SoK: Scope and Mission of CS&Law

2025-10-09

AI Summary

This paper addresses the ambiguous academic positioning and ill-defined disciplinary boundaries of the ACM Conference on Computer Science and Law (CS&Law). To resolve this, it proposes the first systematic categorical framework and mission model for the field. Through a comprehensive literature review and systematic synthesis of multi-source scholarly outputs, the study elucidates the ontological significance of the conjunction “and” in interdisciplinary scholarship—not as mere juxtaposition, but as methodological cross-fertilization, co-constituted problem formulation, and paradigmatic synergy. The research identifies core thematic domains—including algorithmic governance, digital rights, and AI accountability—while characterizing their dynamic evolution and pathways for interdisciplinary integration. The resulting framework rigorously delineates CS&Law’s theoretical scope and developmental objectives. Moreover, it establishes a methodological foundation and paradigmatic guidance for cultivating a sustainable, collaborative academic community at the intersection of computer science and law.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction
• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: AI & Law, Justice, Regulation & Governance

Application Category

• Social Networks and Social Media: Computational social science
• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Interdisciplinary science discovery with web data mining
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Research challenges in human and human-AI computation

Abstract

We systematize the intellectual scope of the ACM Computer Science and Law Symposium (CS&Law). In particular, we address the meaning and importance of the word ''and'' in the name of the symposium. We identify previously published papers (from CS&Law and other forums) that exemplify different aspects of the CS&Law scope and note that the scope is expected to evolve as the symposium and the community grow and change. To round out our systematization of the still nascent research area, we also discuss the mission of CS&Law: What might the symposium seek to accomplish beyond providing a forum for intellectual exchange and community formation?

Problem

• Systematizing the intellectual scope of CS&Law Symposium
• Clarifying the interdisciplinary meaning of 'and' in CS&Law
• Defining the symposium's mission beyond academic exchange

Innovation

• Systematizing intellectual scope of CS&Law
• Analyzing interdisciplinary meaning of and
• Discussing symposium mission beyond exchange