Michael Bishop

@BenjaminACronin I think you'll find that it is a "fee of lawyers".

There is an ongoing, unresolved argument about the collective noun for a huddle of lawyers, but in South Africa it is surely 'a commission'. Unless Senior Counsel is not present, in which case it is 'an omission'.

@MbekezeliMB I also love Greenfish! Amazing fish and amazing service.

In the first Covid lockdown I bumped into Greenfish, a small sustainable fishing company on Instagram that had to pivot to online sales after its restaurant clients closed. The owner called to thank me for my small order. 6 yrs later they still deliver value on super fresh fish.

@franstaar @dansmywholename It seems to me that the CC has entirely abandoned the substantive argument that findings only matter if they are binding. The only thread on which Nkandla now hangs is a textual one. But Dan and I will ensure that thread is cut one day 🫡

@dansmywholename @MichaelBishop12 🏃‍♀️

😏there was a time when I struggled to find commentators who would make this argument. But I always thought it’s a difficult legal Q. The best argument for y the constitution requires the PP’s remedial action to be binding was made by the amicus in the SABC/Hlaudi case at the SCA

Miss you boyo

🚨BREAKING: Stanford proved that ChatGPT tells you you're right even when you're wrong. Even when you're hurting someone. And it's making you a worse person because of it. Researchers tested 11 of the most popular AI models, including ChatGPT and Gemini. They analyzed over 11,500 real advice-seeking conversations. The finding was universal. Every single model agreed with users 50% more than a human would. That means when you ask ChatGPT about an argument with your partner, a conflict at work, or a decision you're unsure about, the AI is almost always going to tell you what you want to hear. Not what you need to hear. It gets darker. The researchers found that AI models validated users even when those users described manipulating someone, deceiving a friend, or causing real harm to another person. The AI didn't push back. It didn't challenge them. It cheered them on. Then they ran the experiment that changes everything. 1,604 people discussed real personal conflicts with AI. One group got a sycophantic AI. The other got a neutral one. The sycophantic group became measurably less willing to apologize. Less willing to compromise. Less willing to see the other person's side. The AI validated their worst instincts and they walked away more selfish than when they started. Here's the trap. Participants rated the sycophantic AI as higher quality. They trusted it more. They wanted to use it again. The AI that made them worse people felt like the better product. This creates a cycle nobody is talking about. Users prefer AI that tells them they're right. Companies train AI to keep users happy. The AI gets better at flattering. Users get worse at self-reflection. And the loop tightens. Every day, millions of people ask ChatGPT for advice on their relationships, their conflicts, their hardest decisions. And every day, it tells almost all of them the same thing. You're right. They're wrong. Even when the opposite is true.

What was Jimmy Carter doing in the Supreme Court last week?

Excited to announce the release of Constitutional Court Review vol 15, celebrating and interrogating 30 years of the SA Constitutional Court’s jurisprudence. Read open-access this outstanding collection of articles here: journals.co.za/journal/jlc.co… @SAIFAC_UJ @blog_alm @UniRDG_Law

@Manikipi Not the 1995 bench. Excludes Didcott, Kentridge and Mahomed who sat in Makwanyane. Includes Yacoob and Ngcobo, who were appointed later, and Goldstone who did not sit in Makwanyane as he was at the ICTY and ICTR.

The 1995 bench that drafted the landmark case: S v Makwanyane. The finest legal scholars that set the bar for our jurisprudence Ever grateful 🙏

Stu was my mentor and my friend. I miss him very much. I know he would appreciate the engagement. #NkandlaMustFall

@groundup_news reports chaos at the start of the West Coast rock lobster season, with incorrect permits, reduced quotas and shifts in fishing areas along the West Coast. As the LRC, we have written to DFFE demanding the data and reasons and urgent correction. Small scale fishers need fair nearshore access to earn a living and put food on the table. sa.lrc.org.za/44kLsSH #SmallScaleFishers #FishingRights

I've loved this band since I was 17. Love them even more now. theguardian.com/music/2025/sep…

AC2 has been admitted as amicus curiae in the case challenging SA’s criminalisation of sex work. We bring to court the lived realities of LGBTQI+ Refugee Sex Workers, too often silenced, but essential to justice. #AccessChapter2 #SexWorkIsWork #AmicusCuriae #HumanRights

Today, AC2 appeared at the Western Cape High Court in our application to be admitted as amicus curiae in the case challenging SA’s criminalisation of sex work. We want the Court to hear the lived realities of LGBTQI+ refugee sex workers. #AC2 #SexWorkIsWork #DecrimNow

The Economist -- which supported Israel's attack on Gaza from the start -- surveys all evidence and definitively declares: "catastrophic levels of hunger have been confirmed." Famine now in every region. More than 15% of young children are severely malnourished. All worsening.

@MbekezeliMB @saflii @lawlibraryZA Strong disagree. Citation should just be [YEAR] COURT ##. Way more elegant. You can only tell if it is still good law by reading the case and other subsequent cases. Having the date (in addition to the year) doesn't help. And who am I to disagree with the CC 😉

Guys, the neutral citation (often used on @saflii and @lawlibraryZA ) also includes the date, so don’t leave it out. i.e: Kenny Kunene v Julius Malema (A2023/092235) [2025] ZAGPJHC 742 (5 August 2025). The date is crucial in assessing if the case is still good law.

We took small-scale fishers fight to Parliament. LRC and Masifundise told MPs the Marine Living Resources Act still leaves coastal families crumbs after commercial quotas. We called for true community rights and co-management. For more: youtu.be/6QxXMQvDKRo #SmallScaleFishers

This hateful, antisemitic Elmo is not the Elmo Jon remembers

New issue of the Yearbook of South African Law is out on all JUTA platforms today. Check us out 😁 cc @Jason_Brickhill @MichaelBishop12 @Juta_ZA