As far as I know, very few Taiwanese legal scholars use blogs to present their ideas and research (Professor Marx Chen at the Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica, is the only exception. I am a long-term reader and big fan of his blog). In contrast, US legal scholars still rely on blogs to transmit legal information and ideas. One notable example is Professor Jack Balkin’s blog, Balkinization, which not only transmits legal information but also holds online symposium to foster instant discussions among legal scholars. Professor Lawrence Solum’s Legal Theory Blog inspires me a lot as well, especially on transmitting latest legal scholarship. (I provide some useful blog links and datasets webs on the right column in the “Blog Post” page.)
Even as a generation immersed in social media, I still find blogs to be a useful medium, both for listeners to absorb knowledge and for speakers to present their worldviews. Moreover, they help international students follow current trends in legal scholarship, if there is one. Besides my personal interest in discussions within US legal scholarship, I’ve found that many US legal issues also appear in Taiwan in the near future. Although Taiwan is not the 51st state of the US, these discussions provide valuable resources for pondering solutions.
During my studies at the University of Chicago Law School, I began to engage in public discourse on social media, mainly on constitutional issues at the time. “Polluted” by the realism inherent in US legal education, my arguments, sometimes, differed from the mainstream views in Taiwan’s legal scholarship. Despite occasional debates under each post, I realized that the discussions were progressing, which I believe is a positive development. I was particularly inspired when friends told me that they read the entire threads of debate. It’s incredibly meaningful to know that my arguments have made an impact.
To make my ideas more accessible and to share legal information, I decided to create this blog to preserve my public posts on social media, especially after my Threads account became unworkable. I will post legal content based on what I read and think, primarily preliminary thoughts. Topics will include Taiwan’s political and legal issues, the Taiwan Constitutional Court, US constitutional law, global AI regulation trends, freedom of speech, privacy law, judicial behavior, and jurisprudence. I hope this blog can serve as a platform for Taiwanese legal scholars to communicate with the world. If anyone wants to join this blog and contribute, please let me know.
Thank you to Kirin Chang for helping me build this website and Libin Chen for taking tons of my pictures at Chicago.