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State Bar of Michigan Judicial Ethics Opinion JI-155: judicial use of artificial intelligence

State Bar of Michigan, Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics · Michigan

last revised 2023-10-27last verified 2026-09-041 versioncountry page →

Ethics opinionIn forceCompetenceSupervisionDisclosure

map categories:Judges' use of AITechnological competenceCourts' own AI deployment

Unverified: we have not yet opened the official document at the linked address. The record is listed for completeness and excluded from search indexes until confirmed.

One of the earliest US judicial ethics opinions on AI. JI-155 treats technology competence as an ethical duty, requires judges to assess algorithmic bias before relying on AI, to document AI use in their reasoning on the record, and to keep decision-making human, with due-process concerns where AI is opaque.

Applies to
judges
Effective
See version history
Current version
JI-155 · 27 Oct 2023
Last verified
04 Sept 2026
Official text
www.michbar.org/opinions/ethics/numbered_opinions/JI-155

What the document requires

  • Technology competence is an ethical responsibility for all attorneys in Michigan
  • Judges must assess potential algorithmic bias before relying on AI tools
  • Judges must document their reasoning when using AI on the record
  • Judges must distinguish between AI informing a decision and AI deciding a matter
  • Judges must recognise due-process obligations where AI tools lack transparency

Version history

VersionDateWhat changedSource
JI-155current2023-10-27Approved 27 October 2023; published 8 November 2023official

Sources

Cite this record

SafeLegalAI Legal AI Regulation Tracker, "State Bar of Michigan Judicial Ethics Opinion JI-155: judicial use of artificial intelligence" (State Bar of Michigan, Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics, JI-155, 2023-10-27), safelegalai.com/regulation/us-state/us-mi-judicial-ethics-opinion-ji-155 (accessed 2026-09-04). Data: CC BY 4.0.

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