Judges and Judiciary
Aug. 28, 2026
Keep humans on the bench
As courts experiment with AI-generated rulings, the push for efficiency is raising concerns about judicial independence, transparency and the role of human judgment.
John J. Kralik
Judge (ret.)
University of Michigan Law School, 1979
John J. Kralik has been a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court for sixteen years. He is the author of "A Simple Act of Gratitude," a memoir, and "Three Bodies by the River," a novel. For further information, see www.johnjkralik.com.
The March 18, 2026, headline in the Los Angeles Times jolted me out of the quiet ease of retirement. I was debating whether I really wanted to learn pickleball when I read that an "AI Pilot Program" was being used to "Help Judges Craft Rulings." I had thought we had more time before computers replaced judges and law clerks, but apparently that moment has arrived.
According to the Times, some judges have been using an artificial inte...
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