Add decision-writing methodology based on FJC, Garner, Posner sources
"בית ספר להחלטות" Phase 2 — the system now has formal analytical
methodology for building quasi-judicial decisions, separate from
Dafna's writing style (SKILL.md) and content checklists.
What was done:
- Downloaded 5 authoritative sources (~341K words): FJC Judicial
Writing Manual (1991+2020), Garner Legal Writing in Plain English,
Posner How Judges Think, Scalia/Garner Making Your Case
- Extracted principles from all sources into intermediate docs
- Synthesized into docs/decision-methodology.md (3,400 words,
12 sections, 10 guiding principles)
- Integrated methodology into block-yod prompt via {methodology_guidance}
- Restructured legal-writer agent workflow to follow analytical stages
- Made "answer all claims" flexible (bundle/skip via chair_directions)
- Added methodology compliance check (#7) to legal-qa agent
- Updated all knowledge files (CLAUDE.md, SKILL.md, lessons, corpus)
Three-layer architecture:
1. Methodology (decision-methodology.md) — universal, how to think
2. Content checklists (lessons.py) — specific per appeal subtype
3. Style (SKILL.md) — Dafna's personal writing patterns
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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@@ -202,3 +202,53 @@ Licensing appeals are not homogeneous — the discussion structure varies signif
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- Categories: missing_content, wrong_tone, wrong_structure, factual_error, style, other
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- MCP tools + UI page for recording and reviewing feedback
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- First entry: Kiryat Yearim — missing planning discussion (2026-04-12)
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---
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## Lessons from External Expertise Research (April 2026)
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### Source
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- Federal Judicial Center, *Judicial Writing Manual* (1991, 2nd ed. 2020)
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- Bryan Garner, *Legal Writing in Plain English* (2001)
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- Scalia & Garner, *Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges* (2008)
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- Richard Posner, *How Judges Think* (2008)
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- Full texts stored in: `docs/sources/`
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### 17. Methodology Document Created — Separating "How to Think" from "How to Write"
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**Problem:** The system knew Dafna's STYLE (SKILL.md) and WHAT TOPICS to cover (content checklists), but had no formal methodology for HOW TO REASON through a decision — the analytical stages, when to balance, how to structure arguments, how to handle counterarguments.
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**Fix:** Created `docs/decision-methodology.md` — a standalone analytical methodology document based on synthesis of all four external sources. 3,400 words, 12 sections, 10 guiding principles. Covers: pre-analysis, threshold questions, issue ordering, syllogistic structure (CREAC), balancing/proportionality, claims handling (steel-man, bundling), quotation technique (sandwich), factual findings vs. legal conclusions, disposition, writing techniques, analogy/precedent, editing checklist.
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**Key principle:** Methodology is UNIVERSAL — it teaches how to think about any quasi-judicial decision. It does not contain case-specific content (parking, building lines, etc.). Case-specific content stays in the content checklists.
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**Applied to:**
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- `docs/decision-methodology.md` — new document
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- `lessons.py` — new function `get_methodology_summary()` injected into block-yod prompt
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- `block_writer.py` — new `{methodology_guidance}` placeholder in block-yod prompt
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- `.claude/agents/legal-writer.md` — restructured block-yod workflow to follow methodology stages
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- `.claude/agents/legal-qa.md` — new check #7 (methodology compliance)
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### 18. "Answer All Claims" Made Flexible
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**Problem:** The block-yod prompt hardcoded "answer every claim individually" and the QA check enforced it. But Dafna sometimes bundles weak claims, skips irrelevant ones, and focuses on what matters.
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**Fix:**
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- Block-yod prompt changed from "חובה לענות על כל אחת" to flexible handling: address substantive claims; bundle [bundle]; skip [skip]
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- Chair can mark claims in `chair_directions` as bundle or skip
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- QA check #3 updated to respect these markings
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- Methodology teaches WHEN to address individually vs. bundle vs. skip (methodology §ו)
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### 19. Source Library Established
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Downloaded and converted to text 5 authoritative sources for the methodology:
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- `docs/sources/fjc-judicial-writing-manual-1991.txt` (13,567 words)
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- `docs/sources/fjc-judicial-writing-manual-2nd-ed-2020.txt` (15,912 words)
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- `docs/sources/garner-legal-writing-plain-english.txt` (97,475 words)
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- `docs/sources/posner-how-judges-think.txt` (156,789 words)
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- `docs/sources/scalia-garner-making-your-case.txt` (54,683 words)
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Total: ~340,000 words of source material.
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Intermediate extraction documents also saved:
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- `docs/fjc-principles-extraction.md` — 38 principles from FJC
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- `docs/garner-methodology-extraction.md` — ~50 principles from Garner/Scalia
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