<p><span>Commentators have forecasted the demise of high-priced commercial casebooks for two decades. Yet little has changed. This Symposium Essay explores the
061
Reposted by Jeff Bellin
Colin Miller @evidenceprof.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
Great news! "Vanderbilt Law School to establish 'innocence clinic' for the wrongfully convicted": fox17.com/news/local/v...
fox17.com
Vanderbilt Law School to establish 'innocence clinic' for the wrongfully convicted
Vanderbilt Law School has announced a recent gift is being used to establish The Gail Anderson Cañizares Innocence Clinic.
0538
Reposted by Jeff Bellin
The Wolf Law Library @wolflawlibrary.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Rob Willey and Melanie Knapp, "The Top 100 Legal Scholars of 2024". W&M Law School's @bellinj.bsky.social at nos. 23 (Authors) and 15 (Co-authors): papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
The Top 100 Legal Scholars of 2024
This article presents the third iteration of our ranking of the current top 100 legal scholars. The ranking addresses some of the limitations of traditional leg
041
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Just received my copy of David Sklansky's timely new book, "Criminal Justice in Divided America," can't wait to dig in. www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
Book cover David Sklansky's Criminal Justice in Divided America
041
Reposted by Jeff Bellin
Popehat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
This is a concerning milestone. Bringing new investigations and prosecutions is different than just dismissing cases against allies.
893734990
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Remarkable courage and integrity being shown by these DOJ attorneys. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Read the Resignation Letter From Hagan Scotten
Hagan Scotten, an assistant U.S. attorney, wrote to Emil Bove, acting deputy attorney general, refusing to drop the case against Mayor Eric Adams.
000
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Important comment on a pending amendment to Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(1)(A) from Colin Miller, a leading expert on wrongful convictions.
0134
Reposted by Jeff Bellin
Orin Kerr @orinkerr.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
The Acting US Attorney of the SDNY resigned today, and she sent this letter yesterday to the Attorney General explaining why she refused to drop the charges against NYC's mayor. Read the whole thing, but the last two pages are in the screenshots. static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics...
19313
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
The essays from Rich Friedman's Confrontation Clause symposium "Crawford at 20" are out in the Michigan Journal of Law Reform. My contribution warns SCOTUS about a flaw in its new doctrine-casual references to a founding-era "hearsay" definition that doesn't exist. repository.law.umich.edu/mjlr/
List of the articles in the symposium - full text is available at the link.
050
Reposted by Jeff Bellin
Orin Kerr @orinkerr.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Jeff Bellin's announced move from William & Mary to Vanderbilt is a major move in the crim law world. I'm a big fan of Bellin's scholarship; this is a savvy hire for Vandy. (cc @bellinj.bsky.social) leiterlawschool.typepad.com/leiter/2025/...
1352
Reposted by Jeff Bellin
Brandon L Garrett @brandonlgarrett.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
@bellinj.bsky.social on a clear due process ruling from the Court on prejudicial and irrelevant evidence teamevidence.pages.wm.edu/2025/01/24/a...
teamevidence.pages.wm.edu
Andrew v. White (2025) – TeamEvidence
021
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Thread on Andrew v. White, Tuesday's Supreme Court opinion which held that it is clearly established law that the introduction of evidence that is "so unduly prejudicial that it renders the trial fundamentally unfair," violates the Due Process Clause.
47211
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
My latest article is now published thanks to the editors at the Texas A&M Law Review (who did a great job with it). It traces the history of the innovative American "hearsay" definition and defends that definition against its many critics. scholarship.law.tamu.edu/lawreview/vo...
scholarship.law.tamu.edu
Murder on the Hearsay Trail
Judges, lawyers, and law students struggle to apply American evidence law’s most distinctive feature—the hearsay prohibition. The problem is that hearsay is difficult to master and somewhat dull. At t...
081
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 04/06/2024
Thanks Brandon Hasbrouck for this insightful review of "Mass Incarceration Nation" through an abolitionist lens. www.yalelawjournal.org/review/priso...
yalelawjournal.org
Prisons as Laboratories of Antidemocracy
Jeffrey Bellin's Mass Incarceration Nation robustly analyzes how state and federal policies have combined to drive up prison populations. Mass incarceration represents a failure of democracy, but the ...
142
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 17/05/2024
Dan Solove responds to critics (including me) of his groundbreaking and tremendously influential "big tent" conceptualization of privacy. Important essay in an important debate. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
Against Privacy Essentialism
In this essay, Daniel Solove responds to Maria Angel and Ryan Calo’s critique of his theory of privacy. In their article, Distinguishing Privacy Law: A Critique
020
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 07/05/2024
My new article Murder on the Hearsay Trail explains and defends the US "hearsay" definition. To entice people to read, it unfolds as a murder mystery where the clues represent key inflexion points in the doctrine. (Movie rights are available!) Comments welcome: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
Murder on the Hearsay Trail
Judges, lawyers, and law students struggle to apply American evidence law’s most distinctive feature – the hearsay prohibition. The problem is that hearsay is d
030
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 01/05/2024
Great to see the "Mass Incarceration Nation"-themed W&M Law Review symposium issue in print. Thanks to everyone who spoke at the symposium, those who contributed written pieces, and *most of all* the many student editors who turned the idea into reality. Available at wmlawreview.org
Cover of W&M Symposium Issue
071
Jeff Bellin @bellinj.bsky.social · 13/03/2024
I have a new essay in Judicature discussing the judicial role in over-incarceration to help judges be more "conscientious in assessing their contributions to the country’s incarceration rate and potential role in reducing it."
judicature.duke.edu
Can Judges Help Ease Mass Incarceration? | Judicature
040