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 April 27, 2026
- Citation
- Civil Standing Order: Use of Generative AI Tools (Cases Assigned to Judge Lin)
- Order date
- March 16, 2026
Summary
Use of generative AI is not prohibited, but counsel must personally confirm the accuracy of any research conducted by these means.
What does the order require?
- Use of generative AI is not prohibited, but counsel must personally confirm the accuracy of any research conducted by these means.
- Counsel alone bears ethical responsibility for all statements made in filings.
- The verification obligation extends to self-represented litigants.
Practice areas: federal civil
What the order requires
Judge Rita F. Lin’s civil standing order (effective March 16, 2026) is a verification-responsibility rule: AI is permitted, counsel must personally verify, and the responsibility for filings is the lawyer’s alone. There is no separate disclosure or certification step.
The framing is shorter than the Lee or Martínez-Olguín orders and lacks a prompt-retention requirement. For practical purposes, treat Lin’s order as imposing the same Rule-11-grounded verification standard that applies in any federal matter, with explicit acknowledgment that AI assistance does not displace it.
Primary source
Standing order: https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/standing-orders/RFL-CivilStandingOrder_3-16-2026_0.pdf