Nebraska Supreme Court questions attorney about AI use in court brief
Nebraska Supreme Court questions attorney about AI use in court brief
https://www.wowt.com/2026/02/19/nebraska-supreme-court-questions-attorney-about-ai-use-court-brief/
Publish Date: 2026-02-18 23:33:00
Source Domain: www.wowt.com
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Figuring out ways to harness the power of artificial intelligence is being challenged by every industry. What works, what doesn’t and what’s ethical.
The Nebraska Supreme Court heard arguments in a divorce and custody case this month, but what the justices really wanted to know was: Did the attorney really write this?
It’s a big deal for attorneys arguing a case before the Nebraska Supreme Court. First up was an appeal of a divorce case from Omaha. But 37 seconds into the argument, the justices interrupted Omaha attorney Greg Lake.
“Before we get into that, I’d like to ask you about your brief,” a justice said.
“Of course,” Lake said.
“And your brief had a number of errors in it that were submitted. Can you explain to us how that occurred?” the justice asked.
“Absolutely, Your Honor. I was on my 10th wedding anniversary. While flying down there, my computer broke. And I uploaded the incorrect version of my brief,” Lake said.
Extensive errors discovered
The opposing attorney told the court that of the 63 references Lake made in his brief, 57 contained some form of defect.
“The brief that was submitted had misquotes from cases, fictitious cases, and misquotes from statutes. How were those all generated in your, I guess, the version that you did submit to us?” a justice asked.
“Sure. It was a draft. And when I… My writing process is when I’m drafting, I stick in things that I know wouldn’t pass muster,” Lake said.
“The elephant in the room is whether or not you used artificial intelligence. Did you?” the justice asked.
“No, I did not,” Lake said.
“With respect, if you didn’t use artificial intelligence, how do we end up with a citation to cases that don’t exist? I mean, it’s frankly a little hard to believe that’s just a citation error,” the justice said.
“Certainly, Your Honor. And again, like I said, I was… My computer was broken,” Lake said.
Client concerns
Jason Regan is the client whose…
