Will AI replace judges?
Updated
Judges score 39 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 71%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. The other 29% stays with people.
- 71% AI helps
- 29% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Higher than 51% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 21 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can't do any of them end to end yet. It speeds up 14 and leaves 7 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Research legal issues and write opinions on the issues. AI can research law and draft opinions; judge verifies and signs. | 70% AI helps |
| Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues. AI can quickly summarize pleadings and motions for the judge. | 65% AI helps |
| Write decisions on cases. AI can draft decisions from record; judge must review and take responsibility for them. | 60% AI helps |
| Award compensation for damages to litigants in civil cases in relation to findings by juries or by the court. AI can calculate and draft damages awards; judge decides amounts. | 40% AI helps |
| Issue arrest warrants. AI can check affidavits and draft warrants; judge decides probable cause. | 40% AI helps |
| Impose restrictions upon parties in civil cases until trials can be held. AI can draft restraining orders and injunction language; judge decides. | 40% AI helps |
| Grant divorces and divide assets between spouses. AI can prepare divorce paperwork and asset division math; judge rules. | 40% AI helps |
| Provide information regarding the judicial system or other legal issues through the media and public speeches. AI can draft speeches and public explainers; judge delivers them. | 40% AI helps |
| Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes. AI can compute guideline ranges, but sentencing needs judge's personal judgment. | 35% AI helps |
| Interpret and enforce rules of procedure or establish new rules in situations where there are no procedures already established by law. AI can surface procedural rules, but establishing new rules needs judicial authority. | 35% AI helps |
Show the other 11 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Rule on custody and access disputes, and enforce court orders regarding custody and support of children. Support calculations can be automated; custody decisions need human judgment. | 35% AI helps |
| Advise attorneys, juries, litigants, and court personnel regarding conduct, issues, and proceedings. AI can draft procedural guidance, but live advice stays with the judge. | 30% AI helps |
| Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony. Evidence rulings happen live in court; AI only helps with research. | 20% AI helps |
| Supervise other judges, court officers, and the court's administrative staff. Supervising judges and staff is interpersonal management work. | 18% Needs a person |
| Conduct preliminary hearings to decide issues, such as whether there is reasonable and probable cause to hold defendants in felony cases. Preliminary hearings are live proceedings with witnesses and attorneys. | 18% Needs a person |
| Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts. AI can draft instructions, but judge delivers them live to jurors. | 15% AI helps |
| Settle disputes between opposing attorneys. Settling disputes between attorneys relies on live negotiation and persuasion. | 15% Needs a person |
| Participate in judicial tribunals to help resolve disputes. Collegial tribunal deliberation among judges is live human reasoning. | 15% Needs a person |
| Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed. Live courtroom monitoring needs a present judge watching proceedings. | 12% Needs a person |
| Preside over hearings and listen to allegations made by plaintiffs to determine whether the evidence supports the charges. Presiding and hearing testimony live requires in-person human presence. | 8% Needs a person |
| Perform wedding ceremonies. Performing a wedding ceremony is in-person and ceremonial. | 3% Needs a person |
How judges compare
All occupations (923)
Legal (7)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $153,990 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 24,030 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +2.8% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Verify AI-drafted opinions against Westlaw and LexisNexis citations
- Preside over live hearings and listen to witness testimony
- Deliver jury instructions in person during trials
- Calculate and sign off on damages awards in Microsoft Excel
- Run settlement conferences between opposing attorneys
- Manage dockets in courtroom scheduling software
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about judges and AI
Will judges be replaced by AI?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours of a judge's time go to tasks AI can already do, mostly legal research with opinion drafting, plus reading pleadings and motions. Hearings, jury management and courtroom rulings stay with people because they need a judge present and speaking in the room.
Which tasks of judges will AI take over?
Legal research and opinion drafting carry the highest exposure, scoring 70 out of 100. AI can research law and draft opinions from the case record, and the judge verifies and signs them. Reading pleadings and motions scores 65, since AI can condense filings quickly for the bench.
Which tasks of judges stay human?
Presiding over hearings scores 8 on exposure, and monitoring proceedings scores 12, because both need a judge physically present in the courtroom. Settling disputes between attorneys scores 15 and relies on live negotiation and persuasion. Performing wedding ceremonies scores 3.
How can judges stay valuable as AI takes on more tasks?
Verify every AI-drafted opinion against Westlaw and LexisNexis before signing. Take responsibility for damages amounts and probable cause findings in your written reasoning. Spend more time on live hearings, jury instructions and settlement conferences, where a judge must be in person. Keep dockets organized in courtroom scheduling software.
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Next steps for judges
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