Daily Update - Wednesday, May 20
At the close of this year’s Annual Meeting, David Levi completes his service as President of The American Law Institute. We thank him for his extraordinary leadership, steady judgment, collegiality, and deep commitment to the Institute and its mission. Throughout his presidency, David has guided ALI with integrity, thoughtfulness, and a profound respect for the Institute’s deliberative process and its members. His leadership has strengthened the Institute, advanced its work, and helped position it for the future.
Honoring ALI President David F. Levi
We invite you to view a special tribute video featuring reflections from several members of the ALI Council honoring David and his remarkable tenure as President.
What Happened Today at the Annual Meeting | Wednesday, May 20, 2026
The final day of the Annual Meeting began with Torts: Defamation and Privacy. Council member Raymond J. Lohier Jr. joined Reporter Lyrissa Lidsky and Robert C. Post for the presentation of Tentative Draft No. 1. The draft contains Chapter 1 on Invasions of Interest in Reputation, covering five Topics: Elements of a Cause of Action for Defamation (§ 1); Publication of a Defamatory Statement (§§ 2-5); Defamatory Communications (§§ 6-10); Applicability of Defamatory Communication to Plaintiff (§§ 11-13); and The Fault of the Defendant (§ 14).
Actions Taken*
Membership voted to approve Tentative Draft No. 1.
Between project sessions, we took a brief break to hear remarks from Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballell, President of the European Law Institute, who spoke about the importance of the continuing partnership between ELI and ALI.
The morning continued with the final project session of this year’s Meeting, Foreign Relations Law of the United States. Curtis A. Bradley, William S. Dodge, and Oona A. Hathaway were joined by Council member Samuel Issacharoff to present Tentative Draft No. 1, which contains the Introductory Note and §§ 321-326 from Chapter 2 on Executive Agreements and Nonbinding Instruments, and §§ 471-474 from Chapter 7 on Privileges and Immunities of Foreign Officials and Diplomatic and Consular Premises.
Actions Taken*
Membership voted to approve Tentative Draft No. 1.
This year’s Annual Meeting closed with the presentation of the Henry J. Friendly Medal to J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and ALI Director Diane P. Wood. The Medal was presented by Pierre N. Leval of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Following the award presentation, David J. Barron of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit interviewed Wilkinson and Wood.
*All approvals by membership at the Annual Meeting are subject to the discussion at the Meeting and usual editorial prerogative.