Georgia Supreme Court Prosecutor Used AI To Cite Unrelated Cases, Now Gets Suspended

Clayton County assistant district attorney faced suspension after an order from the Georgia Supreme Court. The prosecutor was accused of repeatedly using artificial intelligence software to generate citations in her court filings.

The attorney referred to inaccurate and fictitious cases that had no link or relevance to the case at hand. The grave error came to light during a suspect’s wrongful conviction for the murder of a man.

The murder conviction of 25-year-old Hannah Payne for the 2019 killing of Kenneth Herring first brought to light the missteps within the legal framework. The suspect was sentenced to life in prison, with parole eligibility after 43 years of imprisonment. Payne appealed both the conviction and sentence, citing ineffective assistance of counsel.

When the appeal finally reached the Supreme Court, deficient filings during oral arguments were noticed. It prompted the court to order an explanation from the state.

Assistant District Attorney Deborah Leslie provided the requested explanations through a brief affidavit. The document was found to be incorrect, and the prosecutor admitted using AI to draft the reply briefs on behalf of the state. She even used the same tool to prepare the order that initially denied Payne’s motion for a new trial.

In the wake of the alarming inconsistency carried out by Attorney Leslie, the Supreme Court issued an 8-page opinion. It claimed that the use of AI software by the prosecutor generated a brief citation with references to cases that do not exist or do not stand for the proposition of Payne’s case.

The court opinion further stated, “In an order largely prepared by ADA Leslie, the trial court denied Payne's motion for a new trial. That order contained citations to non-existent cases and cases that do not stand for the proposition asserted in the order. In response to Payne's appeal, ADA Leslie once again cited cases that do not stand for the proposition asserted.”

Given the mistake she has committed in the handling of the case, ADA Leslie and the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office were formally admonished by the Supreme Court. Besides, the prosecutor has been individually suspended from practicing law for the next six months.

The court further has articulated that in order for Leslie to return to practice, she must reevaluate herself. It includes completing an additional 12 hours of legal education, which would allow her to focus on the proper use of artificial intelligence that is used within the legal fraternity.

Justice Benjamin A. Land berated ADA Leslie and her office for demonstrating an unbelievably low level of work. He further flagged the necessity of reevaluating previous filings of such nature and determining their accuracy.

On the other hand, Payne’s case is set to take a new turn as the trial court must decide and issue a verdict of its own. The previous order, which had denied her motion for a new trial, has, however, been pulled down.