Sam Williams
@sawilliams.bsky.social
Reference and Instruction Librarian, assistant professor of law, Pokemon master, games enthusiast, certified film buff, and guinea pig wrangler.
Pinned
Sam Williams
@sawilliams.bsky.social
· Nov 21
Author Page for Sam Williams :: SSRN
Total downloads of all papers by Sam Williams
papers.ssrn.com
Since this place does seem to be building up a real, mostly academic community, and my reasons for being both here and the other place were always unapologetically mercenary, I should make the pin tweet with my scholarship so you know what I'm about. Main hub here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/...
Christmas came early with reprints of the article that I would most like to hand out as a business card. My friend saw how excited I was by this, asked for a signed copy, and snapped this pic. It's certainly something!
Celebrate your holidays by reading www.capitallawreview.org/article/1363...!
Celebrate your holidays by reading www.capitallawreview.org/article/1363...!
December 19, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Christmas came early with reprints of the article that I would most like to hand out as a business card. My friend saw how excited I was by this, asked for a signed copy, and snapped this pic. It's certainly something!
Celebrate your holidays by reading www.capitallawreview.org/article/1363...!
Celebrate your holidays by reading www.capitallawreview.org/article/1363...!
I'm working on/brainstorming a project that heavily features both of these movies if anyone has takes! (They're both fantastic but Anatomy of a Murder is my quintessential "Machine for Empathy" lawyer film).
(BCS is also involved but 1) it's not a movie and 2) I need to actually finish it)
(BCS is also involved but 1) it's not a movie and 2) I need to actually finish it)
The other two being Anatomy of a Murder and My Cousin Vinny
December 16, 2025 at 10:58 PM
I'm working on/brainstorming a project that heavily features both of these movies if anyone has takes! (They're both fantastic but Anatomy of a Murder is my quintessential "Machine for Empathy" lawyer film).
(BCS is also involved but 1) it's not a movie and 2) I need to actually finish it)
(BCS is also involved but 1) it's not a movie and 2) I need to actually finish it)
My colleague @timothymharris.bsky.social' latest, The Contracts Clause Can be Enforced via Section 1983, Period: The Nonexistent Circuit Court 'Split,' 78 SMU L. Rev. Forum 106 (2025) got picked up by the inversecondemnation blog! Congratulations! www.inversecondemnation.com/2025/12/new-...
New Article: Timothy Harris, "The Contracts Clause Can be Enforced via Section 1983, Period: The Nonexistent Circuit Court 'Split'," 78 SMU L. Rev. Forum 106 (2025)
Check out a newly-published law review article by lawprof Timothy Harris, "The Contracts Clause Can be Enforced via Section 1983, Period: The Nonexistent
www.inversecondemnation.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:31 PM
My colleague @timothymharris.bsky.social' latest, The Contracts Clause Can be Enforced via Section 1983, Period: The Nonexistent Circuit Court 'Split,' 78 SMU L. Rev. Forum 106 (2025) got picked up by the inversecondemnation blog! Congratulations! www.inversecondemnation.com/2025/12/new-...
Now that we know Pritzker's (surprisingly solid) Star Wars rankings, any other guesses on top contenders' hot takes? I feel like Newsom and Vance are too terminally online to be interesting, but I feel like AOC or something could cement the youth vote (and Trump's respect) by being a RotS-head.
November 24, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Now that we know Pritzker's (surprisingly solid) Star Wars rankings, any other guesses on top contenders' hot takes? I feel like Newsom and Vance are too terminally online to be interesting, but I feel like AOC or something could cement the youth vote (and Trump's respect) by being a RotS-head.
I think this is an interesting take that also explains why the third act of Rogue One has never really worked for me. A common refrain about Andor is that it's great until you remember that this "Palpatine" guy is a weird cackling demon shooting lightning, and Rogue One just... put it in the movie?
It also kinda shows the moment things transitioned from being "building a resistance network against a totalitarian regime" into "is that a fucking space wizard?"
Like, the minute lightsabers start showing up, the situation has grown beyond something Andor and Luthen can handle.
Like, the minute lightsabers start showing up, the situation has grown beyond something Andor and Luthen can handle.
November 24, 2025 at 9:20 PM
I think this is an interesting take that also explains why the third act of Rogue One has never really worked for me. A common refrain about Andor is that it's great until you remember that this "Palpatine" guy is a weird cackling demon shooting lightning, and Rogue One just... put it in the movie?
Pouring one out for the goth-est of all the beers.
November 14, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Pouring one out for the goth-est of all the beers.
I've had this take for a bit and I'm not actually sure how hot it is: As of this moment, Taylor Swift is a better filmmaker (the Fate of Ophelia video, like a lot of her filmography, is pretty good!) than she is a musician (the Fate of Ophelia song is pretty bad!). Does that math add up?
November 14, 2025 at 10:51 PM
I've had this take for a bit and I'm not actually sure how hot it is: As of this moment, Taylor Swift is a better filmmaker (the Fate of Ophelia video, like a lot of her filmography, is pretty good!) than she is a musician (the Fate of Ophelia song is pretty bad!). Does that math add up?
As we celebrate the latest addition to sandwich jurisprudence, any guesses on which members of the Supreme Court think that a hot dog is a sandwich? Sotomayor is a known yes, Roberts, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Alito are nos with an extra joke, but I feel like any of the other four could surprise.
November 7, 2025 at 12:14 AM
As we celebrate the latest addition to sandwich jurisprudence, any guesses on which members of the Supreme Court think that a hot dog is a sandwich? Sotomayor is a known yes, Roberts, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Alito are nos with an extra joke, but I feel like any of the other four could surprise.
TIL Afroman has multiple songs about Idaho, and you can tell that he's a real Ida-head because he pronounces Boise correctly. Jury's still out on Moscow, but it seems like he has that one too because he spent his best rhyme on Pocatello (an objectively correct decision unless he's in UI marketing).
November 4, 2025 at 4:38 PM
TIL Afroman has multiple songs about Idaho, and you can tell that he's a real Ida-head because he pronounces Boise correctly. Jury's still out on Moscow, but it seems like he has that one too because he spent his best rhyme on Pocatello (an objectively correct decision unless he's in UI marketing).
Question for my legal film people (brainstorming for a project): Are there any non-lawyer films that you think every lawyer ought to see, or that informs your approach to law in some way? The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence is a good example, but I'm seriously considering Poolman, so anything goes.
October 21, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Question for my legal film people (brainstorming for a project): Are there any non-lawyer films that you think every lawyer ought to see, or that informs your approach to law in some way? The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence is a good example, but I'm seriously considering Poolman, so anything goes.
Alright, new professional photo, shame to break the seven year streak but the Cosmic Gardener comes for all of us. Now for the important question: Does it make me look more or less like a hobbit's evil twin?
September 3, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Alright, new professional photo, shame to break the seven year streak but the Cosmic Gardener comes for all of us. Now for the important question: Does it make me look more or less like a hobbit's evil twin?
You know, I can't really tell you why, but I've never seriously explored evidence scholarship. This is good enough to make me consider a deeper dive into it! Good luck on the hunt!
I am delighted to share that my job talk paper, Bias and the "Low Bar" of Relevance, will be published in Volume 114 of the California Law Review (forthcoming 2026). Feedback and comments on this draft (available on SSRN) are welcome and deeply appreciated!
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Bias and the “Low Bar” of Relevance
<p><i><span>Relevance, commonly understood as the cornerstone of evidence law, determines what the legal system acknowledges as a fact and which facts matter, t
papers.ssrn.com
August 27, 2025 at 5:00 PM
You know, I can't really tell you why, but I've never seriously explored evidence scholarship. This is good enough to make me consider a deeper dive into it! Good luck on the hunt!
Is what the guy threw at an agent a sandwich? It doesn't matter in a legal sense, but I may need to follow up on this essay to reflect the growing role of an expansive definition of a sandwich in the fight against fascism. hedgehogsandfoxes.org/index.php/20...
August 14, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Is what the guy threw at an agent a sandwich? It doesn't matter in a legal sense, but I may need to follow up on this essay to reflect the growing role of an expansive definition of a sandwich in the fight against fascism. hedgehogsandfoxes.org/index.php/20...
Ugh, I really need to get back on the nemesis market post-tenure. I think my current beefs are too abstract and/or asymmetrical. If anyone wants to be the Seto Kaiba to my Yugi Mutoh (don't worry, the Pharoah isn't involved), I am taking applications!
They’re all academics.
August 13, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Ugh, I really need to get back on the nemesis market post-tenure. I think my current beefs are too abstract and/or asymmetrical. If anyone wants to be the Seto Kaiba to my Yugi Mutoh (don't worry, the Pharoah isn't involved), I am taking applications!
Like all great legal scholarship, this article got me spiraling out about auteur theory and the criticism of it as applied to law journals (I'm going to say piece forthcoming?). Can't think of a more glowing endorsement than that!
My article, "Editing Legal Scholarship" is forthcoming in the University of Detroit Mercy Law Review.
I identify several tendencies that make the law review editing process irritating, and argue for A Better Way.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
I identify several tendencies that make the law review editing process irritating, and argue for A Better Way.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
August 12, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Like all great legal scholarship, this article got me spiraling out about auteur theory and the criticism of it as applied to law journals (I'm going to say piece forthcoming?). Can't think of a more glowing endorsement than that!
Figured I'd celebrate the end of summer with a Weird Al concert. What a strange cultural figure- did we ever figure it out? He's not the opposite of a problematic fave- that's Kevin Smith- but i feel like everyone has a Weird Al phase they outgrew but never got embarrassed by?
August 10, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Figured I'd celebrate the end of summer with a Weird Al concert. What a strange cultural figure- did we ever figure it out? He's not the opposite of a problematic fave- that's Kevin Smith- but i feel like everyone has a Weird Al phase they outgrew but never got embarrassed by?
Naruto-run, don't walk, to your local theater to watch Weapons today!
(Movie good, nowhere near as rich of a text as Sinners but probably more effective qua horror film or, weirdly, comedy, a worthy follow up to Barbarian, easily second-best movie of the year so far)
(Movie good, nowhere near as rich of a text as Sinners but probably more effective qua horror film or, weirdly, comedy, a worthy follow up to Barbarian, easily second-best movie of the year so far)
August 8, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Naruto-run, don't walk, to your local theater to watch Weapons today!
(Movie good, nowhere near as rich of a text as Sinners but probably more effective qua horror film or, weirdly, comedy, a worthy follow up to Barbarian, easily second-best movie of the year so far)
(Movie good, nowhere near as rich of a text as Sinners but probably more effective qua horror film or, weirdly, comedy, a worthy follow up to Barbarian, easily second-best movie of the year so far)
Might be time to consider an exploratory committee...
Dude, "insane angry librarian energy" is exactly what I want from my politicians in the year of our lord 2025
August 6, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Might be time to consider an exploratory committee...
Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you joy and happiness.
I know I'm cheating with the extra context but this meme has kept me going for almost a year at this point and I think it's fun/aspirational.
I know I'm cheating with the extra context but this meme has kept me going for almost a year at this point and I think it's fun/aspirational.
August 6, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you joy and happiness.
I know I'm cheating with the extra context but this meme has kept me going for almost a year at this point and I think it's fun/aspirational.
I know I'm cheating with the extra context but this meme has kept me going for almost a year at this point and I think it's fun/aspirational.
Anyway I can't reveal all the details yet and I do just want to keep talking Magic with law people (the skills are similar!) but I should take the opportunity to note that my essay, Making Magic: How Lessons From 20 Years of Creating Magic Cards Can Improve Legal Instruction, is coming soon!
You're asking the right questions. I like graveyard synergy and lean monocolor too much to not go Glissa here, but there is a compelling counterpoint in the fact that Yarok will allow you to play Blue cards (clearly the best color).
August 1, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Anyway I can't reveal all the details yet and I do just want to keep talking Magic with law people (the skills are similar!) but I should take the opportunity to note that my essay, Making Magic: How Lessons From 20 Years of Creating Magic Cards Can Improve Legal Instruction, is coming soon!
My picks are boring, so I can at least be specific: watching The Rise of Skywalker and seeing the vat of Snoke clones after Palpatine declared he "made Snoke" five minutes into the movie after watching this video the night before broke Star Wars for me. youtu.be/aanyjLmB1Bs?...
July 21, 2025 at 6:02 PM
My picks are boring, so I can at least be specific: watching The Rise of Skywalker and seeing the vat of Snoke clones after Palpatine declared he "made Snoke" five minutes into the movie after watching this video the night before broke Star Wars for me. youtu.be/aanyjLmB1Bs?...
I'm having a very satisfying return to my alma mater for AALL/CoList, but above all else I'm very pleased to announce that true legends never die.
July 21, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I'm having a very satisfying return to my alma mater for AALL/CoList, but above all else I'm very pleased to announce that true legends never die.
I am getting evidence that my "mail a print of an article that cites a YouTuber for a joke so that he will read it on video" gambit has driven a noticeable increase in traffic for The Law is Weirder Than AI. If you are in the habit of citing YouTubers for some reason, you might try it!
Law is Weirder than AI update: One of the YouTubers I cite did, indeed, find my use of his work funny. I hope that you also get the chance to achieve your dreams!
37:53 for the start (longwinded fanboy letter warning), 40:22 for my YouTube debut.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O99f...
37:53 for the start (longwinded fanboy letter warning), 40:22 for my YouTube debut.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O99f...
Patrick Replies – The Megacities Episode
YouTube video by Patrick Willems Presents
www.youtube.com
July 9, 2025 at 10:32 PM
I am getting evidence that my "mail a print of an article that cites a YouTuber for a joke so that he will read it on video" gambit has driven a noticeable increase in traffic for The Law is Weirder Than AI. If you are in the habit of citing YouTubers for some reason, you might try it!
Interesting discourse I'm seeing on the other place: what is Biden-era cinema? Friend is making an extremely compelling case for Barbie, but Top Gun: Maverick and Saw X also strike me as strong picks.
July 3, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Interesting discourse I'm seeing on the other place: what is Biden-era cinema? Friend is making an extremely compelling case for Barbie, but Top Gun: Maverick and Saw X also strike me as strong picks.
If you haven't treated yourself to it yet, this article is excellent. The perceived capabilities of a first year law student reveal far more about the people who use them as a frame of reference than the students proper!
New article alert! "The 'First-Year Law Student' in Legal Rhetoric will be published in Legal Communication & Rhetoric: JALWD. The article explores, categorizes, and critiques references to first-year law students in legal rhetoric and discourse.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
July 3, 2025 at 5:24 PM
If you haven't treated yourself to it yet, this article is excellent. The perceived capabilities of a first year law student reveal far more about the people who use them as a frame of reference than the students proper!