Williamson County, Texas (District Courts and County Courts at Law): Williamson County Di…
Adopted by the judges of the District Courts and County Courts at Law of Williamson County · District Courts and County Courts at Law of Williamson County, Texas
Verified October 1, 2026
- Citation
- Williamson County District Courts and County Courts at Law Local Rule I.J (Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Court Filings)
- Order date
- April 30, 2024
Summary
Local Rule I.J: 'all self-represented litigants and attorneys who utilize any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in connection with a case shall, before using any AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, ensure that such information is accurate and correctly portrayed to the court, and shall sign and submit the Certificate Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence (Exhibit A) and attach it to any filing where AI-generated information is used.'
What does the order require?
- Local Rule I.J: 'all self-represented litigants and attorneys who utilize any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in connection with a case shall, before using any AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, ensure that such information is accurate and correctly portrayed to the court, and shall sign and submit the Certificate Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence (Exhibit A) and attach it to any filing where AI-generated information is used.'
- The Exhibit A certification states that all information created or contributed to by generative AI 'was before submission to this Court verified as accurate using traditional (non-AI) legal sources', and acknowledges possible sanctions under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, Chapter 10 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, the court's inherent power, or contempt.
- 'Failure to comply with this Local Rule may result in an order to show cause and could subject a party to the court's inherent power to sanction parties for violation of rules, orders, standing orders, and statutory obligations.'
Practice areas: state civil, state criminal, state family
What the rule requires
Part I.J of the Local Rules of the District Courts and County Courts at Law of Williamson County (approved Apr. 30, 2024), “Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Court Filings,” notes that generative AI systems are “currently unreliable and prone to bias, and often fabricates information,” and provides that “all self-represented litigants and attorneys who utilize any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in connection with a case shall, before using any AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, ensure that such information is accurate and correctly portrayed to the court, and shall sign and submit the Certificate Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence (Exhibit A) and attach it to any filing where AI-generated information is used.”
The Exhibit A certificate states that all information created or contributed to by generative AI was verified as accurate before submission “using traditional (non-AI) legal sources,” and acknowledges possible sanctions under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, Chapter 10 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, the court’s inherent power, or contempt. Under the rule, “Failure to comply with this Local Rule may result in an order to show cause and could subject a party to the court’s inherent power to sanction parties.”
Posting
The local rules “were approved at a meeting of the judges of the District Courts and the County Courts at Law on April 30, 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 the rules as posted May 9, 2024, and lists the same file again as posted April 14, 2026.