Los Angeles Courts Pilot AI Tool to Help Judges Draft Rulings
Los Angeles Courts Pilot AI Tool to Help Judges Draft Rulings
Publish Date: 2026-03-19 16:46:00
Source Domain: www.governing.com
- The Los Angeles County civil court has introduced a new AI tool called Learned Hand, which assists judges with distilling legal documents and drafting tentative rulings.
- This pilot program involves half a dozen judges and is intended to help with case backlogs in a court facing a workload crisis.
- Some members of the county’s legal community are concerned about potential errors AI could introduce and the impact on public trust in the legal system.
- Judges in the pilot program must review and edit AI-generated drafts, which are not intended to replace their decision-making role.
- Shlomo Klapper, the founder of Learned Hand, suggests it will act as a supportive co-intelligence or “judicial sous chef”, rather than an autonomous decision-maker.
- The legal world faces increasing use of public AI models like ChatGPT, which leads to more self-represented litigants, increasing caseloads.
- Public fears about AI’s integration into society are acknowledged, but Klapper assures there are extensive safeguards to prevent major mistakes from the AI.
- The pilot program will continue into early 2027 with a $300,000 budget, initially focusing on civil court motions but possibly expanding to criminal cases.
- Judges are not required to disclose their use of AI tools, though some argue it could lead to bias even if the ruling is not adopted.
