Summary
KQED, republishing CalMatters' reporting, shows two major California trial courts moving from general AI policy talk into actual bench-side workflow testing. Los Angeles and Riverside are piloting Learned Hand's "AI clerk" for research memos and draft orders, while disclosure rules, criminal-use boundaries, and public notice standards remain unsettled.
Why It Matters
- This is a direct lawyers story because it documents AI moving into judicial support work, not just lawyer drafting or sanctions fallout.
- It adds a distinct operational lane on procurement, testing, and disclosure rather than another hallucinated-citations record.
- It shows how courts are framing AI as a backlog and staffing response while critics focus on liberty interests, bias, and public confidence.
- It is especially useful because the reporting names the contracts, the divisions involved, and the contemplated criminal-motion use cases.
What the Source Says
The reporting says Los Angeles County began a pilot in February 2026 and Riverside is separately testing the same tool. It says the system can draft orders and produce research memos, that Riverside's early use has centered on civil and probate work, and that Los Angeles has a larger contract with a roadmap that reaches criminal, family, and probate matters. The article also reports that current court policies require disclosure only if a document is written entirely with generative AI, while the courts have declined to explain in detail how they will decide whether broader use is safe.