S.D. Ohio: Standing Order on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Judge James L…
Judge James L. Graham · U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
Verified October 1, 2026
- Citation
- Standing Order on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Judge James L. Graham, S.D. Ohio)
- Order date
- October 21, 2025
Summary
'[A]ny party, including a pro se litigant, who uses generative AI to help generate the content of any portion of a pleading, motion, brief, or other document must submit a declaration disclosing the use of generative AI.'
What does the order require?
- '[A]ny party, including a pro se litigant, who uses generative AI to help generate the content of any portion of a pleading, motion, brief, or other document must submit a declaration disclosing the use of generative AI.'
- The declaration is captioned 'Disclosure of the Use of Generative AI' and 'must identify the content (by page, section, or paragraph number) which was prepared with the assistance of generative AI and state the platform used (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.).'
- In the declaration, the attorney or pro se litigant must 'CERTIFY that they have reviewed the relevant source material and have verified that all submissions to the Court are accurate, and that they have complied with their obligations under Rule 11(b).'
- The signer is responsible for the filing under Rule 11 'regardless of whether they used generative AI to generate any portion of that filing,' and 'failure to comply with Rule 11(b) may result in sanctions under Rule 11(c).'
Practice areas: federal civil
What the order requires
Judge James L. Graham of the Southern District of Ohio signed his Standing Order on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (S.D. Ohio Oct. 21, 2025) on October 21, 2025. It notes that generative AI use by attorneys and pro se litigants “to prepare pleadings, motions, briefs, and other documents has raised concerns over the reliability, accuracy, and volume of filings in this Court.”
Any party, including a pro se litigant, who uses generative AI to help generate the content of any portion of a pleading, motion, brief, or other document must submit a declaration captioned “Disclosure of the Use of Generative AI.” The declaration identifies the AI-assisted content by page, section, or paragraph number and names the platform. In it, the attorney or pro se litigant certifies having reviewed the relevant source material, having verified that all submissions are accurate, and having complied with Rule 11(b).
The order restates that the signer is responsible for the filing under Rule 11 whether or not AI was used, and that failure to comply with Rule 11(b) may result in sanctions under Rule 11(c).
Related orders
Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins’s standing order in the same district (August 20, 2025) requires a similar declaration. Graham’s order goes further in one respect: the declaration must pinpoint the AI-assisted content by page, section, or paragraph.
Quotable language
“The declaration must identify the content (by page, section, or paragraph number) which was prepared with the assistance of generative AI and state the platform used (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.).”