Council backs staffing additions and pilot for staff attorneys as filings and AI complexity rise

The Judicial Council adopted three recommendations to address rising filings and workload pressures at appellate and trial courts: support OCA’s exceptional item request for two resource attorneys and an administrative assistant to back regional presiding judges; establish a pilot grant program to test staff attorneys in trial courts; and support staffing requests for courts of appeals facing a roughly 30% rise in filings.

Justice Miskill and other presenters warned that filings to appellate courts have grown and become more complex, in part because of AI assistance that can generate more issues per brief. The council discussed pilot governance and selection processes; presenters favored a grant model with application criteria similar to existing TIDC processes and recommended advisory review panels to allocate limited funds. The council approved the recommendations and emphasized further study of pilot metrics, including whether staff attorneys reduce the need for associate judges.

Why it matters: Members cited operational strain — including a 30% filings increase for some appellate courts — and said staff attorneys could deliver targeted research and drafting help to improve court efficiency as filings become longer and more complex.