S.D. Tex. (Laredo Division): Court Procedures in Criminal Cases, Section 7: Use of Genera…
Judge John A. Kazen · U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Verified May 7, 2026
- Citation
- Court Procedures in Criminal Cases, Section 7: Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Judge John A. Kazen)
- Order date
- June 23, 2025
Summary
Attorneys and self-represented litigants must ensure that any filing prepared with the assistance of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Harvey.AI, or similar tools) is thoroughly reviewed for factual and legal accuracy prior to submission.
What does the order require?
- Attorneys and self-represented litigants must ensure that any filing prepared with the assistance of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Harvey.AI, or similar tools) is thoroughly reviewed for factual and legal accuracy prior to submission.
- The Court will hold attorneys and self-represented litigants fully accountable for all content submitted under their name or signature, regardless of whether it was drafted in part by generative AI.
- The Court will exercise its inherent authority to sanction conduct that abuses the judicial process, including reliance on inaccurate or frivolous AI-generated content. The Court will not accept the excuse that such content was prepared by AI, staff, or others when assessing potential sanctions.
- Attorneys are reminded of their professional obligations under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, including the duty of candor to the tribunal (Rule 3.03(a)) and the duty of competence including technology proficiency (Rule 1.01, cmt. 8).
- The Court adopts and incorporates by reference Chief Judge Randy Crane's General Order 2025-04 on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Court Filings.
Practice areas: federal criminal
What the procedures require
Section 7 of Judge John A. Kazen’s Court Procedures in Criminal Cases (updated June 23, 2025) governs the use of generative AI in filings before chambers. The procedures apply alongside the S.D. Texas Local Rules and require strict compliance.
The operative requirements:
- Attorneys and self-represented litigants must thoroughly review any filing prepared with generative AI for factual and legal accuracy before submission.
- The Court holds filers fully accountable for content under their signature, regardless of AI involvement, and will not accept “AI prepared it” as a sanctions excuse.
- The Court will exercise inherent authority to sanction conduct abusing the judicial process, including reliance on inaccurate or frivolous AI-generated content, citing In re Goode, 821 F.3d 553, 559 (5th Cir. 2016).
- Attorneys are reminded of Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, particularly Rule 3.03(a) (candor to the tribunal) and Rule 1.01 cmt. 8 (technology competence).
- The procedures expressly adopt and incorporate Chief Judge Randy Crane’s S.D. Texas General Order 2025-04 (May 7, 2025) on generative AI in court filings.
How this differs from the chambers-only standing-order template
Most chambers AI orders surveyed for this tracker either require disclosure (Baylson, Cisneros, Kang) or impose certifications (Starr, Kacsmaryk, the Texas state-district orders). Judge Kazen’s procedures take a Rule 11/inherent-authority approach: no mandatory disclosure or certification block, but explicit notice that AI involvement does not insulate counsel from sanctions, and inherent-authority enforcement is on the table.
The cross-reference to GO 2025-04 means S.D. Texas practitioners should treat the court-wide order as the floor and Judge Kazen’s procedures as the chambers-specific overlay for criminal matters in the Laredo Division.
Scope
Criminal cases assigned to Judge Kazen (Laredo Division). Civil matters before Judge Kazen are not addressed by these criminal procedures; check the corresponding civil procedures or the local rules for civil filings.
Primary source
Court Procedures in Criminal Cases (PDF, updated June 23, 2025): https://www.txs.uscourts.gov/sites/txs/files/Crim_Court_Rules_JAK_June_2025.pdf
S.D. Tex. General Order 2025-04 (incorporated by reference): https://www.txs.uscourts.gov/sites/txs/files/general-orders/General_Order_2025-04_Use_of_Generative_AI_in_Court_Filings.pdf