California Deleted 'Read' From Its AI Lawyer Law
California SB 574's drafting history holds a telling detail for lawyers: an earlier draft required them to have 'personally read and verified' every citation. The final law says 'verified' only, because reading a case is not the same as checking whether it exists.
From the full episode: California SB 574: "The Statute Catches Up" (EP7)
Full transcript
There's a detail in the drafting history I love. An earlier draft said lawyers had to have personally read and verified every citation. The final version dropped read because reading a case isn't the same as checking whether it exists.
Sources
- Farella Braun + Martel analysis of SB 574's amendment history (confirms 'read' was dropped before passage)
- California SB 574, enrolled text, Code of Civil Procedure section 128.7(b)(2)(A)
- Full episode: California SB 574: "The Statute Catches Up" (EP7)
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