Chief Justice John Roberts Talks AI But Wants His Computer to Just Work
In the 2023 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary, Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court John Roberts discussed technology and its use by the courts, artificial intelligence and its impact on courts, and to specifically complain about printing documents. The year-end report could have been used to address the financial disclosure reforms needed to clearly identify conflicts of interest to the Supreme Court Justices, how political influence is tolerated within the Court, how the religious beliefs of the Supreme Court Justices influence their decisions, or how most Americans no longer trust that the Supreme Court will make the right decisions in matters of importance. Instead, Roberts focused on technology adoption by courts over the years, starting with quill pens and leading up to artificial intelligence. His primary concern in the report was just getting the computer in his office to print his briefs to the printer down the hall. He asked, “Is that too much to ask? I mean it's right there in the hallway. Half the time, it works. Half the time, it doesn't.” Roberts has called the IT group so many times, but they cannot fix it. He also had some choice words for Microsoft specifically. While not directly stated, it is not likely that the Microsoft Corporation will get a fair hearing in the Supreme Court.