N.D. Cal.: Civil Standing Order: Use of Generative AI Tools (Cases Assigned to Judge Lin)
Judge Rita F. Lin · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Verified September 28, 2026
- Citation
- Civil Standing Order: Use of Generative AI Tools (Cases Assigned to Judge Lin)
- Order date
- March 16, 2026
Summary
'Counsel is responsible for providing the Court with complete and accurate representations of the record, procedural history, and cited legal authorities.'
What does the order require?
- 'Counsel is responsible for providing the Court with complete and accurate representations of the record, procedural history, and cited legal authorities.'
- 'Use of generative artificial intelligence tools is not prohibited, but counsel must personally confirm for themselves the accuracy of any research conducted by these means, and counsel alone bears ethical responsibility for all statements made in filings.'
- 'These obligations also apply to self-represented litigants.'
Practice areas: federal civil
What the order requires
Judge Rita F. Lin’s civil standing order carries a short section headed “Use of Generative AI Tools.” The current version is dated May 7, 2026; the section reads the same as in the March 16, 2026 version:
“Counsel is responsible for providing the Court with complete and accurate representations of the record, procedural history, and cited legal authorities. Use of generative artificial intelligence tools is not prohibited, but counsel must personally confirm for themselves the accuracy of any research conducted by these means, and counsel alone bears ethical responsibility for all statements made in filings. These obligations also apply to self-represented litigants.”
It is a verification-responsibility rule: AI is permitted, the lawyer verifies, and responsibility for filings stays with the lawyer. There is no disclosure or certification step and no prompt-retention requirement, which distinguishes it from the Martínez-Olguín and Lee orders in the same district.
Scope
Civil cases assigned to Judge Lin. The verification duty applies to self-represented litigants as well as counsel.
Primary source
Standing Order for Civil Cases Before Judge Rita F. Lin, dated May 7, 2026 (PDF)
How this order changed
Dated record of this order's own lifecycle. Where it was amended or withdrawn, the badge shows its standing after that step.