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AF-XRAY: Visual Explanation and Resolution of Ambiguity in Legal Argumentation Frameworks

  • Yilin Xiab(Author)
    ,
  • Heng Zhengc(Author)
    ,
  • Shawn Bowersa(Author)
    ,
  • Bertram Ludäscherb(Author)
  • ,
  • bUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    ,
  • cUniversity of Kentucky
Research Output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding Conference contribution

Open access

Abstract

Argumentation frameworks (AFs) provide formal approaches for legal reasoning, but identifying sources of ambiguity and explaining argument acceptance remains challenging for non-experts. We present AF-XRAY, an open-source toolkit for exploring, analyzing, and visualizing abstract AFs in legal reasoning. AF-XRAY introduces: (i) layered visualizations based on game-theoretic argument length revealing well-founded derivation structures; (ii) classification of attack edges by semantic roles (primary, secondary, blunders); (iii) overlay visualizations of alternative 2-valued solutions on ambiguous 3-valued grounded semantics; and (iv) identification of critical attack sets whose suspension resolves undecided arguments. Through systematic generation of critical attack sets, AF-XRAY transforms ambiguous scenarios into grounded solutions, enabling users to pinpoint specific causes of ambiguity and explore alternative resolutions. We use real-world legal cases (e.g., Wild Animals as modeled by Bench-Capon) to show that our tool supports teleological legal reasoning by revealing how different assumptions lead to different justified conclusions.