E.D. Pa.: Initial Procedural Order, Section 8: Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence…
Hon. Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., U.S. District Judge · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Verified September 29, 2026
- Citation
- Initial Procedural Order, Section 8: Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., E.D. Pa.)
- Order date
- September 10, 2024
Summary
Any party, 'whether appearing pro se or through counsel, who utilizes any generative AI tool in the preparation of any document to be filed in any matter pending before the Undersigned, must include with the documents a Certificate of Use of Generative AI in which the party must disclose and certify: (a) The specific AI tool that was used; (b) The portions of the filing prepared by the AI program; and, (c) That a person has checked the accuracy of any portion of the document generated by AI, including all citations and legal authority.'
What does the order require?
- Any party, 'whether appearing pro se or through counsel, who utilizes any generative AI tool in the preparation of any document to be filed in any matter pending before the Undersigned, must include with the documents a Certificate of Use of Generative AI in which the party must disclose and certify: (a) The specific AI tool that was used; (b) The portions of the filing prepared by the AI program; and, (c) That a person has checked the accuracy of any portion of the document generated by AI, including all citations and legal authority.'
- 'Failure to comply with this Order may result in sanctions.'
- All parties and counsel are directed to review the conclusions on pages 15 and 16 of the Joint Formal Opinion of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and Philadelphia Bar Association regarding the use of artificial intelligence (Joint Formal Opinion 2024-200).
Practice areas: federal civil
What the order requires
Section 8 of the Initial Procedural Order that Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr. enters at the outset of cases before him, “Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence,” notes the risk “that the generative AI tool might generate legally or factually incorrect information, or that it might create unsupported or nonexistent legal citations.” It then provides that any party, “whether appearing pro se or through counsel, who utilizes any generative AI tool in the preparation of any document to be filed in any matter pending before the Undersigned, must include with the documents a Certificate of Use of Generative AI in which the party must disclose and certify: (a) The specific AI tool that was used; (b) The portions of the filing prepared by the AI program; and, (c) That a person has checked the accuracy of any portion of the document generated by AI, including all citations and legal authority.”
“Failure to comply with this Order may result in sanctions.” All parties and counsel are also directed to review “the conclusions on pages 15 and 16 of the Joint Formal Opinion of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and Philadelphia Bar Association regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence,” which is Pennsylvania Bar Association and Philadelphia Bar Association Joint Formal Opinion 2024-200, Ethical Issues Regarding the Use of Artificial Intelligence. Pages 15 and 16 of that opinion set out its guidance and best practices for lawyers using AI.
The same section appears in the orders in Young v. Daniel Boone Area School District, No. 5:24-cv-4729, ECF 2 (E.D. Pa. Sept. 10, 2024), the earliest read, Garcia Ledesma v. DHS, No. 5:26-cv-1186, ECF 5 (E.D. Pa. Feb. 25, 2026), and Dovberg v. Haller Enterprises, No. 5:26-cv-4286, ECF 5 (E.D. Pa. June 23, 2026).
Primary source
- Initial Procedural Order, Young v. Daniel Boone Area School District, No. 5:24-cv-4729, ECF 2 (CourtListener RECAP)
- Initial Procedural Order, Garcia Ledesma v. DHS, No. 5:26-cv-1186, ECF 5 (CourtListener RECAP)
- Initial Procedural Order, Dovberg v. Haller Enterprises, No. 5:26-cv-4286, ECF 5 (CourtListener RECAP)