S.D.N.Y.: Individual Rules for Civil Cases, Section II.N, and Individual Practices in Civ…
Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo · U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Verified October 1, 2026
- Citation
- Individual Rules for Civil Cases, Section II.N, and Individual Practices in Civil Pro Se Cases, Section V (Artificial Intelligence) (Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo, S.D.N.Y.)
- Order date
- March 2, 2026
Summary
'If any attorney or pro se litigant uses an artificial intelligence tool in preparing any filing, the filing must include a signed certification (i) explaining how the tool was used, (ii) stating whether the attorney or litigant personally reviewed the filing for accuracy of cited legal authorities and factual assertions, and (iii) if so, describing in detail the steps taken to verify the accuracy of all legal authorities and factual assertions generated by the tool.'
What does the order require?
- 'If any attorney or pro se litigant uses an artificial intelligence tool in preparing any filing, the filing must include a signed certification (i) explaining how the tool was used, (ii) stating whether the attorney or litigant personally reviewed the filing for accuracy of cited legal authorities and factual assertions, and (iii) if so, describing in detail the steps taken to verify the accuracy of all legal authorities and factual assertions generated by the tool.'
- 'Attorneys and pro se litigants remain individually responsible for verifying the accuracy of any output produced by an artificial intelligence tool, and an attorney's or litigant's failure to review an artificial intelligence-generated filing for accuracy, or to provide the required certification, violates this Rule.'
- 'The Court may strike any filing that fails to comply with this Rule.'
- The same rule appears in the Civil Pro Se Practices (Section V, revised March 2, 2026) and the Civil Rules (Section II.N, revised April 7, 2026).
Practice areas: federal civil
What the rule requires
Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo’s Individual Rules and Practices for Civil Cases (S.D.N.Y., rev. Apr. 7, 2026), Section II.N, and Individual Practices in Civil Pro Se Cases (S.D.N.Y., rev. Mar. 2, 2026), Section V, carry the same AI rule. If an attorney or pro se litigant uses an AI tool in preparing any filing, the filing must include a signed certification that:
- explains how the tool was used;
- states whether the filer personally reviewed the filing for the accuracy of cited legal authorities and factual assertions; and
- if so, describes in detail the steps taken to verify the accuracy of all legal authorities and factual assertions the tool generated.
Attorneys and pro se litigants “remain individually responsible for verifying the accuracy of any output produced by an artificial intelligence tool.” Failing to review an AI-generated filing for accuracy, or omitting the certification, “violates this Rule,” and the Court may strike a noncompliant filing.
The certification asks for more than most: a description of how the tool was used and, where the filer reviewed the output, a detailed account of the verification steps.