Texas (24th, 135th, 267th and 377th Judicial Districts: Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson…

What the order requires

The district judges serving Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Refugio and Victoria Counties signed a joint Standing Order Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence on May 1, 2026. It “applies to every pending or hereafter filed case in the District Courts of the named counties.”

The order’s premise is that generative AI systems “are being incorporated into common professional use” but are “currently unreliable, prone to bias, and may fabricate information,” and that their creators “are not attorneys of record, licensed and in good standing to practice law in the State of Texas.”

Its operative paragraph: “All self-represented litigants and attorneys who utilize any form of artificial intelligence for legal research, drafting, or analysis in connection with a case before this Court shall, before using any AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the attached certification form, stating that:

1. All language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments, and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative artificial intelligence were, before submission, verified as accurate through traditional (non-AI) legal sources by a human being; and
2. The self-represented litigant or attorney submitting such information understands and acknowledges that they are and will be held responsible and potentially sanctioned for their own, their staff’s, or their co-counsel’s failure to comply with this Order.”

Two features that set it apart

Research counts. The trigger is AI use “for legal research, drafting, or analysis,” so a filer who used an AI research tool without drafting any text with it still signs the form.

Verification against non-AI sources. The certification requires checking through “traditional (non-AI) legal sources by a human being.” By its terms, checking one AI tool’s output with another AI tool is not what the order describes.

The certification form

Exhibit A is a captioned form in which the filer certifies having reviewed the order, the human verification of AI-contributed content, and personal responsibility, acknowledging possible sanctions “under the Texas Disciplinary rules of Professional Conduct, the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 10, the inherent power of the Court, or for contempt of court.”

Scope

The order covers the district courts of the six counties (the 24th, 135th, 267th and 377th Judicial Districts). It “remains in effect until rescinded or replaced” by those courts.

Primary source

Standing Order Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence, file-stamped copy, Calhoun County District Clerk (PDF)

File-stamped copy, DeWitt County District Clerk (PDF)

Copy posted by Victoria County (PDF)

Copy on the OCA local-rules portal (PDF)

Further portal copies: Refugio, Calhoun, Jackson and Goliad Counties