E.D. Tex.: E.D. Tex. General Order 23-11: Amending Local Civil Rule CV-11(g) (Use of Tech…
Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
Verified September 30, 2026
- Citation
- E.D. Tex. General Order 23-11: Amending Local Civil Rule CV-11(g) (Use of Technology by Pro Se Litigants) and Local Rule AT-3(m) (Standards of Practice)
- Order date
- October 30, 2023
Summary
Local Civil Rule CV-11(g) (Use of Technology by Pro Se Litigants): Pro se litigants remain responsible for the accuracy and quality of legal documents produced with the assistance of technology (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Bard, Bing AI Chat, or generative artificial intelligence services).
What does the order require?
- Local Civil Rule CV-11(g) (Use of Technology by Pro Se Litigants): Pro se litigants remain responsible for the accuracy and quality of legal documents produced with the assistance of technology (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Bard, Bing AI Chat, or generative artificial intelligence services).
- Pro se litigants who choose to employ technology continue to be bound by the requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 11 and must review and verify any computer-generated content to ensure that it complies with all such standards.
- Local Rule AT-3(m) (Standards of Practice for Attorneys): Lawyers are cautioned that AI technologies may produce factually or legally inaccurate content and should never replace the lawyer's exercise of independent legal judgment.
- Lawyers who employ AI in representing a client continue to be bound by the requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, Local Rule AT-3, and all other applicable standards of practice, and must review and verify any computer-generated content to ensure that it complies with all such standards.
Practice areas: federal civil, federal criminal
What the order amended
E.D. Tex. General Order 23-11, signed by Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap on October 30, 2023, amended several Local Rules effective December 1, 2023. Two amendments are relevant to attorney AI use:
Local Civil Rule CV-11(g) (new subsection): Use of Technology by Pro Se Litigants. The rule establishes that pro se litigants remain responsible for the accuracy of documents produced with technology including generative AI services, are bound by Fed. R. Civ. P. 11, and must verify any computer-generated content.
Local Rule AT-3(m) (new subsection): Standards of Practice for Attorneys. The rule warns lawyers that AI technologies may produce factually or legally inaccurate content and should never replace independent legal judgment, and confirms attorneys remain bound by Rule 11 and the rules of practice when using AI.
Both rule additions track verbatim language drawn from the General Order’s published text.
Status: amended (superseded by GO 25-07)
GO 23-11’s CV-11(g) is the original “pro se only” version of the rule. On October 31, 2025, the court issued General Order 25-07 (effective December 1, 2025) amending CV-11(g) to extend its accountability provisions to all litigants, not just pro se. The expanded rule is captured in edtx-go-25-07-cv-11g.md.
GO 25-07 also amended AT-3(m) “for uniformity”: the current rule refers to “generative artificial intelligence technology” in place of the 2023 list of example tools, and requires lawyers to “review and verify all content” rather than “any computer-generated content.”
Why this matters
GO 23-11 was an early district-wide AI rule, effective December 1, 2023. Its structure (Rule 11 enforcement, no mandatory disclosure or certification) was carried forward in E.D. Tex.’s 2025 amendments. Attorney AI exposure in E.D. Tex. matters has been on Rule 11 notice since this order’s effective date.
Primary source
GO 23-11 (PDF): https://txed.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/goFiles/GO%2023-11%20Amending%20Local%20Rules%20Effective%20December%201%2C%202023.pdf
GO 25-07 (PDF): https://txed.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/goFiles/GO%2025-07%20Amending%20Local%20Rules.pdf
E.D. Tex. Local Rules as of February 9, 2026 (PDF): https://www.txed.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/HR_Docs/TXED%20Local%20Rules%202025%20-%20As%20Amended%202.9.2026%20Updated%206.2.2026.pdf