Falls and Robertson Counties, Texas (82nd Judicial District Court): Amendment to the Rule…
Judge Bryan Russ, Jr. · 82nd Judicial District Court of Texas (Falls and Robertson Counties)
Verified October 1, 2026
- Citation
- Amendment to the Rules of Procedure and Practice in the 82nd District Court, Section VII (Artificial Intelligence) (Falls and Robertson Counties, Texas)
- Order date
- August 21, 2024
Summary
Section VII, 'Artificial Intelligence': 'The use of artificial intelligence, in any form, is prohibited in the 82nd Judicial District without a prior order of the Court granting and authorizing the use of such devices.'
What does the order require?
- Section VII, 'Artificial Intelligence': 'The use of artificial intelligence, in any form, is prohibited in the 82nd Judicial District without a prior order of the Court granting and authorizing the use of such devices.'
- The amendment replaces the rules' former Section VII (General Provisions, renumbered Section X), adds Sections VIII (no trials by Zoom) and IX (telephone appearances in Department of Family and Protective Services cases), and is 'effective September 1, 2024.'
- Under the general provisions, 'The Judge may enforce these rules using legal and equitable remedies which are both statutorily and inherently within the province of the Court.'
Practice areas: state civil, state criminal, state family
What the rule provides
Judge Bryan Russ, Jr. amended the Rules of Procedure and Practice in the 82nd District Court (Falls and Robertson Counties), effective September 1, 2024, to add a section headed “VII. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.” It reads in full:
The use of artificial intelligence, in any form, is prohibited in the 82nd Judicial District without a prior order of the Court granting and authorizing the use of such devices.
The rule requires no disclosure or certification; it requires a prior court order for any use.
Where it sits in the rules
The AI rule replaces the rules’ former Section VII (General Provisions, renumbered Section X). It stands as its own section, apart from Section VI, “Courtroom Decorum,” which contains the rules on cell phones and on weapons, firearms and recording equipment. The same amendment added a Section VIII barring trials by Zoom and a Section IX on telephone appearances in Department of Family and Protective Services cases. The rule does not say whether “such devices” limits it to AI tools used in the courtroom or whether it also reaches AI used to prepare filings; read literally, “in any form” covers both. Firms with matters in the 82nd District may wish to consider seeking the court’s order before using AI tools in preparing filings, given the rule’s breadth.
Under the rules’ general provisions, “The Judge may enforce these rules using legal and equitable remedies which are both statutorily and inherently within the province of the Court.”
Posting
The amendment was filed with the district clerks of Robertson and Falls Counties on August 21, 2024. Under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 3a(c), “To be effective, local rules, forms, and standing orders must be published on the Office of Court Administration’s website.” The OCA local-rules portal lists both counties’ copies as posted August 21, 2024.