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ArtificialIntelligence,LegalChange,andSeparationofPowers
AndrewC.Michaels* Somecontemporarylegalacademicliteraturehasbeenarguing,invarious
forms,thatreplacinghumanmadelawwithartificialintelligencewillorshould
happen.Thisessaydisagrees,andexaminesanumberofconcernsthatarenot
adequatelyaddressedintheliterature.Inshort,proposalstoautomatelawboth
underappreciateandundervaluethehumanaspectsoflaw.
First,thisessaywilldiscusstheproperroleofcourtsinlegalchange,thatis,
indevelopingthelawandadaptingittoaconstantlychangingsociety.Inour
currentsystem,courtsdomorethansimplyapplythelaw,theyalsoinarealsense
makelaw,thoughtheydosoinaslowerandmoremeasuredwaythanlegislatures.
Thatis,theymakelawasthoughtheywerefindingit.Theymustbalancerespectfor
precedentandstabilityagainsttheneedforlawtoadaptthroughadjudication.How
wouldthisworkinasystemofautomatedlaw?Canrobotsreallysuccessfully
balancethevaluesofstabilityandchangeinthewaythatjudgesdo?
Second,byclaimingthatmachinedecisionswouldbemoreconsistently
“accurate”theargumentforrobotjudgesseemsinherentlyformalisticandseemsto
overlooktheteachingsoflegalrealism,specificallythepointthatnoteverycasehas
alegallybestorrightanswer.Judgessometimesmustchoosebetween
incommensurablevalues.Consistencymaybeovervalued,asthedifferencesof
opinionthatarisebetweenjudgesmayhelpfleshoutdebatesaboutwhatisthebest
laworpolicy.Onceitisfullyacknowledgedthatatleastpartofjudginginvolves
makingpolicyandvaluejudgments,theargumentforturningsuchdecisionsoverto
machinesbecomesamoredifficultonetomake.
*AssistantProfessorofLaw,UniversityofHoustonLawCenter.Theauthorthanksthosewhohaveprovidedhelpfulcomments,includingthosewhoparticipatedinthe2019SouthEasternAssociationofLawSchoolsNewScholarsWorkshop,aswellastheFall2019IPColloquiumatBYULawSchool.
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Third,theliteraturearguingforartificiallyintelligentlawseems
astonishinglyshortsighted,overlookingcertainpossiblelongtermeffects.Without
humanjudges,wecouldeventuallylosethecommunityoflegalexpertspaying
attentiontothelaw.Thatis,wewillhavereplacedlegalthoughtwithartificiallegal
thought.Thiswilllikelyhinderourabilitytoadjustthelawtochangingsocietal
circumstances.Itwouldalsomakesocietyasawholelessawareofthelaw,simply
obeyingtheauthorityoftheblackboxlawmachines.Withoutacommunityof
peoplepayingattentiontoandthinkingaboutthelaw,thelawcouldbecomemore
susceptibletobeingco-opted.
Fourth,thisessaywilllookattheeffectsofautomatedlawonseparationof
powers.Wouldautomatedcourtsbeabletoprovideasufficientcheckontheother
twobranchesastheyaresupposedtoinoursystemofseparationofpowers?
WouldtheyrunafouloftheArticleIIIcaseorcontroversyrequirement?Although
automationmaybemoreappropriateinagencyadjudicationorinotheraspectsof
theexecutivebranch,Iarguethatitisinappropriateinthejudiciary.
Myargumenthereisprimarilyagainstreplacingtheactualdecision-making
ofthejudicialbranchwithartificialintelligence.IamnotopposingusingAIasatool
toaidinresearchoranAIstaffattorney.1NoramIopposedtoAIintheprivate
sector,say,formedicalpurposes,2orevensomeAIlawyerstotheextenttheyare
effectivewithhumanjudges.3NoramIevenarguinghereagainsttheuseofAIfor
decision-makinginadministrativeagenciesoftheexecutivebranch.4Replacingthe
judicialbranchdecision-makers,i.e.,ArticleIIIjudges,withartificialintelligence
strikesmeasparticularlyproblematic,sothatiswhatIfocusonhere.
1SeeEugeneVolokh,ChiefJusticeRobots,68DUKEL.J.1135,1148(2019).2Cf.JasonChungandAmandaZink,HeyWatson,CanISueYouforMalpractice?ExaminingtheLiabilityofArtificialIntelligenceinMedicine,ASIA-PACIFICJ.HLTHL.,POL’YÐICS(2017)(availableat:https://ssrn.com/abstract=3076576)3ThoughaslongaswehavehumanjudgesasIargueweshould,itseemsclearthattherewillbeaneedforatleastsomehumanlawyers.4SeePartV,infra.
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PartIwillbrieflyintroducetheargumentsthatsomecontemporaryscholars
makeinfavorofreplacinglawwithartificialintelligenceandoffersomepreliminary
responsesandthoughts.PartsII-Vwillthentrackthefourmajorresponsessetforth
above.Thisessaywillthenbreiflyconcludebyconsideringsomeofthepotential
benefitsofartificialjudgesorartificiallaw,andsomealternativewaysinwhichsuch
benefitscouldbeachieved.
I–TheArgumentsforArtificialLaw
Inhisrecentessay,ChiefJusticeRobots,EugeneVolokharguesthatifAI
technologyreachesthepointwhereitcan“createpersuasiveopinions,capableof
regularlywinningopinion-writingcompetitionsagainsthumanjudges,”then“we
shouldinprincipleacceptitasajudge.”5AsVolokhrecognizes,thisisa“thought
experiment,”asAItechnologyiscurrentlyfarfromthispoint.6Nevertheless,sucha
thoughtexperimentcanprovokeimportantdiscussionsabouttheproperroleof
humansversusartificialintelligenceinourlaw.Thus,althoughIdisagreewith
Volokh’smainconclusions,Iamgratefulforhisposingthethoughtexperiment.
Volokh’sargumentthatweshouldreplacejudgeswithrobotsiscontingent
ontherobotspassingwhathecallsthe“ModifiedJohnHenryTest,”anopinion
writingcompetitionwherein“acomputerprogramisarrayedagainst,say,ten
averageperformers”inthegivenfield,andif“thecomputerperformsatleastaswell
astheaverageperformer,”thenitpassesthetestandisan“adequatesubstitutefor
humans.”7Whethertheprogrampassesthetestisdeterminedby“apanelof,say,
tenhumanjudgeswhoareknowntobeexpertsinthesubject,”whomust“evaluate
everyone’sperformancewithoutknowingwhichparticipantisacomputerand
5Volokh,supra,68DUKEL.J.at1135(asidefromcreatingpersuasiveopinions,asecondconditionisthatthesoftwaremust“beadequatelyprotectedagainsthackingandsimilarattacks”).6Id.at1137.7Id.at1138-39.
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whichisahuman.”8Thispanelofexpertswillbehereinreferredtoasthe
“evaluators,”asinVolokh’sessay.Oneobviousquestionishowdowechoosethese
evaluators,andwhyshouldwebemoreconfidentinourchoiceofapanelof
evaluatorsthanweareinourchoiceofjudges?
AccordingtoVolokh,“prospectiveAISupremeCourtJusticesshouldbe
measuredagainstthequalityofaveragecandidatesforthejob–generally
experienced,respectedappellatejudges.”9Volokh’scriterionforevaluationis
“persuasiveness,”thatis,“iftheHenryTestevaluatorpanelistsarepersuadedbythe
argumentfor”theAIjudge’schosenresult.IfanAIcomputerprogramcan
consistentlypassthistest,Volokharguesthatweshouldadoptit,becauseitis
“likelytobemuchcheaper,quicker,andlesssubjecttocertainformsofbias,”thus
makingthelegalsystem“notonlymoreefficientbutalsofairerandmoreaccessible
topoorandmiddle-classlitigants.”10
Othershaverecentlymadesimilararguments.Forexample,AzizHuq,ina
forthcomingarticlecalled“ARighttoaHumanDecision,”arguesthatthereisno
suchright,andthatinsteadallwedoorshouldhaveis“arighttoawell-calibrated
machinedecision.”11Butwhodecideswhetherthemachinedecisioniswell
calibrated?Andifonewantstoarguethatthemachinedecisionisnotwell-
calibrated,whoexactlywouldonemakesuchargumentsto?
Inthesamevein,AnthonyCaseyandAnthonyNibletthavepredictedthatlike
self-drivingcars,“laws,too,willbeself-driving,”12andthatadvancesinartificial
intelligenceandcommunicationstechnologywill“beabletoidentifytherules
applicabletoanactualsituationandinformtheregulatedactorexactlyhowto
8Id.at1139.9Id.at1140.10Id.11AzizZ.Huq,ARighttoaHumanDecision,105VA.L.REV._(forthcoming2020).12AnthonyJ.Casey&AnthonyNiblett,Self-DrivingLaws,66U.TORONTOL.J.429,442(2016).
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comply”suchthat“microdirectiveswillbecomethedominantformoflaw[.]”13They
predictthat“opportunitiesforstatutoryinterpretationandfillingthegapsinvague
standardswilldryupascitizensaresimplyinstructedtoobeysimpledirectives.”14
CaseyandNibletthavearguedmorerecentlythat,inorderforthisautomationand
personalizationoflaw“towork,lawmakersmustknowandpreciselystatethe
objectiveoflawupfrontinawaythathasneverbeforebeenrequired.”15Thisseems
toignoreordevaluetherolethatthejudiciarynecessarilyplaysinshapingthelaw
andadaptingittounforeseensituations.
Theideaofthesescholarsseemstobethatoncewedevelopthemachines,
wecanjustentertheobjectivesthenstopthinkingaboutorpayingattentiontothe
law.Thisseemstometoshowtoomuchfaithinthemachines.Justaswhenoneis
usingGPSnavigationtheydonotlearntheirwayaround,16onceweturnlawoverto
machinesweasasocietymayforgethowtothinkaboutlaw.Evenifthemachines
areworkinginitially,thereisnoguaranteethatsomethingwon’teventuallygo
wrong.Tothecontrary,itseemswecanbefairlycertainthatsomethingeventually
willgowrong.Butifwehavelostourabilityto“dolaw”asasociety,thenwemay
havelostourabilitytoadaptwhenproblemsarise.Therearesomeotherproblems
13AnthonyJ.Casey&AnthonyNiblett,TheDeathofRulesandStandards,92IND.L.J.1401,1404 (2017). CaseyandNiblett strangely frame their argumentaspositiveratherthannormative,eventhoughtheyseemtocelebratethesechangesthattheypredict,andeventhoughthereisnoreasonthatthesechangesmustoccur.Seeid.at1405(“Ouranalysisispositiveratherthannormative.”).Ihavepreviouslycriticizedthisdeterministic aspect of theirworkand sowill not rehash the issuehere. SeeAndrewC.Michaels,AbstractInnovation,VirtualIdeas,andArtificialLegalThought,14MAR.J.BUS.&TECH.L.1,25(2019).14Casey&Niblett,92IND.L.J.at1435(emphasisadded).15AnthonyJ.Casey&AnthonyNiblett,AFrameworkfortheNewPersonalizationofLaw(September2018).16See,e.g.,JosephStromberg,IsGPSruiningourabilitytonavigateforourselves?,VOX(Sept.2,2015,11:31AM),availableathttps://www.vox.com/2015/9/2/9242049/gps-maps-navigation(“wehavegoodreasontobelievethatwhenweblindlyfollowGPSfordirection,we’renotexercisingcrucialnavigationalskills–andmanyofthescientistswhostudyhowthehumanbrainnavigatesareconcerned”).
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withreducingthecitizenrytoamassofunthinkinglemmingssimplyobeying
machines,whichwillbeexploredfurtherbelow.
II–LegalChange
OneproblemwiththeargumentthatVolokhandothersmakeisthatit
inadequatelyaccountsfortheroleofthejudiciaryinlegalchange.Volokhdoes
recognizethat“[l]awdevelopment–whethercommonlawdevelopment,
constitutionallawdevelopment,orinterpretivedevelopmentaboutstatues–often
requiresprediction:Wouldaproposedlegalruledomoregoodorharm?”17Butin
hisview,“wehumansdon’tsetthebarveryhigh,”so“AIsdon’tneedtohaveperfect
clairvoyanceorlegalstatesmanship”tobeatus.18AccordingtoVolokh,“successin
theHenryTestwillbethebestmeasureofjudicialquality,”thatis,“[i]fthe
evaluatorsarepersuadedbytheAIjudge’sprediction-basedargumentsmorethan
bythehumanjudges’arguments,whyshouldwedoubttheAIjudge’sabilitiesmore
thanwedoubtthehumanjudges’abilities?”19
Volokh’sargumentseemstobethatiftheAIjudgecanpersuadeaparticular
panelofevaluatorsataparticularpointintimethatitisbetteratwritingopinions
thanhumans,weshouldturnoverthereignsoflegalchangetoAI.Butwhatis
persuasiveatonepointintimeisnotnecessarilypersuasivelateron,asthefactual
realitiesandmoralvaluesofsocietyshift.Also,nomatterhowmany“testcases”the
evaluatorslookat,theywillneveradequatelyencompassthefullrangeofpossible
factsituationsthatcouldandwillarise.Volokh’sargumentdoesnotadequately
considerthecollaborativeandcontinuousaspects,oflegalchange,andthebenefits
tosocietyoftheprocessitself.Toexplain,amoreindepthdiscussionoftheroleof
judgesinlegalchangeisinorder.
17Volokh,68DUKEL.J.at1183.18Id.at1184.19Id.
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Althoughwrittenalmostacenturyago,BenjaminCardozo’sTheGrowthof
LawhasagooddealofrelevancetoVolokh’sthoughtexperiment.Respondingto
someagitationforamorerigidconceptionofstaredecisis,thenJudge(laterJustice)
Cardozosetforthapersuasiveexplicationanddefenseofthejudicialroleinlegal
development.20AccordingtoJudgeCardozo,legislationaloneisnotasufficient
agencyoflegalgrowth,because“[u]niquesituationscanneverhavetheiranswers
readymadeasinthecompleteletter-writingguidesorthemanualsoftheartof
conversation.”21Thatis,situationsthatthelegislature(orthepriorprecedent
writingcourt)didnotanticipateexantewillinevitablyarise,anditisthejobofthe
courtstograduallyadjustthelawexpostonacase-by-casebasis.22AsJudge
Friendlyhasexplained,it“isimpossibleforthelegislatortoforeseeeverything,”and
“acode,howevercompleteitmayappear,isnosoonerpromulgatedthanathousand
unexpectedquestionsarepresentedtothejudge.”23
Thisispartofwhyprecedentialholdingsarenot(andshouldnotbe)rigidly
setinstone,butrathercan(andshould)begraduallyshapedbysubsequent
decisions,inlightofchangingcircumstancesandnewinformation.24Evenlower
courts“narrowambiguousprecedentsthathavebecomeoutdatedinlightofnew
20SeeBENJAMINN.CARDOZO,THEGROWTHOFTHELAW132-133(1924)(“Staredecisisisnotintheconstitution,butIshouldbehalfreadytoputitthere,andtoaddtheretotherequirementofmechanicalandliteralreproduction,ifonlyitweretruethatlegislationisasufficientagencyofgrowth.Thecenturies,iftheyhaveprovedanything,haveprovedtheneedofsomethingmore.”).21Id.at133.22Id.(“Justiceisnottobetakenbystorm.Sheistobewooedbyslowadvances.”).23HenryJ.Friendly,ReactionsofaLawyer–NewlyBecomeJudge,71YALEL.J.218,220(1961).24SeeAndrewC.Michaels,TheHolding-DictumSpectrum,70ARK.L.REV.661,679(2017)(“generalizationswillnotalwaysbeperfect;thecourtscannotbeexpectedtoforeseeorfullyconsiderallpotentialfactsituationsfallingwithinthegeneralizationsthattheynecessarilymake”);CARDOZO,supra,at138(“Theruleasannouncedmustbedeemedtentative.Forthemanyandvaryingfactstowhichitwillbeappliedcannotbeforeseen.”);ITHIELDESOLAPOOL,TECHNOLOGIESOFFREEDOM161(1983)(“sinceprecedentisthestyleofAnglo-Saxonlaw,thecourtsdefineanewtechnologyasaspecialcaseofafamiliarone”).
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eventsortechnologies.”25AsJudgeCardozoputit:“adaptionofruleorprincipleto
changingcombinationsofeventsdemandsthecreativeactionofthejudge.”26
Thefactthatjudgeshelpshapethelawsupportsthenotionthatweare
governingourselvesthroughruleoflaw,ratherthanbeingcommandedbysome
pureassertionofauthority.27Theprimarypurposeoflegalargumentthrough
briefingandoralpresentationtoahumanjudgeisthatitprovidestheopportunity
topersuadethejudge,andthuspotentiallyindoingsoshapethelaw,totheextent
thattheopinionrenderedisprecedential.Assuch,itisnotonlyjudgesthat
currentlyshapeourlaw,butalsolitigants,acting(usually)throughlawyers.
Volokh’sargumentfocusesontheAIrobotjudge’sabilitytowritea
persuasiveopinion,28topersuadereaders,butitsaysalmostnothingabout,and
thusseemstooverlooktheimportanceof,theabilityofthejudgetobepersuaded.
Indeed,Volokh’sconceptionofanAIjudgeseemstorenderpersuasiveargumentby
litigantsmoreorlessunnecessary.29LikeVolokh,Huqsimilarlydownplaysthe
possibilityofthelawbeinginfluencedbypersuasiveargument,seemingtoimply
thatithappenssorarelythatitisn’tworthworryingabout.30
25RichardRe,NarrowingSupremeCourtPrecedentfromBelow,104GEO.L.J.921,925(2016).26CARDOZO,supra,at135.27Cf.id.at138(“Thispowerofcreation,ifitistobeexercisedwithvisionandunderstanding,exactsaphilosophyoflaw,atheoryofitsgenesisandgrowthandaim.Onlythusshallwebesavedfromtheempiricismwhichfindsinanopinionnotaprophecytoinspire,butacommandtobeobeyed.”);FrederickSchauer,GivingReasons,47STAN.L.REV.633,636-37(1995)(“Theactofgivingareasonistheantithesisofauthority.Whenthevoiceofauthorityfails,thevoiceofreasonemerges.Orviceversa.”).28SeeVolokh,68DUKEL.J.at1140-41.29Seeid.at1141(“IfwecancreateanAIbrief-writerthatcanpersuade,wecancreateanAIjudgethatcan(1)constructpersuasiveargumentsthatsupportthevariouspossibleresultsinthecase,andthen(2)choosefromallthoseargumentstheonethatismostpersuasive,andthustheresultthatcanbemostpersuasivelysupported.”).30Huq,ARighttoaHumanDecision,105VA.L.REV.at*42(“Anindividual’sopportunitytosupplyreasonstoahumandecision-makerisrelevantonlyifthose
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Volokhrecognizesthepotentiallycontroversialnatureofhisfocuson
“persuasiveness”asthekeyevaluationmetric,31buthedoesn’tfullyaddressthe
concern.Whilepersuasivenessmaybeidealforalawyer,itseemstomenotexactly
whatajudgeshouldbestrivingfor.Alawyerwritingabriefwantstomakethemost
persuasiveargumentforoneside,butthetaskofajudgewritinganopinionis
different.Thejudgemustacknowledgetheargumentsonbothsidesandexplain
whysheischoosingonesideovertheother,(orchoosingsomemiddleground),and
thendecidehowbroadlytowritethedecisionwithaneyetowardsbothitsexante
effectsandconsistencywithpriorprecedent.Moreover,whenthejudgeisfaced
withadifficultdecision,thevalueofcandorcounselsthatthejudgeshould
acknowledgethedifficulty,eventhoughthismayhinderpersuasiveness.32
Persuasivenessisalsoinherentlysubjective,(indeeditisdifficulttothinkof
manythingsthataremorequintessentiallysubjective).Decidingwhetheroneis
persuadedbyanargument(likejudging)oftenrequiresachoicebetween
incommensurablevalues,itisnotamatterofmerenumericalcalculation.33Tothe
reasonshavesomelikelihoodofinfluencingaprocess’soutcome.Butformanyofthedecisionsforwhichalgorithmsmightbeemployedinofficialhands,suchasbenefitseligibilityorparolerevocation,thelawdelimitsaclosedsetofrelevantparameters.”).31Volokh,68DUKEL.J.at1141(“AndiftheHenryTestevaluatorpanelistsarepersuadedbytheargumentforthatresult,thatmeanstheyhaveconcludedtheresultiscorrect.ThisconnectionbetweenAIbrief-writingandAIjudgingislikelythemostcontroversialclaiminthepaper.”).32SeeDavidL.Shapiro,InDefenseofJudicialCandor,100HARV.L.REV.731,737(1987)(callingcandor“thesinequanonofallotherrestraintsonabuseofjudicialpower”);GUIDOCALABRESI,ACOMMONLAWFORTHEAGEOFSTATUTES178-181(1982)(advocatinga“choiceforcandor”andexplainingthatthe“languageofcategoricals”is“particularlypronetomanipulation”).33SeeRebeccaHawAllensworth,TheCommensurabilityMythinAntitrust,69VAND.L.REV.1,68(2016)(“Inherentintheveryideaofjudgingisthenotionofjudgment;courtsarefrequentlydelegatedregulatoryandadjudicativetasksthatmustchoosebetweenvalidandimportantsocialvalues.”);JoshuaP.Davis,LawWithoutMind:AI,Ethics,andJurisprudence1(Univ.ofS.F.LawResearchPaperNo.2018-05,2018),https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3187513(arguingthatthe“ultimatebulwarkagainstcedinglegalinterpretationtocomputers–fromhaving
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extentthatlawyersandjudgesarealltrainedtothinkinacertainway,34someofthe
subjectivityismitigated,butstillmuchofitremains,whichiswhyappellatejudges
oftendisagreeandwritedissents,despitegenerallybeingwelltrainedinlaw.
Volokh’sproposalwouldseemtomerelyshiftthesesubjectivejudgmentsfrom
judges(viewingthelawinthecontextofaconcretecaseorcontroversyexpost)
themselvestothepanelofHenrytest“evaluators,”(evaluatingthepredicted
performanceoftherobotjudgesexante).
Tobesure,theabilityofthejudiciarytomakelawismoderatedand
constrained,itisnotasdrasticandsuddenasexantelegislation,whichisreserved
forthelegislativebranch.35AsJudgeCardozoputsit:“Lawmustbestable,andyetit
cannotstandstill.”36Onewaytoseethisisthroughexaminationofthedoctrineof
retroactivity,whichholdsthatalegaldecisionchangingthelaw(e.g.,overrulinga
precedent)mustbeappliedretroactivelytoothereventstakingplacebeforethe
decisionwasrendered.37
computersusurptheresponsibilityandauthorityofattorneys,citizens,andevenjudges–maybetorecognizetheroleofmoraljudgmentinsayingwhatthelawis.”).34See,e.g.,FREDERICKSCHAUER,THINKINGLIKEALAWYER(2009).35A.BenjaminSpencer,Substance,Procedure,andtheRulesEnablingAct,66UCLAL.REV.654,676(2019)(“Thegovernmentalactofprospectivelyconferringanddefiningthebundleofobligationsandprivilegesthatyieldtheentitlementsdescribedaboveisalegislativefunction(atleastatthefederallevel)becausesuchrightsreflectbasicpolicydecisionsthatshapeoursociety.”)(citingAm.TruckingAss’nsv.Smith,496U.S.167,201(1990)(Scalia,J.,concurring)(“[P]rospectivedecisionmakingisincompatiblewiththejudicialrole,whichistosaywhatthelawis,nottoprescribewhatitshallbe.”).36CARDOZO,supra,at143.SeealsoCharlesE.ClarkandDavidM.Trubek,TheCreativeRoleoftheJudge:RestraintandFreedomintheCommonLawTradition,71YALEL.J.255,275-76(1961)(“judicialcreationisaninevitableandvitalpartofourlaw...theprocessinitshighestreachesisnotdiscoverybutcreation”).37Harperv.Va.Dep’tofTaxation,509U.S.86,97(1993)(“WhenthisCourtappliesaruleoffederallawtothepartiesbeforeit,thatruleisthecontrollinginterpretationoffederallawandmustbegivenfullretroactiveeffectinallcasesstillopenondirectreviewandastoallevents,regardlessofwhethersucheventspredateorpostdateourannouncementoftherule.”).
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Onereasonforthedoctrineofretroactivityisfairness,treatinglikecases
alike.38Iftheruleofthecaseisappliedtothepartiesinthecase,eventhoughthe
eventsleadingtothesuitobviouslytookplacebeforetheexpostjudicialdecision,
thenitshouldalsobeappliedretroactivelytoothereventstakingplacebeforethe
decisionwasrendered.Thereisafairness(ordueprocess)argumentontheother
side:howcanitbefairtoretroactivelyapplyanewruletopartieswhodidnothave
noticeofthatruleatthetimeoftheevents?Onesolutionthathasbeenproposedis
an“actualreliance”exceptiontothedoctrineofretroactivity;thatis,ifoneofthe
partiescandemonstratethattheyactuallyreliedontheold(sayoverruled)law,the
newlawshouldnotbeappliedagainstthemretroactively.39Butthatfactthatthis
solutionremainshypotheticalseemstoshowthatthatthedueprocessorfairness
problemswithretroactivityaremorehypotheticalthanactual.40
Morepertinentlytoourpresentdiscussion,thedoctrineofretroactivity
servesasanimportantcheckonjudiciallawcreation.Ifcourtsareforcedtoapply
changesinthelawretroactively,andforcedtoconfrontthepotentialunfairnessin
that,theymaydecidetoadheretostaredecisisandthepriorruleratherthanrisk
theunfairnessofretroactiveapplication,eveniftheywouldhaveruleddifferently
hadtheybeenwritingonacleanslate.41Assuch,thedoctrineofretroactivity
38Id.at95(“selectiveapplicationofnewrulesviolatestheprincipleoftreatingsimilarlysituatedpartiesthesame”)(quotingGriffithv.Kentucky,479U.S.314,323(1987)).39PaulJ.Mishkin,TheSupremeCourt1964Term-Foreword,79HARV.L.REV.56,66-67n.39(1965)(“thistechniqueofmakingdemonstratedrelianceashieldagainsttheimpactofnewlychangedlawisonewhichseemstometohavegreatpotential”).40SeeCARDOZO,supra,at122(“Thepictureofthebewilderedlitigantluredintoacourseofactionbythefalselightofadecision,onlytomeetruinwhenthelightisextinguishedandthedecisionoverruled,isforthemostpartafigmentofexcitedbrains.”).41See,e.g.,Floodv.Kuhn,407U.S.258,278-79(1972)(“Allthis,combinedwiththefloodoflitigationthatwouldfollowitsrepudication,theharassmentthatwouldensue,andtheretroactiveeffectofsuchadecision,ledtheCourttothepracticalresultthatitshouldsustaintheunequivocallineofauthorityreachingovermanyyears.”).
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encouragescourtstomakeonlyminorandgradualshiftsinthelaw,42leavingmore
drasticprospectivechangesforthelegislativebranch.43
Thedoctrineofretroactivitythusfurtherstheseparationofpowersand
ensuresthatalthoughthejudiciaryplaysaroleinlegaldevelopment,itisasofter
andmoremeasuredrolethanthelegislature.44AsJusticeScaliaputit,although
judgesdo“inarealsense‘make’law...theymakeitasjudgesmakeit,whichisto
sayasthoughtheywere‘findingit’–discerningwhatthelawis,ratherthan
decreeingwhatitistodaychangedto,orwhatitwilltomorrowbe.”45Thelegal
opinionhas“acentralforward-lookingfunctionwhichreachesfarbeyondthecause
inhand:theopinionhasoneifnotitsmajorofficetoshowhowlikecasesare
properlytobedecidedinthefuture,”suchthattheopinion’spreparation“affords
notonlyabackcheckancross-checkonanycontemplateddecisionbywayof
continuitywiththelawtodatebutprovidesalsoaduemeasureofcautionbywayof
contemplationofeffectsahead.”46
42Mishkin,79HARV.L.REV.at70(“Ineluctableretroactivitywouldseemtooperateasan‘inherentrestraint’onjudiciallawmakingbecauseitcompelstheCourttoconfrontinsharpestformpossibleundesirableconsequencesofadoptinganewrule,asforexample,whenitappearsthatapplicationofthenewlyframeddoctrinemayresultinimposingliabilityorotherburdenonsomeonewhoactedinjustifiedrelianceontheoldlaw.”).43Id.at65-66(“Prospectivelawmakingisgenerallyequatedwithlegislation.Indeed,theconsciousconfrontationofthequestionofaneffectivedate–evenifonlyintheformofprovidingexplicitaffirmativejustificationforretroactiveoperation–smacksofthelegislativeprocess;foritisordinarilytakenforgranted(particularlyundertheBlackstoniansymbolicconception)thatjudicialdecisionsoperatewithinevitableretroactiveeffect.”).44JamesB.BeamDistillingCo.v.Georgia,501U.S.529,549(1991)(Scalia,J.,concurring)(explainingthatdifficultiesposedbyretroactivity“areoneoftheunderstoodchecksuponjudiciallawmaking;toeliminatethemistorendercourtssubstantiallymorefreeto‘makenewlaw,’andthustoalterinafundamentalwaytheassignedbalanceofresponsibilityandpoweramongthethreebranches”).45JamesB.BeamDistillingCo.,501U.S.at549(Scalia,J.,concurring).46KARLLEWELLYN,THECOMMONLAWTRADITION26(1960).
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WoulditbepossibleforanAIrobotjudgetostrikethisdelicatebalance
betweenthepastandthefuture?47Ajudgewritinganopinionisinpartexplaining
herreasoningsothatthelegalcommunityandsocietycanbetterunderstandthe
decisionandthusthelaw.Alegalopinionisthusinpartadiscoursebetween
societyandthelegalsystem,andthefactthatthejudgeis(fornow)alsoamember
ofsocietyandthelegalcommunitywouldseembeneficialtothisdiscourse.
III–FormalismandRealism
Theteachingsoflegalrealismhelptofurtherhighlightthefactthatcourtsin
asignificantfractionofcasesdomakepolicychoicesindevelopingthelaw,working
againstthenotionthatlawcanbereducedtocomputing.48True,theresultinmost
casesisdictatedbyexistinglaw,butasignificantfractionofcasescouldgoeither
way,andwhenfacedwithsuchforksintheroad,judgesmustmakeachoiceabout
inwhichdirectionthelawwillproceed.49JudgeCardozoalsorecognized“thatevery
doubtfuldecisioninvolvesachoicebetweenanicelybalancedalternative,andno
matterhowlongwedebateorhowcarefullyweponder,weshallneverarriveat
certitude.”50Thesedays,itisfairlyuncontroversialtosaythatjudgesatleast
sometimesdomorethansimply“callballsandstrikes.”51
47Cf.RONALDDWORKIN,LAW’SEMPIRE413(1986)(“Law’sattitudeisconstructive;itaims,intheinterpretivespirit,tolayprincipleoverpracticetoshowthebestroutetoabetterfuture,keepingtherightfaithwiththepast.”);OLIVERWENDELLHOLMES,THECOMMONLAW1(1881)(“Thelawembodiesthestoryofanation’sdevelopmentthroughmanycenturies,anditcannotbedealtwithasifitcontainedonlytheaxiomsandcorollariesofabookofmathematics.Inordertoknowwhatitis,wemustknowwhatithasbeen,andwhatittendstobecome.”).48SeeMishkin,79HARV.L.REV.at68(“Theinsightsof‘legalrealism,’developingandspreadingataperhapsacceleratingratesinceatleastthetwenties,providedanecessarycorrectivetoanoverlyrigidifiedconceptionoftheCourtastotallywithoutchoiceorwill,merelycarryingoutthesupposedlypreordaineddictatesoftheConstitution.”).49Seeid.at60(explainingthat“itiscertainlytruethatcourtsingeneralhandlethevastbulkofcasesbyapplicationofpreexistinglaw,”andthat“informedestimatesputthefigureatcloseto90%”)(citingFriendly,71YALEL.J.at222).50CARDOZO,supra,at140.Iamspeakinghereofclassicallegalrealism,ratherthanwhatsomehavecalled“newlegalrealism.”SeeThomasJ.Miles&CassR.Sunstein,
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Onewaytoseethisisbylookingatthedoctrineofprecedentandnotionsof
holdingversusdictum.Thereisnosingleacceptedtestfordeterminingexactly
whatisholdingornot,andinmanycasesthereisnoeasywaytodecide.52There
willalwaysbesomepossibledistinctionfromaprecedentcase,sooftenwhethera
judgechoosestofollowacaseturnsonwhethertheproffereddistinctionisa
meaningfulone,orwhetheritismerelyadistinctionwithoutadifference,an
inherentlysubjectiveinquiry.53Thedoctrineofprecedentis“two-headed”or
“Janus-faced”inthatthere“isonedoctrineforgettingridofprecedentsdeemed
troublesomeandonedoctrineformakinguseofprecedentsthatseemhelpful.”54
Thepropositionthatatleastsomeportionofcasesbeforethecourtscould
reasonablygoeitherwayis,thesedays,fairlywellaccepted.Indeed,theentire
Chevrondoctrineisbasedontheideathatforsomequestionsofstatutory
interpretation,thereisarangeofreasonableanswers,(thuscourt’sdefertothe
agencyinterpretationifitiswithinthatrange).55Assuch,“Chevronhasbeenseenas
atriumphoflegalrealism.”56
TheNewLegalRealism,75U.CHI.L.REV.831,831(2008)(“Weareinthemidstofafloweringof‘large-scalequantitativestudiesoffactsandoutcome,’withnumerouspublishedresults.TherelevantstudieshaveproducedaNewLegalRealism–anefforttounderstandthesourcesofjudicialdecisionsonthebasisoftestablehypothesesandlargedatasets.”).51SeeWilliamBlake,UmpiresasLegalRealists,45PS:POLITICALSCIENCE&POLITICS271,271(2012)(“Duringhisconfirmation,then-judgeJohnRobertsanologizedtheroleofajudgetotheroleofabaseballumpire....LegalscholarshavecriticizedRobertsfromalegalrealistperspectivebecausetheanalogymisconstruesthenatureofjudgingasformalistic.”).52SeegenerallyAndrewC.Michaels,TheHolding-DictumSpectrum,70ARK.L.REV.661(2017).Thesamecouldbesaidfordeterminingwhetheracasehasbeen“implicitlyoverruled.”SeegenerallyAndrewC.Michaels,ImplicitOverrulingandForeignLostProfits,25B.U.J.SCI.&TECH.L.101(2019).53SeeMichaels,70ARK.L.REV.at685;ArthurL.Goodhart,DeterminingtheRatioDecidendiofaCase,40YALEL.J.161,165(1930).54KARLLLEWELLYN,THEBRAMBLEBUSH69-70(1930).55SeeChevron,U.S.A.,Inc.v.NRDC,Inc.,467U.S.837,843(1984)(“ifthestatuteissilentorambiguouswithrespecttothespecificissue,thequestionforthecourtiswhethertheagency’sanswerisbasedonapermissibleconstructionofthestatute”);
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Theidealawcanbereducedtocomputerscienceseemsinherentlyformalist,
indeeditseemstoconceiveoflawasalmosta“broodingomnipresenceinthesky.”57
ItisreminiscentofDeanLangdell’s“legalscience,”whichheldthat“lawcanbe
reducedtoasetoffirstprinciples,ontheorderofmathematicalaxioms,andthatby
theuseofdeductivemethod,theseprinciplescanyieldallnecessary
consequences.”58ItisalsocomportswithPierreSchlag’sdescriptionoftheGrid
Aesthetic,wherein“lawispicturedasatwo-dimensionalareadividedinto
contiguous,well-boundedlegalspaces.”59
ButasSchlagnotes,“toevenposetheproblemoflegalchangeisalreadyto
weakenthegrid.”60OpposingthegridaestheticistheEnergyAesthetic,which
“leavesthestasisofthegridbehind,”suchthat“lawandthelegalprofessionareon
themove.”61AsSchlagexplains,theoppositionofthegridaestheticandtheenergy
seealsoUnitedStatesv.MeadCorp.,533U.S.218,229(2001)(explainingthatwhenChevronapplies,areviewingcourt“isobligedtoaccepttheagency’spositionifCongresshasnotpreviouslyspokentothepointatissueandtheagency’sinterpretationisreasonable”).56BrianG.Slocum,TheImportanceofBeingAmbiguous:SubstantiveCanons,StareDecisis,andtheCentralRoleofAmbiguityDeterminationsintheAdministrativeState,69MD.L.REV.791,836(2010).57Cf.GrantGilmore,LegalRealism:ItsCauseandCure,70YALEL.J.1037,1037-38(1961)(“Legalrealismmaybeviewedasanelaboratecommentaryonanattitudetowardlawsymbolizedbythefigureofthatmasterofepigram,JusticeHolmes.Thelifeofthelaw,Holmestoldus,hasnotbeenlogic;ithasbeenexperience.Andagain:thecommonlawisnotabroodingomnipresenceinthesky.”).58SeePeterLee,TheSupremeAssimilationofPatentLaw,114MICH.L.REV.1413,1419(2016)(quotingM.H.Hoeflich,Law&Geometry:LegalSciencefromLeibniztoLangdell,30AM.J.LEGALHIST.95,96(1986));EDWARDSTEVENSROBINSON,LAWANDTHELAWYERS67(1935)(“Thereisnottheslightestdoubtthatthecase-lawtheoryoflegaleducationwasamoveinthedirectionofanaturalscienceofthelaw.”).59PierreSchlag,TheAestheticsofAmericanLaw,115HARV.L.REV.1047,1051(2005).60Id.at1066.Seealso,id.at1065(“Itisanold,andapparentlypersistent,question:ifthecourtsaretofindbutnotcreatelaw,thenhowdoeslawchange?Foralawcastintheimageofthegrid,thisquestionisaesthetictrouble.Thegridisinert.Itdoesnotmove.”).61Id.at1070.
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aestheticiswellknownintermsoftheoppositionoflegalformalismversuslegal
realism.62Legalformalismisassociatedwiththegrid,inthatitdoesnottakeinto
accountlegalchangetotheextentthatlegalrealismdoes.
Interestingly,whilethereareformalistaspectstothesuggestionofrobot
judges,therearealsoaspectsthatechowhatmightbecalleditsopposite:Critical
LegalStudies.Theideathatthelegalsystemissobiased,indeterminate,andinept,
astowarrantautomatingthejudiciary,63seemsanextremelycynicalviewofthe
legalsystem.ThisisconsistentwiththelegacyofCriticalLegalStudies,whichwas
toleavebehindaseriesofcorrosivecritiquesaimedatproducingdisenchantment
withlawasnarrowlyunderstood.64Formalismoffersaverynarrowandtraditional
viewoflaw,whereasCriticalLegalStudiesperhapssuppliestheskepticismneeded
toremovehumansfromthesystem.LegalRealism,bycontrast,supplieswhatmight
becalledamiddlegroundrecognizingthehumanjudgmentnecessaryforthelegal
systemtofunction,butperhapsseeingvalueinhumanaspectsofthesystem.
TheprominentlegalrealistKarlLewellynhasderidedtheformalist“One
SingleRightAnswer”approach,explainingthatitmayhavethe“unhappyeffect”of
“drivingreadjustmentandcreationintotheunderground,whichnotonlydecreases
reckonabilitybutseriouslyhampersreasonedstudyandthoughtabouttherelative
valuesandcostsofanycompetingobjectivesandofthealwaysvariousavailableand
devisablemeasures.”65Disagreementsamongstjudgesasexplicatedviacircuit
splitsanddissentshavetheoppositeandbeneficialeffectofbringingthevarious
plausiblelegalchoicesoutintotheopen.
62Id.at1105.63SeeVolokh,68DUKEL.J.at1184(“wehumansdon’tsetthebarveryhigh”).64SeeTHEOXFORDINTERNATIONALENCYCLOPEDIAOFLEGALHISTORY298(StanleyN.Katzed.)(2009)(“TheLegacyofCLS:CLS[CriticalLegalStudies]leavesbehindaseriesofcorrosivecritiques–allaimedatproducingdisenchantmentanddisbeliefinlawasitisnarrowlyconstrued.”).65LEWELLYN,THECOMMONLAWTRADITION,supra,at25n.17.
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Whenthosearguingforartificialroboticlawspeakofenhancingconsistency
andaccuracy,66theyseemtobeoverlookingthefactthatnotallcaseshavearight
answer,andtheymayalsobeovervaluingconsistency.67Thelegaldisagreements
thatarisefromcircuitsplitsanddissentsmayactuallybebeneficialforsociety,in
thattheyengagethelegalcommunityinaprotractedthoughtfuldiscussionabout
varioussidesofimportantdebatesaboutlawandpolicy.68Replacingthis
communitywithamachinethatinstantaneouslyspitsoutarightansweruponthe
pressofabuttondoesnotseemwise,foradditionalreasonsthatwillbediscussed
furtherinthenextpart.
IV–LegalCommunity
Inourcurrentsystem,wehavemanyjudgesapplyingthelaw,andalthough
theyoccasionallydisagree,usuallytheyapplythelawinmoreorlessthesameway.
Thisisaredundancy,butredundancycanbeagoodthing.69Inthiscase,the
66SeeHuq,105VA.L.REV.at*40(“Ofcourse,evenwell-designedalgorithmictoolswillmakemistakes.Buttheadditionofahumanbackstoponamachinedecisionwilllikelyincreasetheoverallrateofinaccuratejudgments.”);cf.Casey&Niblett,92IND.L.J.at1419-20(“Aspredictivetechnologymakesiteasiertoautomatesuchregulatoryadvancerulingsandensuretheiraccuracy,theywillbecomeacommonmechanismfortheadoptionofmachinegeneratedmicrodirectives.”).67Cf.AmandaFrost,OvervaluingUniformity,94Va.L.Rev.1567,1574(2008)(“Ifthelowercourtsreachvariedbutreasonableconclusionsaboutthemeaningofafederalstatute,andthedifferencedonotcreatesignificantdisruptionorinequality,thentheCourtshoulddeclinetoresolvetheconflict.”).68SeeJOHNDEWEY,HOWWETHINK12(1933)(explainingthatreflectivethinking“involves(1)astateofdoubt,hesitation,perplexity,mentaldifficulty,inwhichthinkingoriginates,and(2)anactofsearching,hunting,inquiring,tofindmaterialthatwillresolvethedoubt,settleanddisposeoftheperplexity.”);seealsoDonaldJ.Kochan,ThinkingLikeThinkers:IstheArtandDisciplineofan‘AttitudeofSuspendedConclusion’LostonLawyers?,35SEATTLEU.L.REV.1,2-3n.5(2011).69SeeJohnM.Golden,Redundancy:WhenLawRepeatsItself,94TEX.L.REV.629,629(2016)(“Thepervasivenessoflegalredundancyhasatleastonestraightforwardexplanation.Redundancyhasmuchtooffer.”).
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redundancyhasvalueinthatitfostersacommunityofpeoplewithastrong
incentivetopayattentiontothelaw.70
Thebestwaytoseethevalueofthiscommunityistoimaginewhatwould
happenifitdidn’texist.Thatis,imagineaworldwherealljudgeswerereplacedby
robots.Ifallthejudgeswererobots,wewouldn’treallyneedhumanlawyers,forwe
couldalsohaverobotlawyers.Indeed,inVolokh’sargument,robotlawyerscome
beforerobotjudges.71Andifwedidn’thavehumanjudgesorlawyers,weprobably
wouldn’thavehumanlawprofessorsorlawstudentseither,(oratleastwewouldn’t
havenearlyasmany).
Robotlawmightbemoreefficient,butwewouldhavelostthecommunityof
peoplewhosejobitistopayattentiontothelaw,whichcouldbecomeaproblemif
thelawchanges,orifsomeoneinpowerchangesthelaw.72Whatwouldstop
someoneinpowerfromchangingthelawinwaysthatwerenotbeneficialto
society?True,thisalreadyhappenstosomedegree,butitcouldbeworse.Thelegal
communityisatleastpayingattentionandthatprovidessomedegreeofacheckon
thosewiththepowertochangethelaw.
Thelegalcommunityitselfcurrentlyplaysaroleinshapingthelaw,
spreadingpowerandsupportingthenotionthatweasasocietygovernourselves.
Judgesareresponsive(tosomedegree)tolawyers,whoareresponsive(tosome
degree)toclients,suchthatpowerisspreadthroughoutthelegalcommunityand
society.Thelegalcommunitymaythushelppromotethesensethatweasasociety
70SeeAnthonyD’Amato,Can/ShouldComputersReplaceJudges,11Ga.L.Rev.1277,1299(1977)(“Asecondcostwillbetorenderareasoflawuninteresting....Atpresent,manypeopleareimmediatelyinterested,whetherfinanciallyorfromateachingorresearchpointofview,inconflictsoflaws.”).71Volokh,68DUKEL.J.at1148-1151.72Cf.FRANKLINFOER,WORLDWITHOUTMIND:THEEXISTENTIALTHREATOFBIGTECH72(2017)(“Theproblemisthatwhenweoutsourcethinkingtomachines,wearereallyoutsourcingthinkingtotheorganizationsthatrunthemachines.”).
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havesomecontroloverthelawsthatgovernus;thatwearegoverningourselves
ratherthansubmittingto(orsimplyobeying)anoutsideauthority.73
Itmightbedifficulttoimaginethatapersonorgroupofpeoplewhoarenot
completelytrustworthycouldrisetopower,butthepossibilitycannotbe
completelydiscounted.Thelossofredundancyinswitchingfromhumanjudgesto
robotjudgescreatessomerisks,whichmaynotbeworththepotentialefficiency
gains.Althoughanythingbeyondanarroweconomicanalysisissometimesderided
as“deontological,”74theseriskspotentiallycreateveryrealnegativeconsequences,
suchthatcontinuingtoguardagainstthemcouldbeseenasutilitarian,as
utilitarianismcantakeintoaccountfactorsbeyondnarroweconomicefficiency.75
Totheextentthatthereisprivateintellectualpropertycoveringthecode
behindtheseAIjudges,theproblemsarecompounded.76Itisthusimportantthat,if
andtotheextentthatwedostarttoturnthelawintocode,attheveryleastthecode
mustbepublicandnotownedasintellectualproperty.Atleastifthecodeispublic,
thenlawyerstogetherwithcomputerscientistscanexaminethecode.Justasjudges
donotowntheopinionstheywrite,thejudgesthemselves,orthecodebehindthem,73Cf.YoungstownSheet&TubeCo.v.Sawyer,343U.S.579,646(1952)(Jackson,J.,concurring)(“oursisagovernmentoflaws,notofmen,and...wesubmitourselvestorulersonlyifunderrules”).74SeeVolokhat1163n.82(“Thisisaformofutilitarianism:Iaskwhatsortofjudginggivesustheresultswewant,notwhatsortofjudgingismostconsistentwithsomedeontologicaltheoryofhowjudgesshouldoperate.”).75Cf.StephaniePlamondonBair,RationalFaith:TheUtilityofFairnessinCopyright,97B.U.L.REV.1487,1490(2017)(“Ifconsiderationoffairnessisfaithbased,then,itisarationalfaith,becauseempiricalevidenceshowsthatfairnesspromotesutilitarianends.”);PeterLee,TowardaDistributiveAgendaforU.S.PatentLaw,55HOUS.L.REV.321,354(2017)(“Atafoundationallevel,theobjectiveofmaximizingsocialutilitycanrequireredistributionofresources,particularlygiventheprincipleofdiminishingmarginalutility.”).76Cf.SoniaK.Katyal,PrivateAccountabilityintheAgeofArtificialIntelligence,66UCLAL.REV.54,141(2019)(“ThefutureofcivilrightsinanageofAIrequiresustoexplorethelimitationswithinintellectualpropertyand,morespecifically,tradesecrets.”);JOSEPHRAZ,THEAUTHORITYOFLAW:ESSAYSONLAWANDMORALITY213(1979)(“Itisoneoftheimportantprinciplesofthe[ruleoflaw]doctrinethatthemakingofparticularlawsshouldbeguidedbyopenandrelativelystablegeneralrules.”).
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mustnotbeowned,assincethelawisbindingoncitizens,itmustremainfreeforall
toexamineandattempttounderstand.77
Oneaspectoflawisasharedwayofthinking.78Whenwesaythattheresult
inninetypercentofcasesisdeterminedbylawwhereasmaybetenpercentcouldgo
eitherway,whatwemeanisthatforthoseninetypercent,noreasonablejudgeor
lawyerwoulddecidetheotherway,butthisonlyworkstotheextentthatall
lawyersthinkinasimilarway.Thelegalcommunityprovidesaforumwhere
educatedpeoplecandebateissuesthatmatterinpublicinafairlycalm,formal,non-
emotionalway,(somethingvaluablethatseemstobesorelylackinginmostareasof
ourcurrentsociety).Onecouldthinkoflawthenasaformalizedsystemofdebate
andcommunication.Thisatleastsuggeststhatifwetakethehumansthatdothe
communicatingoutofthepicture,wemaylosesomethingimportanttoruleoflaw.
Weseemtohavesometendencyasasocietytoadoptnewtechnologies
beforetheyareentirelyready.79InVolokh’sargument,apanelofevaluators
77SeeBanksv.Manchester,128U.S.244,253(1888)(“Judges,asiswellunderstood,receivefromthepublictreasuryastatedannualsalary,fixedbylaw,andcanthemselveshavenopecuniaryinterestorproprietorshipasagainstthepublicatlarge,inthefruitsoftheirjudiciallabor....Thequestionisoneofpublicpolicy,andtherehasalwaysbeenajudicialconsensus...thatnocopyrightcouldunderthestatutespassedbyCongress,besecuredintheproductsofthelabordonebyjudicialoffiersinthedischargeoftheirjudicialduties.”).78Cf.PierreSchlag,SpamJurisprudence,AirLaw,andtheRankAnxietyofNothingHappening(AReportontheStateoftheArt),97GEO.L.J.803,828(2009)(“Whenonethinksofwhatlawyersmuststrivetodo–whichismainlyresolvedifficultdisputesandcontrolthefuturethoughdocumentarywritings–certainthingsemergeascrucialtotheirwork.Oneisthattheyspeakandthinkinacommonlanguage....Totheextentthat‘alllawyersthinkalike,’theycanwithsomecertaintypredictwhatotherlawyerswilldo–bothinlitigationandintransactionalcontexts.Thisisarguablysociallyuseful.”);BANJAMINN.CARDOZO,THENATUREOFTHEJUDICIALPROCESS35(1921)(“[T]hejudgmentofthelawyerclass,willspreadtoothers,andtingethecommonconsciousnessandthecommonfaith.”).79Cf.DaisukeWakabayashi,Self-DrivingUberCarKillsPedestrianinArizona,WhereRobotsRoam,THEN.Y.TIMES(Mar.19,2018);ClarkD.Asay,ArtificialStupidity,61WILLIAM&MARYL.REV.at*4(forthcoming2020)(“despitetheincessanthypeaboutandevergrowingusesofAI,manyAIexpertslamentalackofanyrealprogressin
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initiallyselecttherobotjudgeorjudges.Theevaluatorsaresupposedlyexperts,but
onceweturnthelawovertomachines,ourcommunityoflegalexpertswillshrink
andtheneventuallyvanish.Ourlawmuscles,asasociety,willatrophy.80Inother
words,Volokhandthosemakingsimilarargumentsseemtoignorethecostoftheir
proposalintermsofthelossofhumanexpertise.81Canwebesurethatthelaw
machines,justbecausetheywerechosenascompetentataninitialpointintime,
willremaincompetentwithchangingsociety?Oncewehavelostthecommunityof
experts,whowillkeepaneyeonthelawmachinestomakesure?
V.SeparationofPowers
Theimportanceofjudicialindependenceforruleoflawwasrecognizedin
theDeclarationofDelhi,“promulgatedin1959byaninternationalcongressof
juristsconsistingof185judges,practicinglawyersandteachersoflawfrom53
countries.”82TheDeclarationitselfstates:“AnindependentJudiciaryisan
indispensablerequisiteofafreesocietyundertheRuleofLaw.Suchindependence
impliesfreedomfrominterferencebytheExecutiveorLegislativewiththeexercise
ofthejudicialfunction.”83CanAIjudgesreallybesaidtobeindependent?Cansuch
robotsserveasasignificantcheckontheothertwobranches?Volokh’scondition
foradoption,demonstration(viatheModifiedHenrytest)thattherobotscanwrite
persuasiveopinions,doesnotseemtoprovideanyreasontoanswerthesequestions
theAIspace”);BrianSheppard,IncompleteInnovationandthePrematureDisruptionofLegalServices,2015MICH.ST.L.REV.1797,1802(2015)(“Whenadisruptionoccursbeforeallofthecorefunctionsofanindustryhavebeeninnovated,thereisariskthatthisIncompleteInnovationwillforcetheun-innovatedcorefunctionstobecomescarceordissaprear.”).80Cf.NICHOLASG.CARR,THESHALLOWS:WHATTHEINTERNETISDOINGTOOURBRAINS(2010);BRETTFRISCHMANANDEVANSELINGER,RE-ENGINEERINGHUMANITY(2018)(questioningwhetherartificialintelligenceisincreasinglyencouraginghumanstobehavelikemachines).81Cf.BodumUSA,Inc.v.LaCafetiere,Inc.,621F.3d624,633(2010)(Posner,J.,concurring)(“judgesareexpertsonlaw”).82LukeK.Cooperrider,TheRuleofLawandtheJudicialProcess,59MICH.L.REV.501,502(1960).83SeeCooperrider,59MICH.L.REV.at502.
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intheaffirmative.Justbecauseamachinecanwriteapersuasiveopinion,that
doesn’tmeanitisservingasanindependentcheckontheothertwobranches,asthe
“ThirdBranch”issupposedtodoinourgovernmentofseparationofpowers.84
ArticleIIIoftheU.S.Constitution,ofcourse,vestswiththecourtsthejudicial
power,whichextendsto“cases”and“controversies.”85AstheSupremeCourthas
explainedthisrequirement“isnotjustanemptyformality,”rather,it“preservesthe
vitalityoftheadversarialprocess,”suchthatthelegalquestionspresented“willbe
resolved,notintherarifiedatmosphereofadebatingsociety,butinaconcrete
factualcontextconducivetoarealisticappreciationoftheconsequencesofjudicial
action.”86Thisexplanationseemstoimplicitlyrecognizethatcourtsdoexercisean
importantlawmakingandpolicymakingfunctionwhentheyinterpretthelawsoas
toresolvelegalquestions,focusingontheimportanceofsuchinterpretationtaking
placeinthecontextofconcretefactualdisputes,asrequiredbytheConstitution.
Theevaluators’choiceofAIrobotjudgescouldbeseenasrunningafoulofthis
requirement,asitwouldnottakeplaceinthecontextoftheactualdisputesthatthe
robotswouldlaterbedeciding.
Additionally,itisnotclearthatdecision-makingbyAIitselfwouldcomply
withthiscaseorcontroversyrequirement.WhenexactlyistheAIcodemakingits
decision?Hasitalreadymadeitbeforethecase?Onecouldarguethatthedecision
ismadewhenthemachineisprogrammed,inwhichcase,thedecisionwouldnotbe
madeinthecontextofanactualcaseorcontroversyasrequiredbyArticleIII.
84SeeCityofArlingtonv.FCC,569U.S.290,327(2013)(Roberts,J.,dissenting)(discussingthe“obligationoftheJudiciarynotonlytoconfineitselftoitsproperrole,buttoensurethattheotherbranchesdosoaswell”);YoungstownSheet&TubeCo.v.Sawyer,343U.S.579,597(1952)(Frankfurter,J.,concurring)(“Thejudiciarymay,asthiscaseproves,havetointerveneindeterminingwhereauthorityliesasbetweenthedemocraticforcesinourschemeofgovernment.Butindoingsoweshouldbewaryandhumble.SuchistheteachingofthisCourt’sroleinthehistoryofthiscountry.”).85SeeU.S.CONST.ART.IIISec.1,2.86Massachusettsv.EPA,549U.S.497,517(2007)(quotingLujanv.DefendersofWildlife,504U.S.555,581(1992)(Kennedy,J.,concurring)).
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Indeed,thecomputercodeprogrammingtheAIjudgescouldbeseenasan
incrediblydetailedstatute(or“code”),87onethatpre-answersallpossiblequestions,
(albeit–orevenworse–inablackboxwaythatnoonereallyunderstands).88This
mightseemappealingincertainways,butitisimportanttorecognizethatitdoesin
asignificantsenseeliminatetheroleofthejudiciaryasanindependentbranch.
AlthoughseparationofpowersisnotexplicitlyintheConstitution,itis
consideredtobeimplicitinanumberofprovisions,includingthevestingclauses
vestingeachofthethreebrancheswithcertainresponsibilities.89InGregoryv.
Ashcroft,theSupremeCourtdiscussedtheimportanceofthe“constitutionally
mandatedbalanceofpower,”tochecking“abusesofgovernmentpower,”by
preventing“theaccumulationofexcessivepowerinanyonebranch,”soasto
“reducetheriskoftyrannyandabuse.”90
Indeed,accordingtoJusticeGorsuch,“[o]neoftheabusesofroyalpowerthat
ledtotheAmericanRevolutionwasKingGeorge’sattempttogaininfluenceover87Cf.Gilmore,70YALEL.J.at1043(“A‘code,’letussay,isalegislativeenactmentwhichentirelypre-emptsthefieldandwhichisassumedtocarrywithinittheanswerstoallpossiblequestions:thuswhenacourtcomestoagaporanunforeseensituation,itsdutyistofind,byextrapolationandanalogy,asolutionconsistentwiththepolicyofthecodifyinglaw.”).88Asay,61WILLIAM&MARYL.REV.at*29(“becauseofthelackoftransparencysurroundingAIsystemsinanumberofimportantindustries,somescholarshavecomplainedthatsuchAIsystemsarea‘blackbox’”)(citingFRANKPASQUALE,THEBLACKBOXSOCIETY(2015)).89See,e.g.,SapnaKumar,PatentCourtSpecialization,104IOWAL.REV.101,118(2019)(“Theterm‘separationofpowers’doesnotappearintheConstitution,butisinsteadinferredfromthedividingoflegislative,executive,andjudicialpowerintoseparateArticles.”)(citingBuckleyv.Valeo,424U.S.1,124(1976);MichaelC.Dorf&CharlesF.Sabel,AConstitutionofDemocraticExperimentalism,98COLUM.L.REV.267,439-40(1998)).90Gregoryv.Ashcroft,501U.S.452,458-59(1991)(alsodiscussingtheimportanceoffederalismandhowthedividingofpowerbetweentheFederalGovernmentandtheStatessimilarlypreventsabusebyproviding“doublesecurity”)(quotingJamesMadison,FederalistNo.51at323(“InthecompoundrepublicofAmerica,thepowersurrenderedbythepeopleisfirstdividedbetweentwodistinctgovernments,andthentheportionallottedtoeachsubdividedamongdistinctandseparatedepartments.Henceadoublesecurityarisestotherightsofthepeople.”)).
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colonialjudges.”91JusticeGorsuchhasrecentlyexplainedthat“whenpoliticalactors
areleftfreenotonlytoadoptandenforcewrittenlaws,butalsotocontrolthe
interpretationofthoselaws,”thereisarisktoruleoflaw.92Thefounderssoughtto
guardagainstthisriskbyprovidingprotectionstothejudiciary’sindependence
suchaslifetenureforjudgesandaprohibitiononreducingjudges’compensation,so
thatthejudiciarycould“interpretthelaws‘freefrompotentialdominationbyother
branchesofgovernment.’”93Onecouldtrytoarguethatrobotjudgeswouldbe
independentlyapplyingthelaw,butwhensuchrobotscanbereprogrammedbythe
otherbranches,theirindependencedoesnotseemparticularlyrobust.Andsuch
reprogrammingwouldhavetobepossibletoallowforchangeswhenCongress
passesanewlaworchangesthelaw.
InGregory,theCourtalsocandidlyrecognizedtheimportantpolicymaking
rolethatjudgesplay,particularlyinthecommonlawcontext,quotingJustice
Holmes’statement:
Theveryconsiderationswhichjudgesmostrarelymention,andalwayswithanapology,arethesecretrootfromwhichthelawdrawsallthejuicesoflife.Imean,ofcourse,considerationsofwhatisexpedientforthecommunityconcerned.Everyimportantprinciplewhichisdevelopedbylitigationisinfactandatbottomtheresultofmoreorlessdefinitelyunderstoodviewsaboutpublicpolicy;mostgenerally,tobesure,underourpracticeandtraditions,theunconsciousresultofinstinctivepreferencesandinarticulateconvictions,butnonethelesstraceabletoviewsofpublicpolicyinthelastanalysis.94
91Kisorv.Wilkie,588U.S._,slipop.at*22-23(2019)(Gorsuch,J.,dissenting)(citingDeclarationofIndependence¶11).92Id.at*23(quotingPalmorev.UnitedStates,411U.S.389,412(1973)(Douglas,J.,dissenting));seealsoOilStatesEnergyServices,LLCv.Greene’sEnergyGroup,LLC,138S.Ct.1365(2018)(Gorsuch,J.,dissenting).93Kisor,588U.S._,slipop.at*24(Gorsuch,J.,dissenting)(quotingUnitedStatesv.Will,449U.S.200,218(1980));seealsoTheFederalistNo.81,at482(A.Hamilton).94Gregory,501U.S.at466(quotingOLIVERWENDELLHOLMES,THECOMMONLAW35-36(1881)).
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Inconcurrence,JusticeWhite(joinedbyJusticeStevens),agreedthatthe
“quotationfromJusticeHolmes”was“aneloquentdescriptionofthepolicymaking
natureofthejudicialfunction,”andalsoquotedJusticeCardozo’sstatement:
Each[common-lawjudge]indeedislegislatingwithinthelimitsofhiscompetence.Nodoubtthelimitsforthejudgearenarrower.Helegislatesonlybetweengaps.Hefillstheopenspacesinthelaw...Withintheconfinesoftheseopenspacesandthoseofprecedentandtradition,choicemoveswithafreedomwhichstampsitsactionascreative.Thelawwhichistheresultingproductisnotfound,butmade.95
Althoughthepolicymakingchoicesmadebyjudgesare,inJusticeHolmes’
ownadmission,tosomeextent“instinctive”and“inarticulate,”theydoatleastarise
throughtheconsideredlegaladversarialprocessasrequiredbyArticleIII,andare
importantpreventingtyrannythroughseparationofpowers.Noonepolicymaker
canbeexpectedtobeperfect,andoursystemofspreadingpoweramongstmultiple
actorswithdistinctrolesisanimportantaspectofruleoflaw,96whichseemstobe
overlookedbythosearguingforamovetowardsrobotjudges.97
Theseseparationofpowersconcernsmakemachinedecision-making
particularlyproblematicinthejudicialbranch.Althoughsomemachinedecision-
makingisalreadybeingdoneintheexecutivebranchortheadministrative
agencies,98thisdoesnotseemasproblematic.Onewayofthinkingaboutthe
95Gregory,501U.S.at482(White,J.,concurring)(quotingBENJAMINCARDOZO,THENATUREOFTHEJUDICIALPROCESS113-115(1921)).96Cf.MASSACHUSETTSCONSTITUTION,ArticleXXX(“Inthegovernmentofthiscommonwealth,thelegislativedepartmentshallneverexercisetheexecutiveandjudicialpowers,oreitherofthem:theexecutiveshallneverexercisethelegislativeandjudicialpowers,oreitherofthem:judicialshallneverexercisethelegislativeandexecutivepowers,oreitherofthem:totheenditmaybeagovernmentoflawsandnotofmen.”)(emphasisadded).97Cf.FrankPasquale,ARuleofPersons,NotMachines:TheLimitsofLegalAutomationat*48(2018)(“Thelegalfuturists’partialvisionofeconomicprogressreflectsasimilarlyincompletenormativeaccountoftheruleoflaw–onethatasksbothtoomuch,andtoolittle,oflegalinstitutions.”).98SeeEmilyBerman,AGovernmentofLawsandNotofMachines,98B.U.L.REV.1277,1280(2018)(“Givenitsutility,itisnotsurprisingthatgovernmentdecision-makers
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executivebranchisthatitisentirelyaccountabletothepresidentanyway,99soifthe
presidentchoosestodelegatetomachinesratherthanhumans,thatisseeminglyhis
orherprerogative,oratleast,itdoesn’traiseseparationofpowersconcerns.
Theunitaryexecutivetheoryisofcoursedisputed,100butthisisnottheplace
togetintothatdispute.Mypointhereisthatevenassumingarguendothatitisok
forexecutivedecision-makingtobecentralizedinartificialintelligence,itisnot
appropriateforthejudicialbranch,asitwouldoverlookthepolicymakingroleof
thatbranchanditsimportanceinmaintainingseparationofpowersbyservingasan
independentcheckonaccumulationoftoomuchpowerintoofewhands.101
seektoharnessmachinelearning’spredictivepowerforpublic-sectoruse.Thesetoolsalreadyhavemadesignificantinroadsinthecontextsofnationalsecurityandlawenforcement.”).99See,e.g.,Myersv.UnitedStates,272U.S.52,135(1923)(“TheordinarydutiesofofficersprescribedbystatutecomeunderthegeneraladministrativecontrolofthePresidentbyvirtueofthegeneralgranttohimofexecutivepower,andhemayproperlysuperviseandguidetheirconstructionofthestatutesunderwhichtheyactinordertosecurethatunitaryanduniformexecutionofthelawswhichArticleIIoftheConstitutionevidentlycontemplatedinvestinggeneralexecutivepowerinthePresidentalone.”).100See,e.g.,Humphrey’sExecutorv.UnitedStates,295U.S.602(1935)(“ButinthecaseofanofficesuchastheFederalTradeCommission,thenatureofwhichisnotpolitical,thefunctionofwhichisquasi-judicialandquasi-legislative,inordertosafeguarditsindependenceofpoliticaldominationitisnecessaryandpropertoenactlegislativestandardswhichthePresidentmustfollow.”);Morrisonv.Olson,487U.S.654,687(1988)(“ContrarytotheimplicationofsomedictainMyers,thePresident’spowertoremoveGovernmentofficialssimplywasnotall-inclusiveinrespectofcivilofficers”).101SeealsoAndrewC.Michaels,AbstractInnovation,VirtualIdeas,andArtificialLegalThought,14MAR.J.BUS.&TECH.L.1,32(2019)(“itcouldbecomeaveryseriousproblemifsomeuntrustworthygroupofpeopleweretogaincontrolofthelawmachine,andstartchangingitscommandsfortheirownbenefit”).AsIhavenotedbefore,distributedledgerorblockchaintechnologymayhavesomepotentialformitigatingsomeofthecentralizationofpowerconcerns.Seeid.atn.134(citingMichaelAbramowicz,Cryptocurrency-BasedLaw,58ARIZ.L.REV.359(2016)).
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Conclusion
Replacingjudgeswithrobotswouldentaildrasticchangestolawasweknow
it,anditisnotatallclearthatthechangeswouldbeforthebetter.Whythen,
shouldwedoit?Volokhandothersofferthreeprimarybenefits.Thefirstisthatit
wouldbecheaper.102Butcomparedtotheamountofmoneythatwespendonthe
military,ortaxbreaksforthesuperrich,thejudiciaryreallyisn’tthatexpensive,103
anditseemslikemoneywellspentinpreservingtheruleoflaw.Efficiency
argumentsdonotadequatelynotaccountfortheincreasedriskduetothelossof
redundancy,nordotheyanswertherelatedseparationofpowersconcerns.104
Indeed,efficiencyisnotalwaysparamountinruleoflaw,forasJusticeBrandeishas
explained,the“doctrineofseparationofpowerswasadoptedbytheConventionof
1787nottopromoteefficiencybuttoprecludetheexerciseofarbitrarypower.”105
102SeeVolokh,68DUKEL.J.at1139n.10(“Insomecontexts,ofcourse,automationmaybebetterevenifit’snotaseffective–forinstance,itmaybecheaperandthusmorecost-effective.Butifit’scheaperandatleastaseffective,thenitwouldbeprettyclearlysuperior.”);Huqat*37(“Rightnow,thedemandforhumanreviewintheteethofitslikelycostsandavailablealternativeresponses,mightseemlittlemorethananaestheticpreferenceaboutthemannerinwhichoneinteractswithstateactors.Iamnotsurethatisenoughtogetarighttohumandecisionofftheground.”);Casey&Niblett,92IND.L.J.at1403(“Anewformoflaw,themicrodirective,willemergetoprovideallofthebenefitsofbothrulesandstandardswithoutthecostsofeither.Thesemicrodirectiveswillprovideexantebehavioralprescriptionsfinelytailoredtoeverypossiblescenario.”).103CompareADMINISTRATIVEOFFICEOFTHEU.S.COURTS,THEJUDICIARYFISCALYEAR2019CONGRESSIONALBUDGETSUMMARYat5(2018)(“Thejudiciary’sappropriationrequestforfiscalyear2019totals[$7.863Billion]”);withOFFICEOFTHEUNDERSECRETARYOFDEFENSE(COMPTROLLER),NATIONALDEFENSEBUDGETESTIMATESFORFY2020at1(2019)(showing$685BillionDODDiscretionaryBudgetAuthorityfor2019);andJOINTCOMMITTEEONTAXATION,MACROECONOMICANALYSISOFTHE“TAXCUTANDJOBSACT”ASORDEREDREPORTEDBYTHESENATECOMMITTEEONFINANCEONNOVEMBER16,2017at7(2017)(estimatinganetlossofover$1trillionoverfiscalyears2018-2027).104SeePartIV,supra;cf.OilStatesEnergyServs.,LLCv.Greene’sEnergyGrp.,LLC,138S.Ct.1365,1380(2018)(Gorsuch,J.,dissenting)(“Ajudicialhearingbeforeapropertyinterestisstrippedaway...canslowthingsdown.Buteconomysuppliesnolicenseforignoringthese–oftenvitallyinefficient–protections”).105Myers,272U.S.at293(Brandeis,J.,dissenting).
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ThesecondreasonproponentsofAIofferisabitmorecompelling;itis
basicallythatAIwouldbemoreconsistentandmightthusbelessbiased.106Of
course,therecouldalsobebiasbuiltintotheAI,butevenassumingthattheAI
wouldbebetterthanhumansonthisscore,itstilldoesn’tdoanythingtoaddressall
oftheconcernsabove.Thebetterwaytodealwithbiaswouldbeforhumanjudges
toworkonbecomingmoreawareofitandcompensatingforit,orbetteryet,to
diversifythejudiciary.Diversifyingthejudiciarywouldalsohavesupplementary
powerspreadingbenefits,spreadingpowertoamorediversecohortofjudges.
Anotherwaytodealwithbiasmightbetoreducejudicialdiscretioninsituations
(suchasperhapscriminalsentencing)wheretheeffectsofbiastendtobe
particularlyacute.107Biasinthejudiciaryisaproblem,butautomatingthejudiciary
isanoverbroadandinappropriatesolutiontothatparticularproblem.
Thethirdreasonisthatthelowercostoflegalserviceswillimproveaccessto
justice.108Totheextentthatrobotsareabletosuccessfullyreplacesomelawyers
(withoutreplacingjudges),thisismoreacceptableasitwouldlowerthecostoflegal106SeeVolokh,68DUKEL.J.at1140(“Andbecausesuchaprogramisalsolikelytobemuchcheaper,quicker,andlesssubjecttocertainformsofbias,itpromisestomakethelegalsystemnotonlymoreefficientbutalsofairerandmoreaccessibletopoorandmiddle-classlitigants.”);Huqat*6(“machinedecisionsareoftencapableofclassificationwithasmallernumberoffalsepositivesandfalsenegativesthanhumans,andhavethepotentialtoactwithfewerdistortingbiases”);Casey&Niblett,92IND.L.J.at1410(“Andthelawswillbehighlycalibratedtopolicyobjectiveswithnochanceofjudgesintroducingbiasorincompetence.”);seealsoBenjaminAlarie,AnthonyNiblett,&AlbertH.Yoon,RegulationbyMachineat4(2016)(availableat:https://ssrn.com/abstract=2878950)(“Inaworldwheretaxpayersreceiveinstantaneousrulingsfromregulators,thealgorithmisthelaw.Thisnewformoflawischaracterizedbygreaterconsistencythanregulatorsandcourtscouldpreviouslyoffer.Thebiasesofregulators,adjudicators,andjudgesarewashedaway,furtherreducinglegaluncertainty.”).107Cf.Berman,98B.U.L.REV.at1283(arguingthat“governmentactorsshouldexploitthebenefitsofmachinelearningwhentheyenjoybroaddiscretioninmakingdecisions,whileeschewingthetoolfordecision-makingwhengovernmentdiscretionishighlyconstrained”).108SeeVolokh,68DUKEL.J.at1147(“Realistically,theonlywaywearelikelytosharplyincreaseaccesstoexpensiveservices,suchaslawyering,isthroughtechnology.”);cf.Alaireet.al.,supra,at*1(“machinelearningcanpredicthowcourtswoulddecidelegaldisputesmorecheaplyandaccuratelythanhumanregulators”).
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services.Thuswecouldreceivetheaccesstojusticebenefitswithoutreplacing
judges.Andaslongaswestillhavehumanjudges,therewillstillbeaneedforat
leastsomehumanlawyers,sothehumanlegalcommunitywillstillexist.
Thustotheextentthereareadvantagestorobotjudges,theadvantagesare
limitedandareoutweighedbythemajordisadvantages,suchthattheadvantages
canbebetterachievedinotherways.Why,then,shouldwereplaceourArticleIII
judgeswithAIrobots?Theanswerissimple:weshouldn’t.
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