Los Angeles County Judges Test AI Tool for Drafting Rulings
Six civil court judges in Los Angeles County now have access to an artificial intelligence platform that summarizes legal motions and drafts tentative rulings. The pilot program launched last month and will run through early 2027 at a cost of just over $300,000.
The software, called Learned Hand, can distill hundreds of pages of legal filings and analyze a judge's writing style to structure arguments and draft orders. Judges must review and edit any AI-generated draft before it becomes a tentative ruling.
Rob Oftring Jr., the court's chief spokesman, compared the tool to existing judicial support. "Judicial officers have long been supported by research attorneys and law clerks who assist with summarization, legal research, analysis and drafting assistance," Oftring said. "This assistance does not supplant the judicial officer's independent role in decision-making."
How the Tool Works
Learned Hand, founded in 2024 by attorney and former federal law clerk Shlomo Klapper, was built specifically for judges rather than private law firms. The platform includes a fact-checking feature called "Deep Verify" that checks every sentence of a generated order against cited sources.
"We don't just tell the judges to trust us," Klapper said. "We say you can actually verify it yourself and see from particular sources where things are coming from."
Klapper described the tool as a "judicial sous chef" - a support system, not a replacement. The software is already in use by court systems in 10 states, including the Michigan Supreme Court, which began using it last summer.
Concerns About Influence
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman raised concerns about how AI-generated drafts could influence judicial thinking before a judge conducts their own legal analysis. "Even when a judicial assistant or a law clerk comes up with a tentative on which position the judge should take, before the judge has taken their own position, that greatly influences what the judge's position should be," Hochman said.
An anonymous L.A. County judge not in the pilot expressed similar worry. "Even if you don't necessarily adopt the AI's tentative decision, psychologically that has become your reference point and any decision-making engaged in thereafter could be predicated on it," the judge said.
Recent high-profile failures have fueled skepticism. An Los Angeles attorney was fined after submitting a legal filing containing case citations fabricated by ChatGPT. Last month, a federal prosecutor in North Carolina resigned after submitting a document that was almost entirely AI-generated.
Disclosure and Scope
Under current rules, judges are not required to disclose whether they used Learned Hand when drafting a ruling. David Slayton, the L.A. County Superior Court's chief executive, said state rules recommend judges consider disclosing generative AI use, but no rule currently mandates it.
The tool will primarily handle civil motions, including motions for summary judgment and class-action settlement approvals. Limited future use in criminal courts for post-conviction relief applications is possible, though the software is not currently used in any criminal proceedings.
The Case for AI Assistance
A Reuters survey conducted last summer found more than 70% of respondents believe AI is a positive force in the legal field, with potential to reduce human work hours spent on repetitive tasks.
Klapper said the court system faces urgent pressure. He pointed to growing caseloads and increasing numbers of self-represented litigants filing civil cases - a trend he attributes to public access to AI tools like ChatGPT. "The system is drowning and the flood hasn't even started," he said.
For legal professionals, understanding how AI for Legal is being deployed in courtrooms matters. Those working in litigation and legal support may also benefit from exploring an AI Learning Path for Paralegals, which covers document review and legal research automation tools similar to what Learned Hand provides.
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