AI to help county judges craft rulings

Pilot program will assist with backlogs. Some officials fear external influence.

- By JAMES QUEALLY

Judges in one of the nation’s largest court systems have started using artificial intelligence, testing a tool that can rapidly distill hundreds of pages of legal motions and use samples of a jurist’s writing style to help reach conclusions and even draft tentative rulings.

The program, which launched last month, gave half a dozen Los Angeles County civil court judges access to AI software called Learned Hand. Although it could prove crucial in a shorthanded court system that is facing a workload crisis on many fronts, the announcement has also drawn concern from some members of the county’s legal community who fear the technology could create errors and erode public trust in the legal system.

Court officials say judges in the pilot program are “required to review and edit the draft before adopting tentative rulings” generated by Learned Hand, and they touted the new effort to use technology to assist with basic judicial tasks and clear case backlogs.

“Judicial officers have long been supported by research attorneys and law clerks who assist with summarization, legal research, analysis and drafting assistance,” said Rob Oftring Jr., the court’s chief spokesman.

“This assistance does not supplant the judicial officer’s independent role in decision-making.”Shlomo Klapper, chief executive and founder of the company behind Learned Hand, said it is already being used by court systems in 10 states. The Michigan Supreme Court began using the software in the summer to review applications for permission to appeal in civil and criminal cases, according to a court spokesman.

Klapper described the AI tool as a co-intelligence, akin to a “judicial sous chef,” that will support members of the bench without supplanting them.