...Chief Justice Warns Judges Of Fabricated Authorities Capable Of Distorting Judicial Proceedings
….Judicial Officers Urged To Deploy Technology Responsibly, Verify Sources
...CJN Cautions Judges Against Partisan Political Conduct Ahead Of 2027 Polls
Daud Olatunji
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has raised the alarm over the growing use of artificial intelligence in legal research, warning that AI systems can generate apparently credible but non-existent court cases, inaccurate judicial decisions and wrongly attributed quotations.
Kekere-Ekun gave the warning on Wednesday while speaking at the flag-off ceremony of the 2026/2027 legal year of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja.
The CJN stressed that although artificial intelligence could be a valuable research tool for lawyers and other legal practitioners, its outputs must not be accepted as authoritative without proper verification.
According to her, AI-generated responses could appear convincing because they may contain the names of parties, case citations, quotations and seemingly detailed accounts of judgments that never existed.
She warned that relying on such fabricated authorities in court proceedings could have serious consequences for counsel and potentially undermine the integrity of judicial proceedings.
The CJN said, “An AI system may produce an answer that appears authoritative, complete with names of parties, citations, quotations and even a seemingly convincing account of the decision.
“That does not make the authority genuine.”
Kekere-Ekun further stressed that a non-existent case, an incorrectly stated judicial decision or a quotation wrongly attributed to a judgment had no place in court processes.
She therefore urged lawyers to subject AI-generated legal materials to rigorous verification before relying on them in legal proceedings.
The warning comes amid the rapid adoption of generative AI tools capable of producing human-like responses and large volumes of information within seconds, raising new challenges for the legal profession and the administration of justice.
CJN Warns Judges Ahead Of 2027 Elections
The Chief Justice also cautioned judges against conduct that could create the perception of political alignment or predisposition as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections.
She noted that some judges of the National Industrial Court could, in accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws, be called upon to serve on election petition tribunals.
Kekere-Ekun said the politically sensitive nature of election disputes, coupled with the intense public attention they attract, demanded an even higher degree of impartiality, restraint and detachment from judicial officers.
She warned that judges’ conduct would be closely scrutinised, urging them to ensure that their associations, public engagements and other activities did not create a reasonable perception that they were aligned with a political interest.
The CJN said, “Whether sitting in this Court or performing a Tribunal assignment, you must remain conscious that your conduct will be closely scrutinised.”
