Des Moines Sun

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has released statements from two federal judges and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AO) regarding their use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in court order drafting. Judge Henry T. Wingate of the U.S. Southern District of Mississippi and Judge Julien Xavier Neals of the U.S. District of New Jersey both acknowledged that their staff used AI to help draft court orders, which resulted in significant factual errors.

The problematic orders included misquotations of state law, references to individuals not involved in the cases, and attributions of fabricated quotes to defendants. Both judges have admitted these mistakes in their responses to Grassley.

“Honesty is always the best policy. I commend Judges Wingate and Neals for acknowledging their mistakes and I’m glad to hear they’re working to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Grassley. “Each federal judge, and the judiciary as an institution, has an obligation to ensure the use of generative AI does not violate litigants’ rights or prevent fair treatment under the law. The judicial branch needs to develop more decisive, meaningful and permanent AI policies and guidelines. We can’t allow laziness, apathy or overreliance on artificial assistance to upend the Judiciary’s commitment to integrity and factual accuracy. As always, my oversight will continue.”

Following this oversight inquiry, both judges have taken steps to prevent similar errors in future rulings. Judge Wingate now requires a second independent review for all draft opinions, orders, and memos, along with attaching printed copies of all cited cases to final drafts. Judge Neals has introduced a written policy barring law clerks and interns from using AI for drafting opinions or orders, along with a multi-level review process for opinions.

The AO informed Grassley about its recently formed advisory AI Task Force, which issued interim guidance on July 31, 2025. The guidance offers general suggestions allowing experimentation with AI tools but recommends considering whether AI usage should be disclosed in court documents. These measures are temporary as more comprehensive policies are developed.

The Senate Judiciary Committee holds oversight responsibilities over federal courts and judicial proceedings. The recent errors due to AI use by federal judges have led to questions about decision accuracy within the judiciary.