Why “verified” as a boolean is not enough
If an agent or client can flip a `verified` flag, the system is performing trust theatre. Luthor’s Authority Proof Ledger makes verification a pipeline property: parse and normalize the citation, retrieve a primary judgment, match identity, locate the passage, evaluate whether the text supports the proposition, check later treatment where data allows, and only then advance state. Counsel still decides whether to rely on it for the matter.
Levels of proof, not a single badge
Statuses progress through unverified, identity matched, text matched, proposition reviewed, status checked, and counsel approved. Amber means unresolved. Red means contradicted or not found. Green is reserved for fully evidenced use and still shows counsel responsibility. This is how Luthor earns the right to sit next to a cause list.
What advocates get day to day
Research memos and strategy drafts can cite only authorities the ledger can explain. Opposing authorities are not hidden. When a provider is down, verification fails closed with an honest “unavailable” state, never a silent pass that later embarrasses counsel in court.