Texas (30th Judicial District: Wichita County): Standing Order Regarding Use of Artificia…
Judge Jeff McKnight · 30th District Court of Wichita County, Texas
Verified May 7, 2026
- Citation
- Standing Order Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence (30th District)
- Order date
- March 26, 2024
Summary
All self-represented litigants and attorneys who utilize any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting must, before using any AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the attached form as an attachment to each pleading generated using AI.
What does the order require?
- All self-represented litigants and attorneys who utilize any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting must, before using any AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the attached form as an attachment to each pleading generated using AI.
- The certification states that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments, and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate through traditional (non-AI) legal sources before submission.
- The certification states that the signer understands and acknowledges they are and will be held responsible, and potentially sanctioned, for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply.
- All individuals entering the courtroom or court offices are prohibited from recording any activities, conversations, or other events occurring in the courtroom or court offices.
- The use of artificial intelligence is prohibited in the courtroom or in court offices.
- The use of artificial intelligence to record, listen to, or transcribe any activity in the courtroom or court office is strictly prohibited.
- Failure to comply may result in sanctions under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 10, the inherent power of the Court, or for contempt of court.
Practice areas: state civil
What the order requires
Judge Jeff McKnight of the 30th District Court of Wichita County signed this standing order on March 26, 2024 (filed for record at 3:07 PM the same day). It applies to every pending or hereafter filed case in the 30th District Court of Wichita County, Texas.
The order has two operative parts. First, before using any AI-generated information in a court submission, attorneys and self-represented litigants must sign and submit the attached certification form as an attachment to each pleading generated using AI. The certification covers language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments, and legal analysis, and verification must be done through traditional (non-AI) legal sources.
Second, the order prohibits the use of artificial intelligence in the courtroom or court offices. AI cannot be used to record, listen to, or transcribe any activity in the courtroom or court office, and recording by any means in the courtroom, court offices, or hallways near their entrances is also prohibited.
Scope
The order binds attorneys and self-represented litigants in matters before the 30th District Court of Wichita County, Texas. It is one of three substantively identical Wichita County standing orders, signed within days of each other (30th, 78th, 89th Districts) and collected as a single PDF on the Texas Local Rules portal (file 1866).
Practitioner workflow
Brief templates for matters in the 30th District should include the certification form when AI was used in legal research or drafting. The certification is required for each pleading generated using AI, not as a one-time per-case filing. Firms should advise staff and witnesses that AI-enabled devices used to listen to or transcribe proceedings are prohibited inside the courtroom and court offices.
Primary source
Standing order PDF (multi-judge document covering 30th, 78th, and 89th Districts): https://topics.txcourts.gov/LocalRulesPublic/PreviewAttachment/1866