Judges and Judiciary
Sep. 3, 2026
The thinking judge cannot be automated
Judges may use AI as a tool, but they must personally read the key pleadings and evidence, evaluate the law and credibility, and reason through and write the essential parts of their decisions to preserve independent human judgment in the justice system.
John J. Kralik
Judge (ret.)
University of Michigan Law School, 1979
John J. Kralik has been a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court for sixteen years. He is the author of "A Simple Act of Gratitude," a memoir, and "Three Bodies by the River," a novel. For further information, see www.johnjkralik.com.
In my last article, I addressed the inflection point the future presses upon us: There will soon be, or there already is, a program that can read the briefs, summarize the facts, read the law and provide a draft of a judicial decision. We are at the point where a computer can arguably do the job of a judge.
The debate is hardly j...
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