D.N.J.: General Pretrial and Trial Procedures, Section I.B (Use of Generative Artificial…

No longer in force

Judge Evelyn Padin’s General Pretrial and Trial Procedures, as revised September 10, 2026, no longer contain a generative-AI provision. Section I of that revision runs from “Professionalism and Civility” to “Pro se litigants” to “Correspondence with the Court”; the former Section I.B, “Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence,” is gone, and no district-wide District of New Jersey rule has taken its place. Filings made while the provision was in force were judged against it, so its history is kept below. It does not state current practice before Judge Padin.

What the rule required

The provision first appears in the procedures revised August 31, 2023 (the December 14, 2022 revision has none). Through the revision of April 9, 2026, it read: “The use of any GAI (e.g., OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Bard) in any court filings requires a mandatory disclosure/certification that: (1) identifies the GAI program; (2) identifies the portion of the filing drafted by GAI; and (3) certifies that the GAI work product was diligently reviewed by a human being for accuracy and applicability.” The 2023 revisions said “for any court filings”; by April 9, 2026 the provision also stated that “A failure to comply with this requirement may result in sanctions, such as the filing being stricken, and/or a referral to a bar disciplinary committee.”

The May 28, 2026 revision narrowed the rule to a certification only: “The use of any GAI (e.g., OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, or any legal tools leveraging GAI) in any court filings requires a mandatory certification that the GAI work product was diligently reviewed by a human being for accuracy and applicability. This review should include, but not be limited to, correcting errors and eliminating hallucinations.” It added that attorney sanctions “are governed pursuant to Third Circuit Disciplinary Rule 2.1(d) and the New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct” and that Rule 11’s “obligations and sanctions apply to all filings from attorneys and non-attorneys.” The September 10, 2026 revision removed the section.

The provision sat inside an integrated procedures document rather than a freestanding standing order, and a footnote to the procedures, still present, cedes to the rules of the Third Circuit and the District of New Jersey where they conflict. It applied to all litigants before Judge Padin, including pro se litigants.

R&G data corrections

R&G’s tracker dates this entry 2023-11-13, which matches the November 13, 2023 reissue of the procedures. The AI section first appears in the August 31, 2023 revision; it was narrowed on May 28, 2026 and removed on September 10, 2026.

Primary source

General Pretrial and Trial Procedures (Padin, J.), current revision, njd.uscourts.gov

Archived revisions: August 31, 2023, April 9, 2026, May 28, 2026