2026 All hail the robot judge! The ethics of AI-assisted judicial rulings

Should judges delegate decision-making to algorithms, and when does lawyer reliance on AI cross from efficiency into abdication of professional responsibility? Professional legal educator Stuart Teicher, Esq. (known as The CLE Performer) examines the promise and peril of AI in judicial decision-making, from data-driven sentencing recommendations that reduce bias to black box systems that eliminate human judgment entirely. This program explores when AI assistance enhances justice versus when it undermines due process, how lawyers must balance technological efficiency with independent analysis, and whether the legal system can maintain its essential humanity while embracing algorithmic tools.

Learning objectives:

• Evaluate when AI-assisted decision-making violates Rule 2.1's requirement for independent professional judgment versus when it enhances competent representation.
• Identify circumstances under Rule 1.1 where algorithmic tools provide superior accuracy versus situations requiring irreplaceable human judgment and discretion.
• Analyze Rule 3.3 obligations when AI outputs influence tribunal decisions, balancing efficiency benefits against candor and fairness concerns.

Speaker: Stuart Teicher, The CLE Performer

Opinions and positions stated by presenters of MoBarCLE programs are those of the presenters and not necessarily those of The Missouri Bar. This program is intended as information for lawyers in Missouri, in conjunction with other research they deem necessary, in the exercise of their independent judgment.